Peace does not mean being passive.

Ladies and gentlemen, andy, here I went from depressed and suicidal to living a life of abundance and joy. If I can do it, you sure as hell can too. So I talk a lot in my content about concepts like acceptance and peace and letting go, and one of my favourite authors, byron Katie, talks a lot about accepting reality instead of fighting against it. So does David Hawkins, another author that I love. But I think these words like acceptance and letting go often come with all of these negative connotations, and I want to make something clear. Acceptance is not being passive. It's not just letting other people do whatever the hell they want to do to you. It's not you having absolutely no say in the matter. Acceptance is not being weak. Acceptance is not giving up. Acceptance and letting go, so it's definitely not being hopeless and helpless. It's the exact opposite of that.

I did a video on my YouTube channel a while ago called the map analogy, and in this video I talked about what we do when we're working towards a goal, or when we want to start working towards a goal, is first we have to accept where we currently are and then we can do something to change it. The 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous talks about this exact same concept. You know they say the first step is admitting or accepting that you have a problem, surrendering to the fact that you have a problem, letting go of your ego and admitting I have a problem, and then you can start working on it. And even with goals, it's only when we actually accept where we currently are right now that we can then start to look for solutions, instead of sitting there wasting energy and time arguing with what has happened, you know, wishing that it was different, getting mad at ourselves or the world for the circumstances that we're currently under or the position that we're in in life. So when we're able to let go and actually accept where we are right now, then we can start to build something beautiful for our future. And I'm going to read out a quote from one of my favorite books that I think really highlights this difference between acceptance versus what a lot of people think it means, which is like giving up. So this book, or this quote, comes from the book the Map of Consciousness, explained by David Hawkins.

Acceptance is not to be confused with passivity, which is a symptom of apathy. This form of acceptance, as in the positive form of acceptance that we're talking about here today allows engagement in life on life's own terms, without trying to make it conform to an agenda. With actual acceptance, there is emotional calm and perception is widened. As denial is transcended, one now sees things without distortion or misinterpretation. The context of experience is expanded so that one is capable of seeing the whole picture.

Acceptance has to do essentially with balance, proportion and appropriateness. The individual who's at the level of acceptance is not interested in determining right or wrong, but instead they're solely dedicated to resolving issues and finding out what to do about problems. Tough jobs do not cause discomfort or dismay anymore. Long-term goals take precedence over short-term ones. Self-discipline and mastery are prominent. So with all of this stuff in this quote, what he's basically saying is if you can reach acceptance instead of arguing and denying reality and wishing things were just somehow different, and regretting the past and ruminating and complaining and being negative and, you know, getting upset over what other people do in their life, when we can let go of all of that and, in other words, find acceptance or I guess letting go is a really good way of phrasing that we can then, as David Hawkins says in this quote, we can dedicate ourselves to resolving issues, finding out what to do about problems. You know, taking action, not worrying if something is tough. We just soldier on and we do a great job and we keep showing up, and we're actually dedicated to the idea of self-improvement, to the idea of self-love and loving those around us as well.

And so the suffering comes from wishing things were different. You know, not accepting reality, not accepting that you are where you are right now, instead just wishing that it was somehow magically different. But in doing so, in sitting there, getting so annoyed at the way things are, you're wasting precious energy, you're wasting precious brain power. You're wasting precious time as well, sitting there not actually doing anything to make anything different. And so that's the key difference.

A lot of people sit there in denial, in frustration. Their ego gets in the way. You know, your ego saying I should be better. No, you shouldn't. You should be exactly what you are right now. If you want to be better, okay, you're allowed to start taking some action towards that. But the first step of that is acceptance, which is okay right now. Here's where I am Fine. I'm going to stop wishing I was better. I'm going to stop wishing it was different. I'm going to stop beating myself up and saying I should be better. I should know you should be exactly what you are right now. Fine, I accept that this is where I am right now. Okay, now, what do I want to do about it? So we can't even begin to take steps to improve ourselves until we actually admit where we are right now?

This is a concept that I went balls deep on it in my video course. You know the video course I've been mentioning a lot lately, the play to win video course. I talked about finding solutions. You know, resolving issues, not sitting around arguing with reality or wishing that things were different. As I always say, if you wish that things were different, make them different. This reminds me of one of my other favorite quotes, which is if it is to be, it's up to me.

The acceptance of where I currently am has brought me so much peace in my life. It's given me the ability to then go okay, fine, I accept where I am right now. Would I like to start taking some actions towards making things even better? Would I like to start, you know, improving this? Or would I like to give up this addiction? Or would I like to build this thing here? Whatever it might be Do I want to achieve this goal.

But the first step of that is the step of peace, of acceptance, of saying, okay, fine, this is where I am right now. And that doesn't mean that you sit there passively accepting that for the rest of your life, as David Hawkins said. In that quote I read out, that would be apathy. Acceptance is the exact opposite of apathy. It is care, it is love, it is saying I want to improve this thing, I want it to be different. But the very first step is I have to surrender and say, okay, fine, this is where I'm at right now. I'm not going to keep arguing with that, but I am going to move towards a more positive future.

So, if all of this resonates with you, if you want more information on this, like I said, I'll leave a link in the description to my video course. It's just called Play to Win. You can pay whatever you would like for that video course, even if that's just $1. But accept where you currently are right now. And hell you know what. You don't have to accept where you currently are right now. It's just easier if you do. As always, ladies and gentlemen, go out there and crush those beautiful goals.