I believe that just embracing who I am has been my biggest achievement.
As far back as I can remember, I thought that accomplishments are something you could point to diplomas earned, to goals met, to celebrations had. But as I grew, I began to realize that there is something far more powerful than anything that could go on my resume: acceptance of myself as I am, and all that that entails.
Accepting myself wasn’t something I achieved through a lightbulb moment of understanding. I achieved it through discomfort and moments where I was left with nothing but the option to sit with myself when I wanted to run from the person I am. I achieved it through years of trying to make myself fit where I never belonged.
I struggled for a long time thinking that I needed to be more soft-spoken, more agreeable – sometimes stronger, louder, less emotional. I learned how to adapt, how to fit in, how to become something acceptable. But while that helped me survive, it never helped me feel whole.
The turning point for me was the moment that I understood that rejecting myself all the time was costing me my peace. I was tired of performing, tired of saying sorry for my feelings, tired of denying my needs. And finally, it clicked that self-love isn’t about becoming better than who you are; it’s about finally accepting who you are.
Self-acceptance means accepting my weaknesses without shame and my strengths without guilt. Self-acceptance means recognizing that my sensitivity is not weakness but awareness. That my boundaries are not walls but demonstrations of self-respect. That I am not disqualified by my past but led by it.
The price of owning everything that made me myself was honesty. I had to admit what hurt me, what mattered to me, and what I would no longer tolerate. I had to let go of pretending as though everything was fine when it chipped away at me bit by bit. Self-acceptance begged me to choose myself, a choice that sometimes felt lonely.
There is an incredible freedom in not having to negotiate your worth anymore. You stop seeking acceptance from where it cannot ever be given when you accept yourself. You start trusting your instincts now. You start listening to your inner voice instead of repressing it. You understand where peace really resides: it resides in alignment, not in control.
This journey has not made me flawless. I still go through phases of doubting myself. But the key difference now is that I do not leave myself in the state of self-doubt. I greet myself with kindness, not criticism. I convince myself that I don’t need to hate myself to grow. I need to be patient.
Accepting myself has shown me that I do not have to ask for permission to be myself. I do not have to work for my rest. I do not have to work to prove my value. I have the right to occupy space, to change my mind, to grow, and to honor my truth.
So, if I may point to a triumph in all of this, it is this: I stopped fighting myself. I decided to embrace wholeness over perfection. And in this, I discovered something of incalculable value—something even more precious than acceptance: peace. And that, for me, is success.
Thee Juju Aura 