An adventurous journey...

Photo credit ~ Douglas McCall

“The most adventurous journey to embark on; is the journey to yourself, the most exciting thing to discover; is who you really are, the most treasured pieces that you can find; are all the pieces of you, the most special portrait you can recognize; is the portrait of your soul.”  ~ C. JoyBell C.

I came upon this quote and immediately thought, YES! Cheerful Acceptance can and should be the most adventurous journey you ever take.  You can think of it like a really good scavenger hunt.  The best part is that you, yourself hid all of the clues and the solutions to all of the riddles are of your own design.  

The journey will be different for each of us.  In the last few posts, I have commented on how our strengths and weaknesses make us unique...it is for that same reason that each our journey's will be different.  Each clue we find to our true self will lead us in another direction.  However, the goal remains the same for all of us...at the end of the journey we will have found our true selves.  There can be no greater prize that to come to the end of the long road and be able to embrace who we truly are.

Unfortunately, because each of our paths is so unique, there is no common map...no guidebook we can purchase....and for those of us from a younger generation, no cheat codes that will make the trip easier...or steer us clear of the pitfalls...and there will be some.

As I think about that last statement.....I begin to think....Perhaps the greatest part about this journey is its uniqueness.  Think about it...when you take an adventure up a mountain, on a previously made trail...you are having someone else's adventure.  The trail is set before you...and you need only follow.  This journey to Cheerful Acceptance is much closer to the first settlers crossing the Mississippi in to the Wild West....There is no map....just a general direction.....they were headed West...We, are headed towards ourselves.

It is natural to feel nervous or scared when starting a journey in an unfamiliar direction to head for an unknown destination.  We can only hold on to the knowledge that destination is worth the journey, and Cheerful Acceptance is well worth the journey.  Finding our truest selves is well worth it.

So there it is, the journey lies before you (I almost said path...but there is no path).  To paraphrase Lao-Tzu, "The journey of a lifetime [thousand miles] begins with a single step."  What is the step you are going to take today?  What strengths or weakness are you going to Cheerfully Accept today...without judgement?  Have a GREAT day!.....and safe journey!

Just Be Yourself

Image Credit - Andy Claire Fleming

“There's no alternative to being yourself. Accept it, honour it, value it - and get on with it.” 
~ Rasheed Ogunlaru

The quote this morning is the "no nonsense" breakdown of Cheerful Acceptance. And sometimes that is what we need.  It is great to write tons of lines and stories about how to do it and take five minutes here and do this for five minutes there and I am not sharing today to devalue on of my own past reflections.  However, if life has taught me anything, it is that sometimes we just need to hear the unfiltered...truth.

"There is no alternative to being yourself"... which means any time we try to be anything but our true self, we are going against nature...being unnatural.  And that never feels right.  I think back when I have seen someone who is far more flexible than I perform some feat of dexterity...and my first response is that is unnatural.  For me, it feels uncomfortable (even though I am not doing it), because it is not who I am...for them it is completely natural.  The most important part of this little reflection is how I feel when I see the feat performed... I feel uncomfortable...  Well the reality is, that everyday we spend trying to hide our weaknesses and strengths (yes, there are people who do hide/deny their strengths too...are you one of them?  I bet you know someone who is...) we are being unnatural...and it takes its toll on us...Maybe it is a little more stress, perhaps it is an uneasy feeling....maybe we don't sleep as well...or we deny ourselves proper nutrition...  It can manifest in a myriad of ways.  But to be sure, when we are choosing the alternative to being ourselves. it affects us.

And that brings us to the next part of the of the quote....the solution..plain and simple.  "Accept it, honour it, value it"....  This is the root of Cheerful Acceptance.....accept who you are....all of who you are.  Honor what uniqueness you have to offer the world and value all the parts of you, for without them, you would cease to be you.

And finally, "Get on with it."  This is the action.  Do it now....Don't wait!  The world won't wait for you.  Even moment you spend denying your true self is a day lost.  What actions can you take today to bring more Cheerful Acceptance into your life?  What parts of you have you been hiding?  How can you accept, honor and value yourself today?

A personal experience with Cheerful Acceptance

Image Credit - Gini Grey

“Self-acceptance is a way of viewing oneself compassionately, without condemnation or justification. It is a starting point in life which makes other things possible. It celebrates the fullness of joy of being alive and of being who we are: accepting ourselves, however, does not mean embracing our neuroses or bad habits and celebrating them as if they were virtues. On the contrary, self-acceptance involves loving ourselves enough to accept painful truths about ourselves. . . . Self-acceptance is, at its simplest, the experience of one's self, here and now, as a complete human being, with all the glories and problems that condition entails.”
 ~ Don Richard Riso

This morning I have a bit of a different take on acceptance.  Yesterday, I had shoulder surgery on my dominant side.  While the surgery went well, and my recovery time has been shortened significantly....I am without the use of my dominant hand for the immediate future.  In the span of a two-hour surgery, I went from two functional arms to one...  I can't dress myself, getting around (like stairs) is a lot more uncomfortable.  Yesterday, I was largely unwilling to accept this new reality.  I was so convinced that I could do everything I could before, that I tried to maintain my normal schedule.  This was a mistake!  Sometimes the act of Cheerful Acceptance is merely accepting your situation and learning to modify.  I have watched Steph have to modify through her recovery, but I never transferred that to my situation.  Today will definitely be a different day.

