And hello to you and welcome to the Richard Nichols podcast, the Personal Development

podcast series that's here to help inspire, educate and motivate you to be the best you can be.

I'm psychotherapist Richard Nichols, and this is episode 177.

It's titled, Accept Yourself.

And if you're ready, we'll start the show.

All right, you beauties.

Happy New Year.

It's 2020.

A new decade.

Not just a new year. I wonder what the 20s are going to bring us this century.

Is there anything that you'd like to allow it to bring, maybe? I'll reiterate something that I say most New Year's days.

Don't get hung upon resolutions. For most people, they're made in a very half-hearted way, with little or no expectation of becoming permanent. There are always exceptions

to the rule. I know you might be one of them. But on the whole, New Year's resolutions,

they're more likely to be a waste of time at best. And at worst,

make you feel like a failure, which then holds you back from a decent level of self-esteem

for the whole year. Before in the new year 2021, you have another half-hearted attempt, and on it goes

again. Like I say, there are exceptions, and some people really do like that line in the sand that a new year can bring.

And with it being a new decade as well, it might well feel like a good time to change.

I've made enough episodes in the past about making habit stick and stuff like that.

So have a listen to an old one if that's your thing at the minute. But make sure you come back to this, because today, I want to

talk about what seems at first, like the opposite of change, but it might still be a change,

and might be the best one you could ever make. because there is a surprising set of benefits to accepting

...