Acceptance – by Victoria Barna

This has been an interesting and busy week for me. There have been moments filled with pure joy and there have been moments where I’ve asked myself, “What’s up with that?” How has your week been?

It’s a pleasure to sit here quietly this morning and bring my awareness into my heart. I take a few deep breaths and allow my thoughts to become quiet. I look back on last week and I find myself searching for patterns or themes that have appeared for me, clients, class participants and others. What I notice is a common theme that has come up for many of us. I love how we mirror to one another what’s going on in our lives in each and every moment.

Many of my interactions in a variety of settings this past week have been experiences where judgments have been made about oneself or others. When I peel back the layers of this multi-layered onion I’ve discovered that many of us, including me, sometimes have difficulty accepting ourselves and each other.

Acceptance is a big deal. Wanting to be accepted by others is important. Accepting where we are and who we are in each moment can feel challenging. Accepting others where they are in each moment can feel more challenging. Accepting and trusting our own intuitive guidance often feels impossible. How do I navigate these sometimes murky waters?
Moving from judgment to acceptance, for me, has been an evolving journey. How about you? Here are five tips that I use as reminders. Feel free to use the ones that resonate with you and “let go” of the ones that don’t!

Tips:

• I accept myself and others more easily when I am centered and in my heart.
• The more I accept myself it’s easier for others to accept me.
• I accept that other people are on their own journey. Their journey isn’t mine.
• Accepting someone else doesn’t mean I agree with or embrace their beliefs or behaviors. It’s where they are right now. My beliefs and behaviors are mine and I own them.
• I accept that I am right where I’m supposed to be. It’s my experiences on the journey that help me grow not the destination.

In closing, I want to thank each one of you for the opportunity to share some of my thoughts and experiences while Charles has been on vacation.With Love and Light,
Victoria