Thought for the Week

Timothy D. Stein, MFT, CSAT

February 1, 2015

“Acceptance is not submission; it is acknowledgement of the facts of a situation.  Then deciding what you’re going to do about it.” –Kathleen Casey Theisen

We can be resistant to accepting a situation because it feels like giving up.  But accepting a situation is the first step of acknowledgment.  And acknowledgment is an important step in creating change.  If I have acted out during business trips in the past and I have an upcoming business trip that I cannot get out of, accepting that I am going on the trip is the first step.  From there, I can create a sobriety plan to support me during the trip.  Assuming everything will be fine or that relapse is inevitable is not overcoming the situation but denying it.  Accepting a situation is first step in overcoming a problem.

How have I been resistant?  Have I ever found solutions after accepting a situation?  What gifts await me if I open myself to acceptance?