Acceptance is defined as a “willingness to tolerate” when we don’t agree or approve of something. It’s more challenging than many of us want to admit for those relationships that are really close to home. While we tend to simply accept that our friends are quirky or different, it’s harder to apply the same liberties to familial relationships because our expectations get in the way.

Leslie and Leslyn share stories and examples of acceptance to demonstrate the challenge and resolution when someone we love engages in behavior that we find difficult to accept. They explain that acceptance is the willingness to experience ourselves and the lives that we live - as they are.

They conceptualize the term “it is what it is” so that we understand what it means to be more present and based in the reality of what we cannot change. In order to change anything we have the power to change – we must see it clearly AS IT IS – not worse or better than it is – in order to change it accurately and reliably. If we want to turn sadness into something different, we have to stop resisting the sadness and accept its presence. The first step to anything is quite simply, acceptance.

They recommend that the listener think of something that they’ve been challenged to accept, something not within personal control and to sit with it a few minutes each day. The Try This at Home tip is to see it as a part of your life and to actively accept. They remind us of the power of the Serenity prayer - having the serenity to accept…