
It has been an interesting few years to say the least.
There have been many many challenges across the board (too many to list) and even more changes.
But I want to talk about something important that’s emerged from it all – acceptance.
Acceptance is a very interesting word.
As time as gone on, I’ve really understood acceptance to be many different things.
Ownership.
Responsibility.
Alignment.
Fluidity.
There are many other words I would use to describe it.
But most of all, I’ve viewed acceptance as a deep embracing of things as they are.
I also know what acceptance isn’t.
It isn’t what I thought life should be.
That gap can be very difficult to traverse sometimes.
There’s an incredible amount of friction that’s created when the mind is at war with how things actually are. It fights it in all sorts of ways and pain seems to compound.
It’s even more at work when something significant happens “to you.”
This “shouldn’t” have happened.
This “should” have happened instead.
Lots of whys and what if’s also seem to come with it.
But the fact of the matter is…it did happen.
It happened exactly the way it did. It didn’t happen any other way. It happened that way.
And maybe coming to that realization isn’t the easiest pill to swallow. But here’s what I can tell you after witnessing some of the bravest people I know truly own this…
What comes from this is ownership, courage, bravery, responsibility, integrity, and eventually joy.
Watching someone take the most difficult situations of their life, removing all of the judgement, shame, and betrayal, applying a whole lot of understanding, love and compassion is one of the most special things I get to be a part of on the daily.
And honestly, being a part of that and helping facilitate it gives me more courage to continue to dig into my own story that I could ever imagine.
You can’t change what happened.
But you can choose what happens next.
I hope that gives you courage.
Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project