Sunday Afternoon Reflections on Acceptance/Rejection 8/23/15

It's been a downright scorcher in the Valley for the last several weeks as we've been under a severe heat advisory. I'm not surprised that the heat has been turned up on me in a few areas of my life. I've had a few thoughts on the brain for at least 10-12 weeks that I was still having a little trouble wrapping my mind around fully. I think I've finally gotten through a few experiences that are finally going to allow me to make sense of everything. So basically my thoughts have been revolving around how acceptance & rejection exist in every aspect of our lives daily. Basically, I reached a point where I was starting to feel that I was experiencing a tremendous amount of personal/professional rejection. It would have been very easy to get into a funk about everything going on around me, but I transitioned into learning mode. Every experience for us is an opportunity to learn about ourselves or about others. Maybe, what was really going on was the fact that I've yet to fully realize who I am & what I should really be doing in life. I know what I'm passionate about, but I've still been hesitant about pursuing it 100%. I'm further convinced that I'm getting closer to breaking out of my cocoon to take flight as a wonderful butterfly. I just been over here marinating for a bit. Now I can tell you that my thoughts have been stuck on all things dealing with acceptance/rejection on many different levels for me personally as well as professionally. I've seriously transitioned from why not me to it's okay that they don't understand who I am. When the time is right and the opportunity presents itself, I'll be ready to embrace all that's for me. Acceptance/Rejection How often do you ask yourself why weren't you the chosen one? Did you ever stop to think that maybe you weren't chosen cause they couldn't handle all that you were? “One of the hardest things in life is watching the person you love, love someone else.” “Human beings, like plants, grow in the soil of acceptance, not in the atmosphere of rejection” John Powell How does it make you feel when you think you've been overlooked or passed over? It's okay to be disappointed, but how long do you stay there? “Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.” “It's easy to cry when you realize that everyone you love will reject you or die.” Chuck Palahniuk There will always be acceptance/rejection for you in life, but it's all about how you handle it. Did you realize that some of the most successful people of our time were rejected numerous times before their breakout moment? So rest assured that everything you're dealing with a test to ensure you're ready for all that is about to be bestowed upon you. “When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.” Peace Pilgrim “I think all great innovations are built on rejections.” Louis Ferdinand Celine Are you in an environment to hold you down through it all? Are you aware of who your confidants are? Or do you have more constituents? “A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.” “I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going, rather than retreat.” Sylvester Stallone The more you experience, the more you begin to understand who you are. Life teaches us a lot and over time we better understand the timing of a lot of our moments of acceptance/rejection. “As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around.” Oprah Winfrey “You've got to love this business. You have to be able to take rejection.” Jessica Biel Whether you're completely accepted by the masses should never matter cause you've got to own who you are. Hold yourself accountable before the world does and you'll find that life just feels better. How many times have you felt you were hitting the wall only to find that the greatest opportunity of your life was right around the corner? “There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout: This is me damn it! I look the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love! I am a whole complex package. Take me... or leave me. Accept me - or walk away! Do not try to make me feel like less of a person, just because I don't fit your idea of who I should be and don't try to change me to fit your mold. If I need to change, I alone will make that decision. When you are strong enough to love yourself 100%, good and bad - you will be amazed at the opportunities that life presents you.” Stacey Chartern There's a possibility that none of what you read resonated within your being, but there's still a small chance that one thing here touched you enough to make a small change. Here's to a great start to your week. Live life & be phenomenal.