Self-Acceptance and Freedom to Be Yourself

To find the good life you must become yourself. ~ Dr. Bill Jackson We all want to be liked by others. We want to be accepted for who we are, and we want to feel free to be our genuine selves around them. But sometimes we feel pressured to live up to a certain image or expectation of what we think will please or impress others. So we try to become someone we are not. And we might even compromise our values and beliefs to receive the approval we seek. Joann was a small town, country girl who dreamed about living in the big city. She got her chance when she was accepted to a well-known university. She wanted to make a positive impression and thought by changing her style she would fit in better. So, she bought a few expensive designer brand outfits even though she actually preferred wearing her comfortable, faded blue jeans and t-shirts. Eventually, she started feeling like a real phony. She didn’t like pretending to be someone she was not and she decided to just be herself. To her surprise she soon met some really nice friends who liked her style and personality, and truly liked her for who she was. Not everyone will like us for who we are. And that’s okay. We don’t have to live our life to please people. We can be free to have our own opinions, interests, convictions, and style. And those who truly like us will respect our individuality and let us be ourselves. They will like and accept us for who we are. Affirmations: I do not have to pretend I am someone I am not in order to be happy with myself. I will PRACTICE self-acceptance today…by being my genuine self, accepting who I am, and not trying to change for the acceptance from others. Empowering Thoughts: About all you can do in life is be who you are. Some people will love you for you. Most will love you for what you can do for them, and some won’t like you at all. ~Rita Mae Brown I am what I am, so take me as I am! ~Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval. ~Mark Twain All the discontented people I know are trying to be something they are not, to do something they cannot do. ~David Grayson For real self esteem is not derived from the great things you've done, the things you won, the mark you've made, but an appreciation of yourself for what you are. ~Maxwell Max It is necessary to the happiness of a man that he be mentally faithful to himself. ~ E. Cummings Our entire life, with our fine moral code and our precious freedom, consists ultimately in accepting ourselves as we are. ~- Jean Anouilh My definition of success is total self acceptance. We can obtain all of the material possessions we desire quite easily, however, attempting to change our deepest thoughts and learning to love ourselves is a monumental challenge. ~ Franki Copyright © 2011 NewDayCounseling.org All Rights Reserved.