It took hearing it from an acquaintance’s mouth for me to really get it. “You like to control things,” she said. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t hear nor could I pretend that it didn’t bother me to hear it.

Her honesty forced me to make a decision. I could accept myself as controlling or attempt to resist or hide it. I chose the former. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but I knew that the path of self-acceptance always leads to greater self-understanding, self-esteem and compassion. It’s fighting and denying who we are that’s painful. The funny thing is most people will eventually find out who we are anyway. I decided that I’d rather spend my time making positive changes in my life than wasting energy trying to be something I was not. If I know, for example, that controlling things is how I feel safe, I can work on reducing my anxiety by taking yoga classes, meditating regularly or telling others how I feel. By accepting myself, I could make a choice to how I wanted to live my life instead of allowing what I was hiding from control me.

It’s a lesson you may have learned too. Instead of playing victim or hiding behind the fact that you’re depressed, stressed or dealing with feeling disconnected, you could actually do something about it. If you’re ready to do the work to empower yourself and your children, you’re in luck. Our posts this week are all about that and more. Read on…

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