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Self-acceptance is a major step towards empowerment

People today are talking about the coming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. While it is a celebration of marriage and royalty, and a welcome respite from the onslaught of bad news, I can’t help but be reminded of the life of William’s celebrated mother Princess Diana.

She was known for her beauty and her charitable work, but she was also known for her personal struggles in being someone she wasn’t.

One thing that saddens me is when I see people work so hard just to be someone else. Oftentimes, the whole beauty and fashion industry is about make- believe and built on the people’s insecurity and lack of self-acceptance. And yet, they do not touch the core of a person’s life. Weight problems, depression, and even suicide are results of a lack of self-appreciation. And this malady excuses no one – whether royal or commoner, whether rich or poor, a lot of people have a problem with acceptance of who they truly are. It is either they lie and create an image that is not true to them, or they hate themselves so much that they end up losers.

One of the main indicators of empowerment is a person’s growing awareness and acceptance of the self – scars, warts and all.

Self-acceptance is not about being stagnant. Acceptance should not be equated to lack of drive. On the contrary, self-acceptance leads to self-love, so love becomes the motivation rather than self-hatred or self-rejection. Love is such a strong, positive energy that will fuel our drive to change.

So, any desire to change should start with a basic decision to accept the self – and that includes our roots, our history, our pasts, and our qualities which we don’t like.

It is my wish that this young couple will become models to all the young people throughout the world – not just about marital fidelity, but about the loving and self-acceptance.