Practicing Radical Self-Acceptance

All my life, I’ve been a self-improvement junkie.  Show me a seminar touting personal growth and it was like throwing raw meat to a ravenous lion. I’d hungrily pounce on it.

But then, in 2020 when life went into lockdown, removing a myriad of distractions, I noticed something disturbing—how brutally critical I am of me. This wasn’t a new insight, of course, but I began to see how awful it felt.

So, I made a conscious decision. Rather than pushing myself to improve, I decided to practice Radical Self-Acceptance, loving myself, warts and all…especially the warts.

Don’t get me wrong. I still aspire to be better.  But I’m finding a remarkable sense of freedom and well-being as I learn to fully embrace my shortcomings and my strengths, my achievements and my failures, without fear or false humility, without shame or recrimination.

Admittedly, radical self-acceptance can be quite challenging. Especially with those ubiquitous images on social media seducing us with the illusion of what’s possible when you strive for perfection.

But perfectionism is our worst enemy. Those who fear falling down or looking foolish, find endless excuses not to act lest they be exposed as flawed or inadequate. Perfectionism inevitably produces paralysis.

Practicing radical self-acceptance isn’t just tolerating your imperfections. It means owning the truth of who you are: a pure spiritual being in an imperfect human form. It means reminding yourself, daily, that you are lovable just as you are. That your perceived blemishes and blunders actually adds to your appeal and makes you, yes, more endearing.  Radical Self-Acceptance means you have nothing to prove, nothing to hide.

Perhaps A Course in Miracles says it best: When you become willing to hide nothing, you will understand joy.” And I would add, you will know true power.  

I believe Radical Self-Acceptance –being unapologetically you–is the very essence of power and a crucial task facing women today.  Every time you put yourself down, you stab yourself in the back, undermining your success, eroding your confidence.

Here’s what I’ve been doing. Whenever I pass a mirror, I look myself in the eye and affirm something positive: “I love you, Barbara;” “You are so brave;” “I am really happy with you.” I think it’s working!

How can you accept and approve of yourself, just as you are, even if you’re not perfect? Leave me a comment below.

Comments & Feedback

  • Olivia Post

    You are so cool and so am I!
    always wonderful info you give us.
    Thank you
    Olivia

  • Lisa

    I admit I need to be careful not to squeeze too much into one day, but I wouldn’t be living the cool life I’m living if I didn’t practice self improvement.

    I seem to accept myself the most when I go for random walks and bike 🚴 rides around the city, when I’m drinking cappuccinos and spacing out in bed 🛌 or the bathtub 🛀.

  • Carmen Fries

    I can say that I was a self-improvement junkie for many years of my life. Up to the point when I couldn’t pay my electricity bill because I never kept track of this bill item. But what I always thought about was: “How do I pay for the next coaching/therapy?”. Deep down inside, I knew it was time to trust myself and my judgment more than the next coach/therapist with the next method I could use to finally wash myself clean of the trauma and guilt I had suffered. At the same time, when a good friend told me that I was addicted to coaching, I ended the last coaching that I was paying in installments and would have had to open the door to the electrician disconnecting my electricity if my bank had not tolerated an overdraft. My psychiatrist also told me at this point – almost annoyed – that I should stop talking to therapists about theoretical life and just live instead. I am now in growing self-acceptance and still like to read these articles sometimes, which have helped me a lot over the last few years. Now from a different perspective.

    Thank you.

Use The Form Below to Share Your Feedback And Opinion

Meet Barbara Huson

When a devastating financial crisis rocked her world, Barbara Huson knew she had to get smart about money… and she did. Now, she wants to empower every women to take charge of their money and take charge of their lives! She’s doing just that with her best-selling books, life changing retreats and private financial coaching.

Top Back To Top
Site Design Rebecca Pollock
Site Development Alchemy + Aim