Acceptance isn’t the same as ‘Just Deal With It’.

“The  first  step  toward  change  is  awareness.   The second step is
acceptance.”
~ Nathaniel Branden

“Only by acceptance of the past can you alter it.”
~ T.S. Eliot

I really like these two quotes.  There are many (many) quotes and thoughts
around acceptance; what it affords you, what it means, etc…  Within the
moment  that acceptance is a genuine possibility we are staring at the
threshold of change, forgiveness, moving forward or becoming unstuck.  In
that moment a choice is made and in choosing acceptance we feel the full
personal responsibility of swallowing our reality whole.  It almost feels
like time slows down as we inhabit what is.  In the vast fullness of the
acceptance, a shift is made.  It’s subtle but palpable and huge.  Like a
slight  adjustment in the direction of a sail we instantly head out on
different course and in time arrive at a completely different destination.
Usually this is the place of freedom.  I suspect we’d all like a little more
of that.

I used to think when people talked about acceptance that on some level it
meant that you had to accept the way something was and you just had to “deal with  it”.   That’s  not  what  I am proposing.  In accepting, you are
acknowledging what is or what has been.  It doesn’t mean that you love it
but you can honestly name what is or has been true.  Own it without the
burden  of  judgment.   Make it yours.  In the moment of true and full
acceptance you create an energetic road for a new path.  It’s the path that
draws you in and likely one that is wanting to happen.  It
can’t be forced.