The word "embrace" originates from the Latin term "bracchim" and is referred to as "embracer" in Old French. Embrace means to encircle, surround, enclose. How in much of our lives we embrace certain things we love, places. However, many parts of our lives' circumstances we do not embrace, such as feelings we do not accept, circumstances we reject entirely. In fact, there are certain situations or conditions our society frowns upon that are utterly unacceptable, such as bullying, racism, terrorism and illegal activities. In some cases, due to high expectations and pressures from our society, some tend to violate their own morals by embracing morals that contradict their own, just because our society says to. Sometimes, in some situations, we also allow some individuals to determine what we should or should not embrace in our lives. Allowing others to have total control over oneself could stem from many areas of life, including how one was brought up and changes made along the way.
More so, we tend not to embrace uncomfortable feelings or actions. Instead, we may attempt to suppress those thoughts, feelings, actions or circumstances that do not fit who we claim to be. By doing so, we may end up not being the person we intended to be. While it is easy for us to embrace comforting thoughts, feelings and specific actions, it is imperative that we also embrace those discomforting thoughts, feelings and specific actions and those sad circumstances as well. For instance, "I love this about myself vs. I hate this about myself." As humans, we cannot just accept or embrace part of our being. We must always recognize the whole of who we are, whether it is good or bad. Even though we may not like specific features or characteristics about ourselves, they are part of us, and should be accepted and integrated into our whole.
Embracement is a word we probably act on or use when it suits us or when things are moving favorably in our lives, but is rejected when things are not moving in the right direction for us. One can be holding himself hostage if he fails to embrace the thoughts, feelings or discouraging circumstances. Remember how the saying goes, "Attack the problem, not the person"? Just understand that we, as individuals, could attack ourselves instead of the problem by not acknowledging, accepting or embracing the situation by feeling sorry for ourselves, believing that we should not be going through the situation and lashing out at others as punching bags.
One of the things I see happen to a lot of people is the less we accept ourselves as a whole, regardless of what we are feeling, thinking and the circumstances we're facing, the more difficult it gets, and we find it difficult to find our footing to work toward resolving the issue(s). However, the more we embrace who we are (not what anyone wants us to be or look like or what society has pressured us into), the more empowered we will feel. We will then be more likely to find our footing and identify which steps we need to take in order to combat those feelings, thoughts or circumstances. This book is meant to empower the reader by helping you to better understand the benefits of integrating the good and the bad about yourself into the whole you and not to feel ashamed of it. It will also help the reader understand that having uncomfortable feelings or thoughts and facing unexpected or discouraging circumstances are appropriate as well. I see it as unfortunate that some people try as hard as they do to suppress, deny, reject or abandon what they see happening or how they feel instead of embracing it, and then being able to take practical, necessary steps to resolve whatever is going on with them. Is it possible? Absolutely. Do these steps I present require as much effort as necessary to conquer the situation or ensure the problem(s) is resolved? Yes.