Happiness through Self-Acceptance

Happiness of a person originates from contentment from the self and this happens when you accept yourself as what you really are. But this not as easy as has been said. Accepting oneself needs knowing oneself first which is a difficult proposition. Not everybody knows him/herself for his/her misconceptions about the self or for projecting a false image of him/her to the world outside.

Self-acceptance is being pragmatic about endeavors and achievements - avoiding misadventures and reaching the peak of performance. It is neither a moral nor an ideal but is a mental construct based on realities. Thus, it is a two-way road to success without bumps of frustrations and getting exhausted. It is about the present based on the past but does not limit the future. In essence, it is what is advised by 'first deserve then desire'.  

It is an honest reckoning which provides one a respectful place today without making him/her lazy and complacent about the future. It is not accepting defeat in tough circumstances but avoiding it and getting prepared for a victory. It teaches you what is the best possibility of today and tunes you to the idea 'nothing is impossible for tomorrow'. 

Everyone of us has strengths and weaknesses. Knowing one's weaknesses is always more important than knowing the strengths. The former is important for not hitting a wrong target and getting defeated, while the latter is needed for high achievements. Once you know yourself, it becomes easier for accepting the self. Your strengths provide you confidence for being victorious but your weaknesses must not dishearten you as nobody on this earth is all-powerful. 

Self-acceptance is a spring board of lasting-success without getting negative feelings of failures. Thus, it a positive action of pragmatic understanding of the self. If you are not like that, try it and see the quantum-leap change in your performances. It shows you the focal point to concentrate your attention on whether you are designing your career moves or planning to be an entrepreneur, or looking for a life-partner.


On a broader scale, self-acceptance is accepting things and persons as they are today because of the self being part of the circumstances and everything around wherein nothing remains isolated and non-considerable. Unless we accept what is right here and right now, we can't make a right move for a change if need be.  

Acceptance is best exercised when one makes his/her assessing mind as real friend of one's personality and is made to accept it as it is in reality. In such a situation, the mind provides its best services to the personality without insisting on having some particular attributes. And this changes the personality for the better. This give pleasure to the person because he/she achieved it without any external intervention.  


The real problem in making changes for the better is that almost every one of us has a confused notion about him/herself and projects it outside. Similarly, about others also, we have imaginary notions. And when we look like interacting with each other, these notions are found to be interacting, and not the real persons. Acceptance of the reality makes direct interactions of the persons.     

The process of acceptance begins at home - accepting the oneself with compassion and approval of whatever one is. Feeling of resistance may be overcome through repeatedly saying 'yes' to oneself without any idealization. Then this acceptance may be extended to beyond oneself - to others in contact and one's circumstances. This makes a new beginning in understanding the world differently.