Today’s letter for the A to Z Blogging Challenge is ‘A’ for my theme ‘A
to Z of Effectiveness’. You can read more about my theme here.
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Well, this quote makes it sound like being happy is really easy, but
most of us know otherwise!! What is Mr. Orwell actually talking about;
happiness can exist only in acceptance of what?
‘Acceptance’ often has different meanings to different people. To
some, it means facing the facts or getting ‘real’, and understanding that there’s
only so much you can do and doing just that. For others, it refers to
acceptance of people – the general public, your loved ones and even yourself.
In ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, Stephen Covey relates an
anecdote about two daughters of his friend, in despair over the harsh behavior
of their father. They loved him, and wanted him to show them the love they so
deserved. Mr. Covey met with the father, who refused to ‘accept the fact that
his emotional development level was low’. You can imagine that without that
very first step of acceptance, any further conversation on the topic with the
man would be in vain.
This goes on to show that acceptance of one’s true nature is essential
to have the scope for any kind of internal change. Accepting something doesn’t
mean that one has to settle for less, it just means that one is aware of how
things stand, and this awareness gives him the power to do something about it.
Personally speaking, acceptance for me means facing facts,
acknowledging that some things can’t be changed, but some certainly can; and
this knowledge is the first step in the thousand mile journey of effectiveness.
What does acceptance mean to you? Has accepting a certain fact led to
any kind of personal growth for you?
