Not a super flexy slender Yoga chick talks "the Power of Acceptance"

Yesterday, I wrote "this" article. It was filled with wisdom and comedy, truly a masterpiece (or so I thought). I felt inspired. I was on fire. A few hours later, I went back to proofread it, because, like a true artist, I always need to distance myself from my creations before judging them.

And then I posted it.

Confidently, I waited. Surely someone, someone outside of my loyal fan base (HA! I can’t even type that with a straight face) would react.

This morning? Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

I went to check the post. It was gone. I asked my tech-savvy friend. I asked ChatGPT. The verdict: the text had vanished. Poof. Gone. No explanation, no recovery. Just a blank space where my blonde glory moment should have been.

So what did I do? I sat down to write it again… but inspiration had already wandered off in another direction.

Who do we blame? I blame technology. Obviously. I mean, my tech knowledge is about as deep as a puddle in the Sahara.

Could I have blamed tech all week? Sure. I could’ve been angry about the wasted time, the lost brilliance. But would it have helped? Nope. All I could really do was accept the situation.

Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true. We always have three choices in any situation:

1. Change the situation – I tried. Technology fought back.

2. Accept the situation – Which I chose.

3. Change the situation – Again? Sure, I could’ve rewritten the piece… but let’s be honest. A true artist’s inspiration is a spur-of-the-moment thing. It’s not something you just whip up again. 🤣😂😏

So… what is acceptance, really?

In my case, it was simple: I made peace with the situation. It sounds easy, and this time it was, but acceptance usually demands a cocktail of self-awareness, strength, discipline, and motivation.

Here’s the twist: many people confuse acceptance with giving up. And yes, from the outside, the two can look alike. But internally? Very, very, veeeeeeeery different.

The difference between giving up and accepting lies in the response.

When you give up, you feel like a victim. You stew in self-pity. You disconnect from your power. It’s passive (and let’s be honest, sometimes passive-aggressive). It’s an external surrender.

When you accept, you own the situation. You make peace. You let go of emotional reactivity. This is an internal process.

How do you know which one you’ve done? Close your eyes. Think of the situation. What do you feel in your body? Heat, tension, cold, calm, contraction, peace? Your body always knows. It will tell you whether you gave up or truly accepted.

But let me also say this: you won’t always have the energy to accept right away. And that’s okay. Sometimes, you tuck it under the rug and come back to it later. The important thing is you must come back to it. Otherwise, you’re just storing an unprocessed emotion inside you. It might feel dormant, but it still has power over you.

In Yoga philosophy, these are called Samskaras. They’re imprints, experiences, impressions, memories, that shape our reactions long after the original moment passed.

Like:

You were 7. Your red-haired friend stole your chocolate milk and broke your heart. Now, 30 years later, your kid wants to watch The Little Mermaid and you’re oddly opposed to it, plus you have a mysterious intolerance to chocolate milk. Coincidence? Maybe not.

Or:

You were playing hide and seek. You hid so well… only to find a snake was your hiding buddy. Now, 30 years later, you break up with your perfect partner because they own a boa constrictor. You liked them! But something deep inside screamed NOPE.

These Samskaras live rent-free in your nervous system until you face them. Name them. Feel them. Accept them. As long as there is an emotional reaction to a memory, you have not accepted and surrendered it. Then, and only then can you release them. 

And maybe, just maybe, you’ll finally enjoy chocolate milk again and marry the redhead with a snake draped over your shoulder.

Can you relate? 😉

Maybe....