Spirituality Is Self Acceptance & Self Improvement
Ordinarily, we view spiritual endeavours and experiences as something separate from ordinary, “mundane” life but the truth is, the two are intimately connected. Based off of my experience, spirituality can be broken down into two major elements, self-acceptance and self-improvement.
self-improvement, the act of refining one’s skillset and character, is not merely a worldly pursuit, but an integral facet of spirituality, seeking to maximise our potential and continuously improve is simply within our nature but simultaneously, self-acceptance, acknowledging the beauty of our true selves in every moment, and being content with who we are right here, right now, is just as important as self improvement.
Self acceptance is loving not just the aspects of ourselves that we think are acceptable but truly all of ourselves.
Join me as we unravel the threads that bind these two transformative forces together, offering insights into a holistic and enlightened existence.
By Zedek Boateng
I’m Melchizedek Boateng, also known as Zedek. My spiritual journey began at 19, sparked by a sudden profound experience that led me to delve into deep meditation. Gradually increasing to two 1-hour sessions daily, I explored existential questions and realized that the deepest answers lie beyond language, found only through direct experience. Drawing from diverse traditions, I confidently distill powerful insights and transformative techniques to enrich lives with a fresh, multilayered perspective.
Self Acceptance
Being gentle with yourself and realising you can live your life in the present moment rather than being stuck in your mind about the past or future, allows you to foster high degrees of self acceptance.
In fact, our projections about the past and future can only occur in the present moment, so realising that allows you to also realise that you no longer need to be heavily attached to your consistent thoughts regarding the past or the future, we can let those thoughts float along by and watch them leave.
If we focus on that which is taking place prior to those thoughts and projections you realise there are no inherent problems with anything that is taking place or ever taken place.
You can verify this for yourself right now by simply sitting with no distractions, beginning to notice your experience, noticing the different sensations that comprise your current experience, the feelings, the sounds, the sights, switching between them or staying focused on one at a time, then notice how there are no problems until the mind grabs a hold of some past experience or imagines a possible future one.
Experience is always changing so there is no such need to hold onto any experiences good or bad unless you choose to. And when we choose to, notice that even that experience of clinging is finite and will also come to an end, highlighting that in actuality all experiences are accepted.
This is self acceptance. To delve into and increase your understanding of this i’ll break down some techniques and insights that may help you to realise that your true nature is completely acceptant.
Self Acceptance Broken Down
The mark of true acceptance is non-resistance, this means allowing your experience to unfold as it does. Neither clinging nor reaching for anything. This non-resistance is an inherent feature of reality that we can learn from and integrate into our way of being.
Notice how I say it’s inherent, this is because acceptance isn’t a thing you need to try to do, it is something that requires no effort.
Self acceptance can also be broken down into actionable information that can lead to the understanding I am speaking of where you know that whatever is taking place is indeed accepted.
To cultivate self-acceptance, consider weaving meditation into your daily routine. Through practices of mindfulness and self-reflection, meditation serves as a sanctuary where you can observe your thoughts without judgment, fostering a deeper understanding and acceptance of yourself.
Additionally, incorporating gratitude exercises and affirmations can be powerful tools, gently guiding you towards recognizing and embracing the uniqueness of your being.
Self Improvement
The other half of this journey is one of improving, all humans aim to reach their full potential and this is the case whether you realise it or not.
Our greatest desire is to be all that we can be and for us to do so we need to improve ourselves. For us to improve we need to have a standard against which we can judge our progress, and for every individual, this standard will be different.
Since improvement is about becoming our best versions in order for us to do that we must know ourselves and understand who we are, from there we can seek to build upon that foundation and innovate upon ourselves to become peak humans.
This includes taking up practices like meditation and self inquiry to aid us in understanding ourselves better, for example, the workings of our mind, and the stimuli that trigger certain emotional reactions. If we can improve these things by becoming more aware we can shed our unnecessary layers and actualise our highest potential.
Concluding With An Important Concept - Karma Yoga
According to Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, Karma yoga is the spiritual practice of “selfless action performed for the benefit of others”. When I read this statement I see a pathway for self improvement and self acceptance.
This is because in order for you to be able to perform selfless actions you must first acknowledge the work that must be done on yourself, which in turn will allow you to be less selfish, the work you do on yourself then feeds back into the world as people will be influenced by your selflessness, and as such the work you do for the world will feed back into yourself, because influencing those people in such a positive way will drive you to work even more on yourself.
Therefore the work you do for the world should be a vessel for self improvment, and the work you do on yourself should be a vessel to improve the world.
By working on yourself, cultivating self-awareness, and striving for personal growth, you become better equipped to contribute meaningfully to the world. The qualities you develop within yourself, such as empathy, resilience, and compassion, serve as a solid foundation for constructive engagement with the external environment.
Conversely, contributing to the well-being of others and the world at large becomes a source of fulfillment and purpose in your own life. Acts of service, kindness, and positive impact can enhance your sense of meaning and connection, creating a continuous feedback loop
Continuous Feedback Loop:
A feedback loop is perpetuated in this dynamic relationship between self and world. As you engage in both self-improvement and contributing to the world, each aspect continuously informs and enriches the other.
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