SELF DEVELOPMENT STEP TWO: ACCEPTANCE
ACCEPTING YOUR CURRENT REALITY
Most of us want to avoid this part and just jump to setting a goal, ignoring our current habits and feelings and pressuring ourselves to change "for the better." Remember those crash diets? Going cold turkey? Deciding to just jump into a new training regime and on day 3 get injured?
Yes that is us not taking the second step.
We have to assess and accept our current habits and routines.
Why?
Our brain craves predictable stability. It wants safety, comfort and to know your every move. It LIKES YOUR CURRENT SYSTEM. It feels safe with reacting to your triggers, it loves the drama, the emotional rollercoaster, excessive eating, laziness… because it KNOWS what will happen next.
WHEN WE ACCEPT THE REALITY we begin to see more objectively. We assess our habits, environment and accept that we didn’t get here by accident, we made this happen.
Now, that we KNOW SOMETHING IS WRONG, we can begin to look at it.
Will our current system going to lead us to our desired goal? Or farther away?
If its farther away, we have to accept that reality and begin to make a plan that allows our bodies and brain to ease into the new change.
HOW DO YOU ACCEPT REALITY?
Write down your desired goal.
Audit yourself for a week. Write down everything from your activities to mood to eating habits, who you were around, literally everything.
Ask "If every week were like this, would I achieve my goal?"
If yes, ask "what can I improve to allow me to achieve my goal faster and with less friction?"
If no, "What is holding me back?" look at your habits, beliefs, behaviours, emotions and social circle.
Write down in a list everything that is working FOR your goal.
Write down everything working AGAINST your goal.
Sit with that AGAINST list.
Take deep breaths and accept that YOU unconsciously DECIDED to choose/adopt those habits.
Accept that it will take work to carve a new path.
Accept that you are completely in control of how YOU choose to live, think and act.
NOW, take a deep breath and allow yourself to be okay with your current situation. Now you know what isn’t working. This is where we can dive into changing our lives...
