“Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness, those are life-altering lessons.” – Jessica Lange.
Last week in the UK a general election campaign was officially launched. This means we now have 5 weeks’ worth of campaigning to look forward to/detest, depending on your point of view about politics!
We are quite a divided nation at present and emotions are running high. Views are getting extremely polarised and people are taking pretty entrenched positions. As a result, there is bound to be much mudslinging, argument and conflict between the various political parties and their representatives as they canvass for votes.
This is one of those times when I will seek inspiration from one of my favourite quotes by Reinhold Niebuhr. He said “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”
As I witness some of the campaigning I will have to remind myself to accept that I can’t change how the various politicians behave towards each other, despite not liking their aggressive and confrontational behaviour.
Acceptance gives us great power if we use it in the right way. It helps us to remain calm in a busy world and when faced with adversity or things we dislike.
Acceptance is defined in the dictionary as “The action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered.” It is also defined as “The process or fact of being received as adequate, valid or suitable and agreement with or belief in an idea or explanation.”
For me that only tells part of the story as I believe there are many other meanings and benefits to the word. Here are a few thoughts on the value of acceptance and how it can help us to be first class personally and professionally.
When we are accepting of something, we are able to:
- Manage our anxiety and stress levels.
- Accept things as they are rather than how we would like them to be. This contributes to a calmer mind.
- Think of possibility and opportunity rather than looking to rewrite history.
- Live in the present moment and not be hindered by the past.
- Look for solutions to challenges rather than spending time wishing things were different.
- Become more accepting of others and to be in a state of non- judgement and have no malice towards them.
- Have greater tolerance of other people’s views and opinions. We accept people as they are rather than how we would like them to be.
- Look at people’s strengths and qualities rather than their flaws and weaknesses.
We can apply the principle of greater acceptance to ourselves too and become more accepting of who we are. As a result of this approach we can develop greater pride in our qualities, accomplishments and achievements. This will help us to expand our appreciation of the value we bring to the world and the contribution we make. This will contribute to greater feelings of confidence and self-esteem and ensure we are properly appreciated and respected by others.
When we have a greater appreciation of our natural gifts and talents, we spend less time and energy focused on our weaknesses and what we lack. This also allows us to stop wasting precious energy comparing ourselves to others. Instead we become more single minded and focused on our goals and desires.
As Reinhold Niebuhr’s says we can accept the way things are and what we cannot change. This allows us to let go of the things that we can’t control and change. We can then divert our focus onto changing and influencing the things that are within our sphere of control.
Finally, we can learn to accept gifts and compliments from others and be grateful for all that we have in life. In doing so, we will develop an attitude of gratitude.
This week, why not take a few moments out to reflect and consider where you can develop greater acceptance of situations and people. What would be the benefits to you if you were to do so?
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Michael winton
If only the politicians would accept the result of the referendum we could all move on
It is their refusal to accept the result that is dividing the country
Stephen
Thanks Michael I agree. It’s a very good point you have made.