Being your own worst critic is a common trait among successful entrepreneurs. You are always pushing yourself to improve, do more, and reach that next level. However, there is such a thing as being too hard on yourself. Learning to accept yourself for who you are is an important step on the road to success.

You are constantly berating and putting unnecessary stress and pressure on yourself. This can lead to decision fatigue – you become so overwhelmed by the choices you have to make that you either make a bad decision or no decision at all. When you are trying to run a business, you are often tasked with making sound decisions quickly and efficiently.

Self-acceptance also allows you to be more open to feedback from others.

If you are too busy nit-picking every little detail about yourself, you will miss out on the helpful critiques that can take your business to the next level. Learning to take constructive criticism is an important skill for any entrepreneur.

Accepting yourself for who you are will also be more likely to accept others. As an entrepreneur, you must build a strong team of people who complement your skills and abilities. If you cannot see the value in yourself, it will be difficult to see the value in others.

So often, we get caught up in trying to be perfect that we forget that we’re human.

Entrepreneurship is hard enough without adding even more stress to our plate. Learning to accept ourselves—flaws and all—is an important step on the road to success. When we embrace our imperfections, we open ourselves up to new opportunities, new relationships, and new levels of success.

Learning to accept ourselves—flaws and all—is an important step on the road to success. When we embrace our imperfections, we open ourselves up to new opportunities, new relationships, and new levels of success. However, many of us struggle with self-acceptance. We compare ourselves to others and focus on our flaws instead of our strengths. We all have the power to accept ourselves, but not everyone is able or willing.

There are a few things you can do to start learning to accept yourself:

Be mindful of your thoughts.
What you think has a direct impact on how you feel. If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts about yourself, try to reframe them in a positive light. For example, instead of “I’m so fat,” try “I am comfortable in my own skin.”

Be accepting of your emotions.
Allowing yourself to feel your emotions—both the good and the bad—is an important part of self-acceptance. Suppressing your emotions will only lead to more pain in the long run.

Be kind to yourself.
Would you say the things you think about yourself to your best friend or a trusted colleague? If not, then why are you telling yourself these things? Learning to be kinder to yourself will help you learn to accept yourself.

Be grateful for what you have
Too often, we focus on what we don’t have instead of what we do have. Practice gratitude by taking the time to appreciate the good things in your life. What is going well in your business and life? Time to celebrate!

Be present in the moment.
One of the best ways to accept yourself is to be fully present in the moment— both the good and the bad. Acceptance doesn’t mean you are happy with everything in your life, but it does mean that you are okay with where you are right now.

Self-acceptance is not an overnight process.

You are going to have to work towards this. Action steps towards your success journey should take a top priority on your daily to-do list. Consistent effort on a small scale brings you closer to your desired end result. Be patient with yourself and remember that everyone has flaws. The goal is not to be perfect but to be the best version of yourself that you can be.

Even if it doesn’t come naturally, self-acceptance can be learned. By making a conscious effort to focus on our positive qualities and work on improving our negative ones, we can learn to love ourselves. When we do, we open the door to a world of possibilities that we have been looking for.

… And that, my friends, makes you more successful than you could have ever imagined.