We all want good relationships. We desire friendships and intimate relationships where we have fun and feel seen and heard by someone else. But, while the fantasy of some ideal relationship lives on in books, television, moves, and love songs, the reality can be much less tangible, and seem, at times, impossible to find.
One of the best things we can do in aspiring for better relationships is to look at how we relate to ourselves. Most likely, in this looking we will find a wealth of information about how we relate to others. In being honest with ourselves, we also create the kind of comfort and ease with oneself that is attractive to others.
The process of accepting ourselves can take a lot of time, effort, and courage, but it is worth it. And the rewards go much deeper than relationships.
To accept oneself is to truly begin walking the road to a happier and more balanced life. Accepting yourself doesn't mean you never change, or that you are somehow "giving up". The sprout does not chastise itself for not being a tree; the stream does not lecture itself about how it should be a river. The movement of growth is a natural process of the soul, if only we can allow it to unfold.
