Stop, Breathe, and Take in the View - Practicing radical self acceptance

Always kicking goals. But do you actually know where your goal posts are?

Something I’ve been sitting with lately is the relationship our society has with growth. How many of us are chasing goals but don’t actually know where our goal posts are. Where is that point where we pause, look around, and appreciate how far we've come?

We often treat life like a competition. Train hard, stay disciplined, work towards the win. But what do we do after we get there? If this were a race or a huge event we'd been planning for a year, we’d probably celebrate, soak it in, rest, maybe treat ourselves before choosing the next mountain to climb.

But in day to day life, how many of us just blow right past the win and onto the next thing?

We’re constantly becoming, evolving, reaching, achieving. Don’t get me wrong, growth is beautiful and important. But if we never stop to feel the progress, what’s the point? If we’re always hiking to the top of the mountain with our heads down, we miss the view.

What would it feel like to actually pause? To look at how far we’ve come, not in a performative, checkbox kind of way, but to really see yourself. To acknowledge your own effort and let the gratitude and pride land in your body. To rest without guilt.

That, to me, is radical self-acceptance.

So often we long to be seen or recognized by others. But how can we expect that if we haven’t even offered it to ourselves?

I liken this to the dance between yin and yang. Our culture leans so hard into the yang energy, with all its productivity, movement, growth and fire. But the yin is just as vital. The rest, the pause, the nourishment, the exhale. And within each of these energies, the other still exists. There is softness even in the most determined push, and quiet strength in stillness.

Living in British Columbia has taught me this more than anything else. The seasons here have so much contrast, and they’ve shown me the natural rhythms and cycles of life. Growing up in Australia, the seasons sort of blur into each other. But here, the contrast is bold, which has taught me the importance of honouring my own inner seasons. The times to push and the times to soften. The yang and the yin, and how they show up in one another.

So my invitation to you is to let yourself bask in the present.

Reflect on how far you've come.

Really sit in it.

Let yourself be proud and grateful.

Let yourself stop, breathe, and look back to see who you've become.

Even if you’re not at the 'top' yet, allow yourself to take in the view.

Then when you’re ready, keep going.

Peta.