This pink tank top is now one of my favorite shirts to wear. I love how the gray in my beard absorbs the pink color and how it makes my velvety chocolate skin seem even more velvety and chocolate. It's taken me a while to be confident in this color. If I were shopping online twenty years ago, I would not have considered this color I was still dealing with my internalized homophobia and toxic masculinity on a fundamental level. I would have selected a blue, black, or gray shirt. If I had been shopping online ten years ago and came across this tank top, I would not have worn it because I would have been self-conscious about the brightness of the shirt. Today, I'm very intentional about colors and anything I put on my body because I want to feel good in the things I wear, and what I present is an extension of my self-love. The Pantone color associated with this tank top is Fiery Rose, and when I begin to think about the meaning of this color for myself, wearing this shirt creates an entirely different understanding in my mind. This could not have happened until I came to an acceptance of what wearing a pink article of clothing means to me. I had to dispel the falsehoods and negativity I associated with men wearing pink - letting go of harmful societal norms and thought processes. I had to reshape my thoughts going forward and using this newfound understanding to create a more powerful intention. That was a long-winded way of saying how acceptance (with a little curiosity mixed in) changed my perception when I could fact-checking myself to make changes in my life with clarity at the foundation.
Acceptance can mean a few things - acknowledgment, embrace, agreement, recognition, and respect for what is, and it is the first step and baseline for many processes:
Science
Acceptance of the reality of a situation without attempting to make any changes, especially in habits, forgiveness, humanity, and dignity of others without judgment, prejudice, and common sense and empathy.
Acceptance of a null hypothesis, serving as the basis for conducting experiments when there is no difference or effect.
Accepting a diagnosis (when all facts, diagnostics, and testing align)
Addiction Recovery and coming to terms with the fact that behaviors, situations, or substances have now dominated one's life and change needs to happen to live a fulfilling life.
Religion and Spirituality
The acceptance of something greater than ourselves
Humanism
Accepting that everyone has the ethical responsibility to live a fulfilling life and contribute to the greater good
Politics
Accepting that there is something broken, and people want and need change to equalize human needs and rights.
Think back on a time where the acceptance of a situation was so powerful that you couldn't help but just let go...to exhale...to let go of all of the weight on your shoulders. It could have been for something that you took responsibility for, and the acceptance of that accountability delivered a clarity that made a tremendous shift in your life. Maybe a job that you were holding so tightly to laid you off and you found that in the long run was the best thing that could have happened to you.
If you are thinking about making a change in your life, take time to reflect on it, if you can. Have you accepted all of the consequences, the potential benefits and challenges? Acceptance is the practice of recognizing truth in the moment without ego, thinking about what your plan will be, without the input of others, or the noise of anyone or anything else, or half-truths. Truth does not need any assistance and it does not need you to overthink things. In this moment, what is the truth of your situation? You may not know the entire story or reasons, but accepting the fact that you don't know forms the motivation and tenacity behind brainstorming or researching the change that you are looking to make.
Wearing a Fiery Rose tank top is much more than the fact that it is bright and it is eye-catching: It was the acceptance that people will look - they might think that it's feminine, men shouldn't wear pink, or that pink is too loud...but the fact is, I look damn good in it, I like the way I feel it, and the color makes me feel sexy and powerful.
I want to hear your story! What have you needed to accept? What did acceptance teach you from past experiences?
For longer and more personal meditations, and to become a part of a community of people making meaningful changes in their world, join the Shaping Your World Through Change community!
If you are having a hard time with acceptance in your life, let me know and we can get clear about your next steps! Sometimes, it just takes a simple mind shift to create meaningful change in your life.
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