The Power of Self-Acceptance

"The better you feel about yourself, the less you feel the need to show off." This profound truth sits at the heart of our exploration into self-acceptance—a journey that 85% of people worldwide struggle with daily.

What does it truly mean to accept yourself? It's not about ignoring your flaws or pretending everything is perfect. Rather, it's acknowledging both your strengths and weaknesses without judgment, while recognizing which aspects you can change and which are simply part of who you are. I share my own struggles with body image and how I've learned to love myself while still working toward healthier habits—because self-acceptance isn't complacency, it's the foundation for authentic growth.

Throughout this episode, you'll meet extraordinary individuals who embody radical self-acceptance. There's the man I met in Cabo Verde who, despite losing both hands in a tragic accident, radiates more joy and freedom than most people ever experience. And the deaf shop owner in Ghent, Belgium, who transformed potential barriers into unique expressions of self through his vibrant communication. These stories aren't just inspirational—they reveal how true self-acceptance transforms limitations into unexpected gifts.

The paradox of self-acceptance is beautiful: when you truly accept yourself, you no longer need to prove anything to anyone. You're free from the exhausting cycle of seeking external validation, allowing you to direct your energy toward what truly matters to you. Whether you're working on accepting changeable aspects of yourself or embracing unchangeable realities, this episode offers practical wisdom for your journey.

What part of yourself are you still struggling to accept? Share your thoughts in the comments and join our community of people committed to authentic living. Because when we embrace our complete selves—strengths, flaws, and all—we discover a freedom that no external achievement can provide.

Chapters

• 0:00 The Better You Feel About Yourself
• 2:45 Understanding Self-Acceptance
• 8:10 Embracing Your Limitations
• 11:10 When We Cannot Change Ourselves
• 18:19 Stories of Profound Self-Acceptance
• 23:44 Two Paths to Self-Acceptance
• 28:04 Key Takeaways and Closing Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

the better you feel about yourself, the less you feel the need to show off. By Robert Hunt. This is a beautiful quote. The quote is so real and true, and today we're going to talk about the way you can accept yourself all right. The way you can accept yourself all right. First of all, according to Platform Wellbeing, 85% of people worldwide, in all the world, struggle with low self-esteem, which affects how they feel about themselves, their values and their abilities. And that's a big number. It's a huge number, guys. But if you really think about it, can you honestly say that you fully accept yourself every day, fully?

Speaker 1: 0:58

There is always a part of us that feel unaccepted for a lot of reasons. For example, I'm currently struggling with my weight. I wouldn't say I'm fat, not at all. I consider myself skinny, fat, I mean, with the right clothing. You know, I may look thin or even kind of muscular, but the truth is I carry unnecessary fat. Okay, so how do I feel about this? Well, first of all, I'm not jealous of the, let's say, well-defined people around me, because I've developed a mindset that allows me to believe in myself and I understand that if I have extra fat, it's because of my habits. Okay, and it's up to me to change. However, I still don't feel good about this part of myself, so it's important to acknowledge that. Okay, right now, exactly right now, while I'm recording, I'm sitting here and can feel this small belly wanting to go over my pants, which I don't like it. I hate it. It makes me uncomfortable.

Speaker 1: 2:19

The good news is that the moment you recognize an annoyance, right, something that anno, moment you recognize an annoyance, right, something that annoys you, it is the moment you can start to work on accepting yourself more. But what about aspects of ourselves that we cannot change, which are part of who we are? Well, we don't know yet, but we'll figure it out today. Hi guys, my name is Fabio from Journey to Success, and welcome. Today we're going to introduce the concept of self-acceptance and why it is crucial for personal growth and happiness. But before to go forward, as always, please subscribe. So I know this is the right direction to lead you guys, to drive you, to guide you towards your journey to success, and let's get started all right, as always.

Speaker 1: 3:13

So, self-acceptance what is self-acceptance? It's the ability to embrace both your strengths and personal imperfections, without judgment. Megan Markham, chief psychologist at AMFM Healthcare, describes in this way, describes in a very nice way and it aligns with my thoughts as well. Before I use the example of my belly guys, right, so I like to acknowledge that I do have a belly, okay. Accepting the fact that I have something I don't like allows me to focus on improving my well-being. This includes, for example, eating less sugar, drinking more water, exercising consistently, even a few times per week I don't know, I still have to figure it out a little bit. Anyway, since I work from home, I know I need to incorporate more movement into my routine and possibly eat a little less than an average person who goes to an office or has a physically demanding job okay, like a waiter, for example. So, generally, building healthy habits is when you start to cultivate resilience. So how do I know this? Because I do most of the things in my life in this way. I acknowledge what I can adjust to transform myself. So I recognize strengths that I may not have considered before and that I work to develop them, which are essential for my growth. So it's important to accept myself while working towards my goal and making the right corrections.

