Acceptance is a big word. It can mean:
the quality or state of being accepted
We want to be accepted and feel like we’re part of the group. The problem is we want it even from people we don’t know. This alone raises the level of stress we may feel since we don’t know what to expect.
It comes back to wanting to be in control and in order to avoid losing that control, we likely won’t try harder, we’ll stop growing because what if we made a mistake?
I don’t know about you but I personally have a hard time saying no. It became a bad habit over time. Most of the times, when someone asks me to do something, I tend to just accept in order to please. Once you accept doing a job, you accept another, and on and on. As you know, this is a recipe for potential disaster: you end up having no time for yourself and your projects. You’re then stuck in the same place you were before, made little to no progress on anything, all for what? To be liked? To be accepted? What kind of price you have to pay just by not saying “no”?
Maybe it’s because I’m starting to realize more and more that trying please everyone and fit in at all cost are a losing bet or maybe it has something to do with my lack of caffeine intake for the last few days.
I’m done thinking I need to prove something!
I’m done wanting to please everyone!
I’m done!
This is easier said than done, actually. It will require constant practice and awareness in order to see when it happens so I don’t succumb to the temptations of wanting to impress. And this leads us to the second definition of acceptance:
recognizing a process or condition without attempting to change it or protest it
So I must accept that I might not be accepted. I think that's an interesting way to look at it.
What do you think? Let’s talk!