“Self-acceptance means accepting and coming to terms with ourselves now, just as we are, with all of our faults, weaknesses, shortcomings, errors, as well as our assets and strengths. Self-acceptance is easier, however, if we realize that these negatives belong to us — they are not us.
Many people shy away from healthy self-acceptance because they insist upon identifying themselves with their mistakes. You may have made
a mistake, but this does not mean that you are a mistake. You may not be expressing yourself properly and fully, but this does not mean you yourself are ‘no good.’
We must recognize our mistakes and shortcomings before we can correct them.
Accept yourself as you are– and start from there. Learn to emotionally tolerate imperfection in yourself. It is necessary to intellectually recognize our shortcomings, but disastrous to hate ourselves because of them. Differentiate between your ‘self’ and your behavior. ‘You’ are not ruined or worthless because you made a mistake or got off course, any more than a keyboard is worthless which makes an error, or a violin which sounds a sour note. Don’t hate yourself because you’re not perfect. You have lots of company. No one is, either, and those who try to pretend they are … are kidding themselves.”
Psycho-Cybernetics, Maxwell Maltz, M.D., p. 125-126.
