Acknowledge, Accept, and Appreciate

by Mardi Allen, Life Coach
Mardi@CoachMardi.net

Are you someone who believes you need to be in a constant state of change and improvement?  Do you spend too much time focusing on what you do not like about yourself and so spend very little time on acceptance, appreciation, and happiness in the present moment?

Maybe you believe if you accept and appreciate yourself that you will not change and yet just the opposite is true.  Many of my clients want to move from goal to goal without ever taking the time to be present, content, and peaceful.  They are on a constant search for being and doing better without any appreciation or celebration for who they are at that given moment. We can be awesome and still have things to work on.

Here are some ideas for putting an “action plan” in place that will help you acknowledge, accept, and appreciate where you are and who you are today:

Action Plan

•  Affirm your greatness by listing 100 things you appreciate about yourself. They don’t all need to be some huge accomplishment. Appreciate the small things. Don’t take anything for granted. Once you’ve made your list, follow up with daily affirmations to further combat negative self talk.

•  List all your accomplishments from 2009. Celebrate them and make sure to share them with others. Toot your own horn. Surround yourself with reminders of your successes.  Posters, post it notes, vision boards, and articles. Your immediate environment has a huge influence over you and can influence your subconscious.

•  Surround yourself with people who are positive, believe in themselves, and can support you and promote you. Eliminate toxic people from your life who drain you of your energy.

•  Be aware of negative self talk and eliminate as much as you can.  Studies show that 90% of our thinking is negative, redundant, and about ourselves.  You are in charge of your thinking so manage it well.  Love yourself.

It is important to acknowledge your growth. Personal evolution is slow and gradual. It is a process, not a destination. Life is a journey; enjoy it.