No amount of self-improvement can make up for a lack of self-acceptance. – Anonymous

Do you accept yourself for who you are?  I don’t! What do you see when you look in the mirror?  When I look at my face in the mirror, I see hair that is to fine and too thin.  I see dark circles under my eyes, and eyes that droop downward.  If I look in a full length mirror, forget it.  The critique would go on and on.  I’m betting most people would have a list like I do when they look at themselves in the mirror!

I’m always on a diet, and I’m always trying new exercise plans to get into shape.  Neither of those things are bad, in fact they’re good things.  But what I lack is acceptance of who I am.  At one point in my life, I actually got down to 109 pounds.  It was right before my wedding and I was determined that I would look good in that darn dress.  But despite the fact that I weighed 109 pounds, I was still a size 11.  And when I looked in the mirror, that’s all I could see.  My curvy hips and my heavy thighs.  And when I look at my wedding pictures, I’m disappointed because I in my mind, I look fat.  I did not accept the fact that I am curvy.  It’s just the way I’m built.  It’s who I am, and nothing is going to change that.

Self-acceptance is huge.  But I don’t just want you to accept who you are, I want you to be proud of who you are.  It’s something I struggle with in so many ways.  The fact of the matter is, we all need to accept ourselves for who we are right now.  Accept yourself, it’s the key to everything.  Nothing you do to improve your life if you don’t accept yourself right now.