How to Accept Someone’s Choice Even Though You Do Not Understand It

Someone makes a choice you simply do not understand. The consequences may or may not touch your life, involve you, affect you. One way or another you cannot see what they are basing their decision on. This is the part that makes accepting their choice so difficult. I am going to break this down into two parts.
 
Part One: Understanding
Take the view that:
 

• Everybody has the right to see life through his or her own eyes, the right to their own reality.
• Their reality will be based on experiences they have had so far in their life.
• These experiences will have formed their beliefs, values, goals, point of view, etc.
• Accepting and thereby respecting their choice means you are not judging them.
• Ask yourself: “What gives you the right to judge someone?” or “What gives you the right to believe you know what is right for him or her?” If you think about this, it is quite presumptuous.
• Hopefully at this point you can interrupt your desire to explain their choice to yourself.

 
Part Two: Acceptance
 

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• To truly accept means not to have any conditions attached to this acceptance. As mentioned before, each person has a right to their own reality to see life through his or her own eyes.
• These lyrics come to mind: “If You Love Someone, Set Them Free”. Accept them and let them be who they are, act the way they do.
• Letting go of any conditions attached to your acceptance is how you set them free. A few examples of “conditions” are: what you believe is right, what you think about how life should be – basically any “condition” that involves a judgement by you.
• To further help with your acceptance ask yourself: “What will I lose if they do something I do not understand?”
• Finding the open-heartedness to look beyond yourself – this is setting someone free. Let them be who they are, follow their own path, be true to their own values. You will be surprised how good you will feel. 
  
  Love them for who, how, and what they are. By doing this you are respecting their choices. Helping yourself reach the place of being able to respect their choices is also setting yourself free and gaining/holding on to your Personal Power.
  
  If not understanding others choices is in a working environment the same applies without necessarily the reference to 'loving them'. Your colleagues or boss are part of your life just as a partner who you love is.
  
  By Suzie Doscher, Executive Coach focusing on Personal Development.
  Self-help Author since 2014. Self-Help Books
  www.suziedoscher.com
  Photocredit: Pexels

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​suzie@suziedoscher.com