Acceptance Therapy

1. Acceptance doesn't mean giving in or giving up, it means 'letting go'.

2. Stop living in a past that is gone and a tomorrow that is yet to come. Life is only this place, this time, this breath - right now.

3. An attitude of acceptance is reinforced by positive self-affirmations.

4. Acceptance is the only real source of serenity. You can live with your brokeness and in spite of it.

5. You may not be able to do anything about a problem today. When that happens, accept it and forget it.

6. When you have done the best you can, let go. Leave the rest to a higher power whose love and wisdom envelop everything you do.

7. Accept yourself. Take delight in your own uniqueness.

8. You are constantly becoming. Honor all that you have been, all that you are, all that you will be.

9. Stop trying to be perfect. You have everything you need to be who you are supposed to be.

10. Accept your humanity; you're allowed to stumble.

11. Accept your divinity; the energy within you empowers you to pick yourself up again.

12. Ignore unfair criticism. Others can't hurt you unless you let them.

13. Don't try to please everybody. Charity begins at home - please yourself.

14. Don't force your good intentions on others. You can't help them unless they want you to.

15. Befriend your anger. Listen - it has much to teach you.

16. Set the compass of your soul toward forgiveness. It will help you to find your way out of bitterness.

17. Give others freedom. When you hold them captive to your own wishes, you destroy them.

18. Trust yourself. Your strength prevails throughout every moment of your existence.

19. When evil seems to be winning over good, remember that creation is not yet finished. You can help to shape creation for good.

20. Don't disown any part of yourself. What you may consider "garbage" can be the ground of new life.

21. Trust in the future. Recall the times you've seen good emerge from tragedy, new life rise out of dying.

22. When darkness surrounds you and extinguishes all hope, reach out to others to help rekindle your spirit.

23. Accept your path, with its many twists and turns. The adventure is in the journey, not the arriving.

24. You cannot change circumstances or other people. If you don't like the way your life looks, try changing the way you look at life.

25. Step away from your life to look at it. Life is like a painting - messy close up, but blending into a harmonious whole from a distance.

26. Accept suffering. It can stretch your heart to make room for greater love and joy.

27. Be open to growth. The hard seeds of misfortune blossom into the flowers of courage and compassion.

28. Contentment doesn't mean getting all you want, but enjoying what you have. Don't postpone enjoyment!

29. If you feel yourself unraveling, get rest and play. You need re-creation each day.

30. Retreat from the world's noise and the clamor of your own worries. In silence you can hear the whisper of the Infinite.

31. Relax and breathe. Breathe in the love instille dinto this speck of time and creation. Breathe out fear.

32. Immerse yourself in nature. When you can't be outdoors, feel deep within you the clensing breeze, the lake's calm, the bud's promise.

33. Place yourself in the arms of compassion; comfort yourself with loving and nurting 'self-talk'.

34. Grasp for happiness and it will elude you. Be still and at one with life, and happiness will alight upon you.

35. Give thanks for everything; a grateful heart yields a harvest of acceptance.