Speaker 1: 5:04

Guys, I love myself honestly, with or without the extra weight. Okay, of course, the weight is just an example, just my personal example. Okay, in my case it can be the weight, for you it can be anything else. Anyway, I will say I love myself, with or without the extra weight, but I acknowledge that wearing a slim, fitting t-shirt might not be the best flattering choice for my body and for my eyes. And it is not body shaming, it's just true. Right, it's real, that's it. I remember looking at some photos just a week ago and realizing how many extra layers of fat I had. However, I didn't make a big deal out of it. I still enjoyed who I am.

Speaker 1: 5:51

I've accepted myself and I'm here to talk openly with you because I want you to understand that there is nothing wrong discussing this with all my listeners, and by doing so, that's the most important thing. I hope to encourage some of you to act the same way with others talking about your lack, deficits and defects as I do, because, at the end of the story, guys, opening up to others is, in my opinion, of course, the most excellent tool to accept who you are, who we are. Okay. Now, accepting myself doesn't mean being blind or pretending that everything is okay when I don't feel good about myself. So neglecting these facts. So neglecting the fact that I have a small fat prevents me from improving, and we don't want that. This is a journey to success, okay, not a journey to neglect stuff, but also what feels right for my feelings doesn't necessarily mean it is right for you, and vice versa.

Speaker 1: 7:04

Still, keeping the example of the weights, all right, I see people who are comfortable in their bodies, regardless of their size, and they express themselves in a confident way. However, I'm referring to the aspects of ourselves that don't feel aligned with who we are and that we all want to change and improve. Okay, so for me it can be the thought, for you can be anything else. So it's important to recognize that what is right or wrong for one person may not be the same for another, and also, there isn't really a concept of right and wrong. In this case, it's more about aligning your soul with a certain type of existence, whether physical or mental. To become the best version of yourself, guys, you must be willing to accept yourself while also seeking to improve, especially if your soul is not comfortable with your being okay. But what about when we cannot change anything about ourselves? We just need to accept it. Maybe you were born with a deficit, or maybe you enjoy too much on New Year Eve and you lost a couple of fingers or a hand. You know what about in this case. So let's go with the flow today.

Speaker 1: 8:24

In my opinion, there are two types of people. The first type of people miserably accept themselves, okay, seeking pity from others because of their social deficit and I would like to highlight the term, the word social aspects of how people perceive others, because the term social in this contest is very important. It's how we think people perceive us when we talk about deficits. Anyway, this is the first group. So we're talking about generally, we're talking about people who miserably accept themselves, all right. The second group, the second scenario, is about the second type. So the second type of people is about people who accept themselves partially and becomes creative in their approach. They think like, okay, okay, accept this part of myself, I really do, but now how can I improve it from now on? I'm going to make an example for you.

Speaker 1: 9:39

For decades I struggled with my smile because one of my front teeth is crooked. It was strange because I felt I had a nice smile, but yet I rarely smiled or only smiled with my mouth closed. I know my mother influenced me in this. I mean, everyone has their own path and I'm not angry with her, but I don't think it was right either, of course. And this insecurity started as a seed, first in my mind and grew over time. Okay, so I also reached the point where I want to show more of myself on social media, like in videos, you know, or on YouTube. But I thought, okay, first I need to fix my teeth and then I'll do it. I'll do later.

Speaker 1: 10:30

So when you lack self-acceptance, like in this case, it creates a situation where you find it challenging to become the best version of yourself. So you cannot even improve. So you constantly seek perfection, which causes you to spend a lot of time ensuring that others see you as a socially perfect individual. You know this term. Socially again. However, the energy and time you invest in this plan is immense. It's huge, leaving you with less focus for your projects, you know, for your dreams, with a big amount of suffering, leading eventually to depression. Also, I understood that in the end, we cannot focus on things we cannot control. Doing so only drains your energy on something unworthy. Guys, it's like when you start a car in a small room with no exit right, like a garage. Let's pretend that the garage is locked, okay, the gate, so you consume all the gas and ended up feeling suffocated. Okay, I think this is a very good example. Another personal example now.

