Ahead of the Game
Here is a passage I fortuitously came across, perfect for this blog post— something written by a girl in one of my eleventh-grade high school English classes. I was teaching the talk and she was walking the walk. She was way ahead of the game. Here it is as she wrote it way back then:
For some people who look at me,
they think I’m a little different from
everyone else. I don’t think of it as
different, I think of it as original
as me. I’m pretty outgoing but at times
I get really pulled back. I’m a real
romantic, I think life should be like
the movies. I’m a real bitch too, I’ve been
told. I don’t think I’m mean, I just
speak the truth very bluntly. I think
I’m pretty, people also tell me that, but
then I have bad days. I do things
that make adults and good kids push
me away — like smoke and drugs.
But I don’t really mind, I’ve got my
group. I like myself most of the time,
but if others don’t like me,
they’re missing something good.
Unconditional Self-Acceptance
She accepts herself unconditionally. We all had better accept ourselves unconditionally. Unconditional self-acceptance is one of the tenets of Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy. “I choose to accept myself as I am under all conditions.”
Below is a video to help you unconditionally accept yourself. You will affirm acceptance of yourself as you are, too fat, too thin, too old, too masculine, too feminine, too anxious . . . . Accept your mind and body. Accept the good, bad, ugly and confused.
You may dislike things about yourself and you may try to gradually make changes. But you do not have to make changes to accept yourself. Even if the whole world were to think you are a loser, only you can decide whether or not to accept yourself unconditionally. You have the choice. It is irrational to choose otherwise.
If someone chooses to reject me for thoughtless behavior, they are missing something good. I am certainly more than my behaviors. I can learn from my behaviors, try hard to correct them, and move on.
Self-help books that help:
Total Self-Renewal through Attention Therapies and Open Focus
The Open-Focus Brain: Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body
