Without referring to other people or theories, I see self-acceptance like a three-sided dice.

On one side, I see it as the victorious move when one rises from the ashes. The choice to grow mature, choosing wisdom over negativity of never-ending denials, sadness, guilt or even grief. It also means that one has come to terms with making peace with one self. Just like healing, victorious self-acceptance needs process and time. It cannot be hurried and no victory can be ordered with express delivery.

On the other side, one might see it as a defeat, failure, shame, raging madness, the last option to tick on the list. On this side, self-acceptance feels like a murky future where every single route leads to dead ends. It is a very long road without a gleam of hope at side, an endless desperation. One might have dropped liters of tears and spent days and nights in solitude, shutting every door, listening nothing but that voice inside the head.

In between the sides, there is surrender. A side with a white flag on it, where borderless pasture of lessons learned slowly feeds hope and inner peace. Here, one will be done with the over self-evaluation, the millions of question marks, the rages and desperations until one has come to senses by listening to that voice inside the heart. And then, something magical happens. Everything will seem filtered into what is considered essentials and toxins, and then there is a power within that leads to the correct turn, that perfect exit, like a springboard catapulting a gymnast into victory and beyond.

But, what is that power within?

Regardless of any religion, I call it faith. During surrendering to self-acceptance, where that gleam of hope rises, one usually found faith and restored through series of reminders that there is something bigger than life in the universe and it never misses its timing to correct each mishap.

As humans, we’ll get our chances to experience these phases through different occurrences. Some might go through sour relationships, some might go through losing their loved ones, some might be faced with a terrible news of their health condition, some might experience a downturn in their business or through a slap in the face to accept new identity. At any point, there was a loss in faith.

Restoring this faith involves talking with the voice inside your head, talking with the voice inside your heart, talking to other people, talking to God, listening to the universe and above all, be honest with yourself. In a world seen through anger, one can suddenly felt kindness. In a world full of chaos, one can suddenly see that we have only each other and reprioritize what matters from what does not.

Self-acceptance is a reminder that we are human. We are allowed to feel, to express and that we are always encouraged to shine. Numerous stories have been told about how people who have victorious self-acceptance blossomed to be happier, shown through their radiant eyes and they have gone beyond by allowing themselves to be a channel of blessings. They shared a beautiful sense of giving back, creating a better world for others, in the slightest way they know how.

For me, having gone through the defeat, the surrender and finally found that pull to the door of victorious self-acceptance has allowed me to have a more peaceful life. I call it, making peace with myself. I don’t question as much as I used to. I did not need to burn any bridge. The bridge has burnt itself. I have chosen to shine because I know I still have some unfinished business to do. A business where I can make a difference to other people, be that channel of blessings just like my mother taught me. A difference even if it’s only to one person, a difference even if it’s just a little, with the best way I know how; through my writings here.

Whoever you are, I hope you can have a victorious self-acceptance. The world does not always have to be perfect; you only need to be at the state where you do not need anything else. You only need to be content.

May you find peace with yourself.

*Image from Ravitaly in Freepik.com