Sometimes we are observers of other people’s lives and we think we will never experience what
they are going through whether positive or negative. We think to ourselves, ‘This will never
happen to me’.
The beauty of life lies in its unpredictable and ever changing nature that holds the power to
transform us. Acceptance becomes key to allow us to be with what is.
“Accept—then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it…
This will miraculously transform your whole life.” — Eckhart Tolle.
In his book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra refers to acceptance as the
Law of Least Effort and summarizes it in three simple yet very profound steps. He says, the first
thing is to accept people, situations and events as they are not as you wish they were, in this
moment. When we struggle against the present moment, we are struggling against the entire
universe.
The second thing is to take responsibility for our current situation and for everything else we see
as a problem. The key here is not blaming anyone (including ourselves) nor anything. In
claiming responsibility we are able to have a creative response to the situation as it is now. In
that sense, every upsetting situation becomes an opportunity for the creation of something new
and beautiful.
The third way to put the Law of Least Effort into action is to practice defenselessness which is
the need to convince others of our point of view. In that sense, we remain open to all points of
view without being rigidly attached to one of them.
“Acceptance of the unacceptable is the greatest source of grace in this world.” — Eckhart
Tolle.
So what is acceptance in 5 steps?
- Acceptance does not mean you like, want, choose or support whatever it is you’re
accepting. It only means you choose to alleviate undue suffering that resistance causes.
Acceptance does not mean you like your anxiety attacks or want your chronic illness or
support injustice. What it means is that you are choosing to allow it to be when you can’t
change the current moment. You are simply creating space for it and giving yourself the
permission to be as you are without shame, guilt or anxiety. - Acceptance is an active process that requires practice. Since ‘accept’ in itself is a
verb (action), it requires a conscious action. In that sense, to practice acceptance is an
ongoing process that isn’t always very easy. It is like creating a clearing in a field of
grass by walking the same path so many times creating and strengthening new neural
pathways in your brain until eventually it becomes easier. - Acceptance doesn’t mean you can’t work on changing things. To some of us,
acceptance might seem like a sign of apathy, indifference or even passivity. However,
this does not need to be the case. You can accept your body and still work on changing
it and accept your emotions yet acknowledge their impermanence. - Acceptance doesn’t mean you are accepting it’s going to be like that forever. The
idea is to accept the present moment the way it is while at the same time, keep an open
and realistic gaze at the future. You can’t trick the universe by pretending to accept.
Remember, Deepak Chopra says ‘it took the entire universe to make this moment.’ You
can intend for things to be different in the future, but in this moment, accept things as
they are,’ not under the pretense that things will change in the future.
- Acceptance can be practiced toward our experience, people, appearance,
emotions and so much more. Again, this doesn’t mean you are endorsing whatever it
is that you are accepting. It only means you recognize that you can’t change the current
nature of the moment and so acceptance in this sense helps you manage your anxiety.
How about you? How are you accepting the current moment during the pandemic? I invite you
to consider the moments of acceptance in your life and share it with us on the community group.