Speaker 1: 11:46

I've always struggled to understand things quickly. I often made more mistakes than others before I could truly understand something. So eventually I realized that many other people had the same experience, maybe thousands or even millions of people and this understanding inspired me to start something focused on self-growth. So I tried various approaches, including social media, youtube, before landing on the idea of a podcast. So for a while it was from failure to success, because literally it was what I was doing. You know, consistently I was just failing, all right. But I soon recognized that the word failure doesn't resonate in a positive way with most people. So instead I started to view it as a journey, which led me to rename it Journey to Success. So I have accepted that I strangle and suffer at times, and I may not learn as quickly as others, but I've come to realize that I'm truly passionate about what I love, okay, about what I do, and when this happens, I learn very quickly, especially when it involves something I genuinely care about. So, in my experience.

Speaker 1: 13:06

When you accept yourself, guys, you understand more and more yourself, okay. And when you understand more and more yourself, you know what to do better in your life. So this distinction between self-acceptance for your limits and weaknesses and the acceptance of your entire being is crucial. Because in the first case so in the case we talk about acceptance only for your limits and weaknesses, okay. So in the first case, you focus only on the factual aspects of yourself, but in the second case so when you accept your entire being, you also embrace your possibilities and the growth potential, as well as the new skills you can develop, guys. So just because you may not have certain skills, I mean, doesn't mean you can't develop new ones. Probably, you can develop even better skills than a medium, average person, especially because your motivation is stronger if you lack something, physically or mentally, okay, it's a little bit like becoming a spiritual cyborg.

Speaker 1: 14:21

I don't know I came up with this idea today. I don't know if you understand what I mean. I understand that spirit and technology may seem contradictory, right, but they can coexist in this case, especially since we're talking about developing new skills, right, skills to save your brain in your memory, ready for use when needed. You know what I mean. Lifeguys presents us with various ingredients and it's up to you to create beautiful things from them. If life doesn't provide you with apple, anyway, can you still make an apple cake? Absolutely not right. But instead of being upset that apples are not longer available in this world, you could choose to make a pear cake. You can choose to make thousands of cakes, okay. So just because you lack something or just because you're deficient in something right, it doesn't mean, I mean, we have so many skills that we can create, we can develop. It doesn't mean that you cannot create something beautiful from the other skills that you may or may not have yet.

Speaker 1: 16:45

I want to say another story. During my vacation in Cabo Verde this year, we went on a boat and swam with turtles guys. It was a beautiful experience, beautiful and natural experience. So the turtles are in this open bay, allowing them to go freely in the ocean, and they've also become familiar with the people involved, you know, in a sea protection research group that studies their behavior, and during the season, this group attached as well GPS devices to the turtles to monitor their lives. You know, very beautiful, very beautiful. The group provides food for the animals and there is this beautiful lives, you know, very beautiful, very beautiful. The group provides food for the animals and there is this beautiful relationship, you know, between them. And occasionally they allow tourists like us to swim with the turtles.

Speaker 1: 17:37

And one of the most memorable moments, guys, from the trip, from this experience especially, was meeting a man on the boat who guided us to this turtle experience. Right, and the thing is that he had lost both of his hands and part of his arms. So, despite this, he remained calm and skilled in managing the boat as we enjoyed the stunning sunrise. He always smiled, but it was also more than just a smile, it was radiance. With this guy, honestly, and with his arms, like literally, with his arms, he pushed the boat from the sands to the sea. Guys without hands, only with his strength. Also, in this case, I think you really need to be strong, you know.

Speaker 1: 18:35

And then we were on the open sea before swimming with the turtles, and he shared that one day he had participated in a running competition in Spain and, unfortunately, during a sea excursion in their free time, he was still close to the boat in the sea while the captain wrongly activated the fan. So, since they were still swimming, activate the fun, okay, so since they were still swimming, this caused an incident that resulted in him losing his hands and part of his arms. That's literally the story. So my mother-in-law asked him what made him so happy, despite everything he had been through. Okay, and he replied that since that day he had learned to appreciate life more. So he realized how beautiful it is to live the life we have and he was grateful to have a second chance. That's it. Powerful message, very powerful message, but simple, very simple, maybe discounted, right, but powerful, so powerful. So this man has become a true icon of the island.

Speaker 1: 19:59

And you know, not even just a few days later then, we saw him participate in a major sport competition as well, in Cape Verde, running, as he always said, regardless of his deficit. You know, now, generally speaking, can we truly talk about the deficit here? Yes, of course he lost both hands, but he gained a new perspective on life, a dream many people can only inspire to the freedom, the real freedom, like mental freedom, this peace that he had. It was unbelievable. So this sense of peace comes from a great self-acceptance, guys. He views the world with a sense of freedom, acceptance guys. He views the world with a sense of freedom and, even though he lost two hands, he has developed a deeper vision that many of us lack, including myself at this stage of my life. I hope I'll get in the future just like he did, because the man truly looked incredibly free, he was truly radiant, and here is the power of true self-acceptance, guys, truly.

