Podcast: Self Acceptance

When you think of having good emotional health, terms like happiness, self- esteem, self-confidence, optimism, and mental toughness likely come to mind. You might not consider the ideas of self- acceptance and contentment.

But isn’t contentment what we’re all seeking?

Contentment is the place where we don’t need anything. We’re completely satisfied as we are, as our life is.

Think of how many things you do each day in an effort to feel more content:

> You say or do things to impress others.

> You say or do things to avoid being ridiculed by others.

> You work at a job you don’t like so you can make more money to buy things you want or to impress others.

> You exercise and diet beyond what is reasonable in order to look a certain way.

The list is really endless. We spend a lot of our day trying to feel more content. However, these things aren’t the path to radical contentment.

The real secret is self-acceptance.

We’re all seeking contentment, perhaps even more than happiness. But we need to view happiness as a side-effect of contentment. The fact is, contentment is a prerequisite to feeling happy. Everyone is driven by the need for contentment.

Some of us seek contentment through achievement or wealth. Others seek it through altruism or creation. Both can be dead ends. Where does it stop? Does a billionaire ever feel content, or does he continuously feel the need to create greater wealth?

Nothing external can ever provide life- altering, radical contentment. Contentment must be found from the inside through kindness, compassion, and self-acceptance.