Now on to my quote for the day.  This quote jumped off the screen at me.  It perfectly describes the Cheerful Acceptance process.  Acceptance is acknowledgement without judgement.  Acceptance is not taking our weaknesses and painting a pretty face on them.  It is the process of acknowledging them and using them to define our character that is most important.  Our strengths and weaknesses can change each day.  Cheerful Acceptance is being able to recognize them in the present.  This morning, I had to Cheerfully Accept that I was not able to do everything for myself.  I started the morning trying to do everything for myself and it was very stressful (not to mention painful).  After a few minutes, I was able to connect with Cheerful Acceptance and allow myself to be vulnerable and ask for help from Steph.  It was not easy, but it was worth it.  Accepting my weakness allowed me to be in less pain and it helped strengthen the bond between Steph and I.  This only goes to show that there is GREAT power in Cheerful Acceptance.

What does it mean for you experience yourself as a complete human being today?  What are today's strengths and weaknesses?  How can you use this Cheerful Acceptance to power your day?  Have a GREAT day!

Self-improvement or Self-Acceptance

Image Credit - Living in Bliss

“No amount of self-improvement can make up for any lack of self-acceptance.” ~ Robert Holden

There is a great deal of self-improvement literature out there.  Walk in to any book store and you can find an entire section of the store on it.  Search "self-improvement" in "books" on Amazon.com and it reveals 64,566 results (self-acceptance has a paltry 26,801 by comparison).    The basic premise of self-improvement is to focus on your strengths and build them up or freeing yourself from negative habits.  The folks that have written these books have done so with the best of intentions and I do not mean to devalue their work, but they have missed a critical piece of the equation.  How can you start to improve yourself, if you do not know who you are at your core.  Think of it this way, if you decide to renovate a building, but you never look at the substructure of the building to identify the strengths and flaws in the foundation of the building, you have made the building look prettier, but you have not improved its structural integrity...it may still fall down...maybe not immediately, but far sooner than if you had taken the time to improve the foundation.

This is the heart of Holden's quote.  Self-improvement is futile if you do not take the steps to Cheerfully Accept who you are first.  In order for self-improvement to be truly effective, we need to have a complete understanding, a oneness with who we are.  When we accept who we are. we have built a strong foundation with which to make the necessary improvements to our life's structure.

Take 5 minutes today to look deep at who you are.  If you are truly interested in improving yourself, what parts of you do you need to Cheerfully Accept to move forward?  Have a GREAT day!

Hello Self, Its a privilege to meet me!

Image Credit - Pinterest

“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” ~ Joseph Campbell

I had to sit for a few moments and let that quote sink in a bit....Cheerful Acceptance is not a chore, a must-do or a to-do list item.  It is a privilege...that is truly a powerful thought.

The act of taking a deep look into ourselves and accepting all of the parts that makes us who were are is hard work.  It is a path that is riddled with happiness and pain...some of the things we find along the way may have been hidden for years...or even decades.  They may be things we have worked a lifetime to deny or hide.  That does not make it any less of a privilege to take the journey.  

I am reminded of last summer (2013) and Steph an I had 3 weeks to ourselves because the girls were away at camp.  The day we dropped them off, we decided to go for a hike....up Bald Mountain to the Rondaxe Fire Tower.  We were in okay physical shape for we had been exercising regularly for about a month.  It was a hard climb, we learned how to work with each other, find the safe paths, navigate the more dangerous ones...all one step at a time.  Our reward was a beautiful view when we reached the top.

Photo Credit ~ Douglas McCall

It was a privilege to be able to witness God's wonder and majesty as we surveyed the Adirondacks from atop that mountain.  Yes the journey was hard, and we were not prepared when we began, but none of that made us any less privileged to experience it.

Cheerfully Accepting who you are is no less a privilege.  Each day you wake up with the privilege to experience who you are, the strengths and the weaknesses.  Each  strength and weakness is an integral part of the uniqueness that is you.  Your unique combination of strengths and weaknesses  allows you to interact with world in a completely unique way and no one else can do it quite like you.  Enjoy who you are!  Take 5 minutes each morning, look in the mirror and say, "Good morning self,  It is an honor and a privilege to spend the day with you!  Lets make it a GREAT day!"