Speaker 1: 21:16

Another experience I had during my trip to Ghent, belgium, in July so not even a few weeks ago was at a place that sells amazing Spanish soup. So the owner, a man probably in his 60s, I guess, had opened a natural soap shop, and when we went inside, right, my fiancé asked what to order and the owner explained everything using sign language, without making any sounds. Okay, because his death and mute. I knew that, of course, but my fiance didn't know, so it turned out to be a unique experience, as imagine. He communicated with her in a truly remarkable way, and the restaurant was fascinating. There were pictures of sign language on the walls and books with stories about people who are mute. In the bathroom, in the toilet, there was a description of an interview that he had, I guess, on local TV, and the owner was radiant too, was very radiant. He also ensured that when we left, we greeted each other and his smile was so contagious.

Speaker 1: 22:35

Also here, self-acceptance that shapes towards something beautiful, genuine. This truly shows the power of self-acceptance. Okay, that's what self-acceptance can do. So, again, we have two scenarios here. The first scenario if you are uncomfortable with your current situation and recognize an opportunity for change such as my experience with weight loss, for example it's important to be resilient and take action. Okay, ensuring that your soul feels at ease in your new, uh, human form. Okay, it's, it's it. It's essential to to make you feel um, to make you feel uh, to make sure your soul feels good in your body. Okay, there is nothing wrong with knowing what you don't want to accept about yourself.

Speaker 1: 23:39

If change is possible, nothing wrong, even if it's important not to make a big deal out of it. You know, like in my case, for, for example, I love and accept myself anyway. It's not that I make a big deal about the fact that I have, uh, this fat around me, you know, around my belly. I wrote this episode, guys, while enjoying a double cheap chocolate cookie. That's okay, kind of. I mean, I shouldn, I shouldn't complain then I storage fat, but the point is I still accept myself all right, barely and all. However, since I feel the discomfort, I would prefer to work on improving myself, to become a better version of myself. Okay, there is nothing wrong with that. Actually, it's the opposite you version of myself. Okay, there is nothing wrong with that, actually, it's the opposite. You improve your being. Okay, it's very beautiful. Second scenario In cases where change is not possible, you can still find powerful ways to express yourself and embrace self-acceptance.

Speaker 1: 24:45

Okay, much like the two incredible individuals I met during my trips to Cabo and Ghent in Belgium. Also, there are other stories to consider. Example there have been individuals with Down syndrome who have raised their children wonderfully, whether those children share the same diagnosis or not. Okay, and an example Nick I think the name is Nick Vuzicic is a motivational speaker born without arms or legs. Or same Andrea Bocelli, the Italian singer who is blind, as was Ray Charles during his careers, you know, as pianist and, but generally, people who participate in para sports often show 10 times more resilience and motivation than most people, guys. So all these individuals embrace who they are and in doing so, they become extraordinary. They're true champions, monsters in their way to approach their life.

Speaker 1: 25:51

Okay, now, before wrapping up, what did we talk about today. Today, we explored the journey towards self-acceptance and why it is essential for living a happier, more fulfilled life. I share how I'm learning to accept the part of myself I'm not fully comfortable with, like my weight, while still working toward the change I want to make. We looked at the difference between what we can change and what we can't, and how true self-acceptance means embracing both. I told you also about inspiring people I've met, like the man in Cabo Verde who lost both hands but lived with joy, and the soup shop owner in Ghent who communicates entirely through sign language. Their life's guides prove that acceptance can become a source of strength, strength, freedom and even inspiration for others. And remember, the better you feel about yourself, the less you need to prove anything to anyone.

Speaker 1: 27:01

Guys, okay, now, as always, I want to hear from you what is one thing about yourself you have learned to fully accept and what is one thing you are still working on, whether it's changeable or not. So drop your thoughts in the comments. Let's open up an honest conversation about self-acceptance, growth and what it really means for you to feel good in your own skin. If this episode resonated with you, guys, as always, share it with someone who might need this reminder today as well, someone who is on their own journey of learning to love and accept who they are. Okay, following is great, as always, follow, follow, follow. But sharing is what keeps this community alive and connected. Together, we're building a space where success is not just about achievement, but about embracing our full selves, strength flows and and and all. Because when you truly accept yourself, guys, you don't need to prove anything. Okay, you just need to be cheers.