In the progression toward awareness and fulfillment, we pass through a sequence once described by author Zig Ziglar as the movement from survival to stability to success to significance.
How does this sequence work? When we start out in the world or in business, we really are just hoping to survive. We wake up and think, let me get through the day and take care of my needs.
Have you heard a humming in your heart? No, I don't mean a murmur. I mean a chest-pounding pulse that occurred after an idea popped in your head that really fired you up.
Perhaps you thought, This is a tremendous idea, and you couldn't wait to get moving on it. Then something happened. You began to question your genius. You doubted your ability to go through with it or your chance of success. Finally, you gave up and decided not to pursue it at all.
Acceptance is like building a muscle. Life is filled with moments that we can't plan or change, and many of them create resistance and tension. Many times, we can't control these moments. They can be frustrating. They may be destabilizing. When they occur, we feel weakness in our foundation, and when we can’t control them, the tension tightens, and we grow tired and often feel defeated.