Try that tomorrow and see what how it changes the kind of day you have!

Open up POSSIBILITIES!

Photo taken by ~ Douglas McCall

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” ~Shel Silverstein

Today's entry is going to take a slightly different turn.  Normally, I get up, search the self-acceptance quotes and find something to reflect on that speaks to me.  If you are getting to my Blog through Facebook (which 99% of you are) then you know that I am currently in St. Louis, MO.  I am here for a conference..a music education research conference.  While I have gained some great information to take back to the classroom...this conference has meant a great deal more to me.

Yesterday afternoon, I took some time out to "be a tourist."  I only went 2 places, the Shriner's Hospital and the Gateway Arch.  Both were inspiring.  If you ever have the opportunity to visit a Shriner's Hospital, Mason or not, you should.  These hospitals' sole mission is to provide specialists medical care for children at no cost to the family.  Transportation is even covered by the Shrine Temple in the city the child is from.  The local Shriner's drive the child/family to the hospital (even if it several states away) and wait with them.  These generous men, through their time, industry and money, open up possibilities for these kids that they would not normally have.

While I was in St. Louis, I saw the Gateway Arch multiple times from a distance.  I must admit....among the 30 and 40 story sky-scrapers, the Arch is not quite as impressive.  I have no doubt that when it was built, it was magnificent, but as time has marched on...it is now buried in a metropolis.

However, when I arrived at the base of the Arch, it was a very different experience.  I started off by walking down to the shore of the Mississippi River.  At this point in the river, the river did not seem that wide, but to the early settlers and the Western expansionists, I am sure crossing it with covered wagons was a truly daunting task.  Our ancestors opened up possibilities for an entire nation.

I did all the "tourist" things....took pictures of the Arch, rode the tram to the top of the Arch and took some more pictures.  Interesting to note, there is an entire National Park underneath the Arch.  You can't see it when you are looking at the Arch, but once you find it, it is very impressive.

Then I sat....at the base of the Arch...and read.  I probably sat there for an hour or more.  It was wonderful, I am currently reading several books, but yesterday I was reading One Person/Multiple Careers by Marci Alboher.  It is a very good read, I highly recommend it.  After some quiet reflection...in a place where so many people embraced the possibilities ahead them, I realized that Cheerful Acceptance is about embracing possibilities.  It is the act of accepting who you are so that you can move forward and size control of all the possibilities ahead of you.

What possibilities lie ahead of you today?  Can you find just 5 minutes to change the self-talk, accept who you are use the that acceptance to open up a new possibility for you? Have a GREAT day!

One brick at a time!

Image Credit - Faith Connection

"The worst walls are never the ones you find in your way. The worst walls are the ones you put there- you build yourself. Those are the high ones, the thick ones, the ones with no doors in." ~  Ursula K. LeGuin

I saw this quote I thought about how it related to the weaknesses that all have.  I know in my own life, I have put up walls to protect me from having to acknowledge those weaknesses.  As I examine my walls, I would take LeGuin's words a little farther.  Not only are the walls we build the highest, thickest and least likely to have doors, but we also have the uncanny ability to add bricks to them as needed.  

I am reminded of an experience in my recent past.  In September 2013, I participated in the Fingerlakes Mud Run and one of the obstacles (actually it was the first) was Hardwood's Revenge...which is basically a climb over a 7' wall followed by a climb over a 10' wall.  This was a daunting task for someone who had only recently joined the physical fitness game, but it was not impossible.  When I reached the obstacle, I had the option to go over or around.  I chose over (because I had many friends with me to help) and once I committed to the challenge, the walls were still only 7' and 10' high.  They did not get taller as I was scaling them.  When I finished scaling the 10' wall..there were no others added after it.

The walls I am encountering now, as I travel down the road to Cheerful Acceptance are much higher than 10'...and as I begin to scale them, it seems as though they are getting taller the closer I get to the top.  Each time I feel like I am making headway in my journey to accept all of my strengths and weaknesses, there are more bricks added to the walls I have established in a lifetime of hiding from those things.  I have worked so hard creating walls that they have, in a way, become self-sustaining.  The defend themselves and work to keep me out.  I am coming to the realization that the secret is not to climb the walls for even if/when I reach the top, the wall will still be there.  The REAL secret is to remove the walls.  Part of my journey to Cheerful Acceptance is to recognize the walls and to systematically, one brick at a time, take the wall down.  As I am typing this, my theatre background is humming the song One Brick at a Time from "Barnum."  In the song, they are building the wall of Barnum's first museum, but the sentiment of One brick at a time works if you think of it in reverse.

How are you going to take down your walls today?  What bricks are you going to carry away, one brick at a time?  Don't try to carry the whole wall away, commit to one brick...and then another... Cheerful Acceptance is a journey and it starts with one brick!  Have a GREAT day!