How to Practice Radical Self-Acceptance

Maybe the promise of the New Year has already lost its shine for you. Maybe you're like me, already back in the daily grind facing the same old struggles you faced in 2019.

But you know what? That's okay. Because 2019 you was enough, and so is 2020 you.
My first slow living tip for the year is this:

Shed the weight of the misguided expectations you have for yourself, and practice radical self-acceptance, instead.

We may be stuck in a totally backwards cultural moment, where invasive capitalism conditions us to believe that what we have and what we are is never enough, and that we are just a purchase away from real happiness. But you know better.

There is so much to gain by letting go of misguided expectations. You'll discover it's easier to say no to things that don't truly serve you. It's easier to focus and see what's actually important. And once you're free from pursuing mirages, you can pursue meaning, instead.

Here's how. Start small by simply observing the way you spend your time. When your To Do list is three items longer than your time, what item do you focus on, first? When you have some free time, how do you spend it? When you're with the ones you love, what are you doing together?

Are you spending any of your time pursuing things that don't truly serve you? (And I mean the real you, not the you you feel pressured to be because of some external expectation.) Stop. Just let those things go, and don't fill that space with new things. Spend that time with yourself, or with the ones you love, and just be.

Time, after all, is our most precious commodity. Spend your time on what matters, and everything else will fall into place.

Welcome to life in the slow lane.

January 17, 2020 — Lori Oster

Comments

Susan

Susan said:

I love your writing. I left a comment on another one saying the “how to” should be renamed. I looked at the ones for “How to Get the Kids out of the House On-time”. What about the name “How To’s for Happy, Healthy Parenting”. Ugh! That’s too long. But I almost did not click the link due to the tab title “How to”. I am so glad I did. I LOVE your spiritually and physically perspectives. I LOVE your writing. So simple, elegant, and powerful.

Helen

Helen said:

Enjoyed reading your post!

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