To kick things off, below is a story I heard in a guided meditation one morning that speaks to the importance of developing a sense of acceptance and non-resistance in life:

A traveler was walking down a dirt road upon his adventures, when all of a sudden, he noticed a shepherd off the road at his home tending to his flock.

The traveler stopped and asked a question:

Traveler: What kind of weather will we have today?

Shepherd: The kind of weather that I like!

Traveler: But how do you know that we will have the kind of weather that you like?

Shepherd: Because I have come to know in life that I will not always get what I like, so I have learned to like what I get.

This story is brief, but its message is powerful. It’s a philosophy that everyone should adopt within their life.

It’s important to focus on the things in life that you can alter and control, rather than worrying about everything that happens to you uncontrollably. It’s a meaningful concept: accepting what you can’t control and impacting what you can, all while learning to love whatever outcome is generated.

Expressing gratitude for what you have and what you’re given will help. If you can transform your mind to think like this, nothing will stop you from experiencing happiness.

Accepting what happens in life, and accepting everything about yourself, will free your mind.

Accepting Life

Life is full of ups and downs. Ebbs and flows. Good times and bad times. The sooner you make the decision to accept both sides, the less stress you will have to endure.

Accepting the positives are easy. It doesn’t even feel like acceptance, but rather enjoyment and appreciation.

The negatives, however, pose a challenge. As hard as things can get, it’s crucial to adopt the mindset of accepting what comes your way and focusing on what you can do to make the best of it.

For example, if you lose your job, you have two options. You can spend all your time and energy on complaining, sulking and listing out reasons why it shouldn’t have happened. Or you can accept that it has happened and begin visualizing how to manufacture the best possible result in that situation.

It certainly seems easier said than done, but the initial stage of acceptance is the key to the eventual outcome.

It might also be as simple as accepting that somebody canceled dinner plans on you last minute. Emotions will be evoked – probably anger and frustration.

But if you can accept what has happened and realize that it’s over with, you’ll be able to move on much quicker and avoid getting all worked up for nothing. Sure, it’s unfortunate, but once you put it into perspective, it isn’t worth fretting about. Plus, you can’t change it.

There are plenty of examples, some more serious than others. But the concept will always apply.

Acceptance in life simplifies if you never allow yourself to get too high in the happy moments or too low in the sad moments. If you have minimal expectations and roll with the punches, you’ll have a much easier time accepting everything and finding value no matter what.

If it’s a good thing, find value in the appreciation you have for it, and express gratitude for the experience.

If it’s a bad thing, find value in learning from it, while also figuring out how to overcome it and prevent it from happening again.

Life becomes much easier when you begin to accept its occurrences without resistance and judgment. Let life happen, because it’s going to whether you accept it or not.

Accepting Yourself

Too many people spend their lives focusing on what they don’t have rather than what they do have. People put too big of an emphasis on things they can’t change about themselves, which is followed by negative self-talk.

Accept yourself. Make changes to the things you are able to control in order to create the best version of yourself. But accept yourself as a whole and appreciate your own uniqueness.

Talk to yourself how you wish others would talk to you. Plant seeds of positivity and acceptance.

If you learn to accept yourself, the opinions of other people will carry less weight. You will also eliminate your own opinions that might’ve previously casted doubt. It’s liberating.

Any disapproval of one’s self creates a negative perception. Once you come to accept everything, both small and large, your worries will decline considerably.

This is true for your exterior and interior. Your body’s appearance and your personality. The size of your nose and your ability to read.

Again, you’re able to put in work to improve some of these things that are controllable. Getting better at the things you enjoy and seek to be good at is a big part of life.

The issue lies when you fail to accept your current condition and where you’re at right now, prior to improvement. And also, when you’re unable to come to terms with the things you can’t change. And finally, when you talk down on yourself and live in a state of constant doubt and negativity.

Instead, learn to accept. Love yourself and appreciate the distinctive qualities that you possess. You will love some and dislike others. But no matter what, accept them for what they are and continue to narrow your focus on living a peaceful life.

The Wrap Up

If you can find the rhythm of acceptance and instill it into your life, things will flow with more serenity.

Some things will be much harder to accept. There will be times where this logic tests you and causes your faith to waver. But keep going. Keep finding ways to accept everything that comes your way along your journey.

Talk to yourself daily in a positive tone. Embrace things with an openness that produces non-resistance. Always do your best to enjoy the good times and learn from the bad times.

Practice acceptance. Accept life’s happenings. Accept yourself.

Like the story in the beginning stated, since you will not always get what you like, you have to learn to like what you get.

“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”