Monday, July 18, 2011

Acceptance

One of the cornerstones of my work and my personal process is acceptance of what is, exactly as it is. My view is that fighting or denying what is only drains energy and ensures more of the same no matter what you try to do to change it.

Because of the propensity toward trying to ignore or deny what is, it's easy to confuse acceptance of what is with resignation or the idea that you have to somehow make yourself like it and live with it. That is not what acceptance is about.

Acceptance is about realizing that what has been and what is right now is the way it is. It's not about having to like it or give up on life because it isn't the way you want it or think it should be and it sure as hell isn't about having to stay in situations that are not life affirming. It's really the opposite of that. Sometimes it means recognizing how non-life affirming a situation is, letting go of any resistance to that or the fact that it is not what you want, and opening to a new experience.

Here's where there's even more confusion, opening to something new doesn't mean you already know what that is or how to get there. It is really about admitting that you don't know and being open to something that is new to you (or something old that you've been saying no to for a long time because you don't know the how part). This is truly terra incognita and if you look at what the old map makers had to say about that it usually had something to do with there being dragons there. The dragons are your limiting beliefs and assumptions and the very fear of not knowing itself.

Another thing opening to something new doesn't mean is that you have to jump off a cliff and hope you're going to fly (not likely to happen unless you happen to be a bird). You may get some clarity about where you're going or what aspect you are ready to express but chances are pretty darn good that you will not be shown the whole picture when you open to possibilities. It means removing the blocks to the clear inner direction to your next step. You'll be shown what you need to do next, then once you've taken that step, you'll be shown the next, etc, etc. It does indeed require a certain amount of trust in Life but if you look at what you've been trusting so far, which has been your limited ideas and views, what's to lose?

Is there something you've been resisting or thought you had to resign yourself to which is giving you grief? The first step is always to face it directly and squarely and tell yourself the truth about it. Breathe, feel it in your body and take the time to question what you believe about it. Then you can open to the wonder of possibility. There's so much more to Life than you can even begin to imagine, why not take the steps to open to the wonder of the infinite instead of spending all that energy on denial?

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