Balancing Personal Development and Self-Acceptance

By Christine Murray

A lot of personal growth and development often comes along with making big life changes. We enter into some of this personal growth voluntarily and enthusiastically, while at other times, we find we need to grow because we’re facing unexpected challenges that we realize we may need to change to be able to navigate effectively. 

When we’re in the midst of seasons that require a lot of personal growth, it’s natural to focus on continuing to find opportunities to learn, improve, build new skills, and gain deeper levels of personal insight. 

Personal growth seasons can be exciting, but they also can be very tiring and even frustrating, especially when we don’t take steps to balance our growth with heavy doses of self-acceptance, just as we are.

Self-acceptance provides a solid foundation when we are pursuing personal development goals. Self-acceptance might look like using positive self-talk, practicing self-compassion, focusing on your strengths more than any perceived weaknesses, and surrounding yourself with people who support you just the way you are as they cheer you along toward your goals. 

Always remember that even when you have areas in which you’re growing, you are already perfectly awesome just the way you are. Remembering your strengths can help build your confidence as you pursue your goals. 

Self-acceptance helps us practice patience during prolonged changes. Personal growth can be a slow and complicated process, so it’s wise to practice self-acceptance along the way. 

Balancing personal development with self-acceptance might feel contradictory at times. You may wonder: How can I accept myself if I recognize there are parts of me that I want or need to change to fully step into the life I’m creating? 

One way to find this balance is by remembering that life–and all of the big changes it contains–is an evolving journey that unfolds over time. Change is a natural part of life, so learning and growing from one season to the next doesn’t mean there was anything wrong with you before. Instead, it means that you’re naturally evolving as you move through different stages of your life journey. 

As you move forward toward the changes and goals you’re pursuing now, remember to practice self-acceptance alongside any steps you’re taking toward personal growth and development. Be gentle and kind toward yourself along the way, and remember that others are on this same journey as well. Connect with other like-minded people to offer each other support and encouragement as you seek to find a positive balance between accepting yourself as you are right now, while also moving forward toward growth and change.