how to use the art of acceptance to build a meaningful business (and life) in 2025

Exciting news!

I can finally call myself an Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) Specialist! 🫠

I spent the last months studying this cutting-edge method and today I want to explain you what it entails and how you can use it to create lasting peace & happiness within your life (and business! 🙂 ).

After my psychology studies I got disconnected to my field because I always had the feeling that all the therapeutic methods are aiming at “changing oneself” or “changing ones environment.”

The problem is - by aiming at “changing” something we implicitly say: “I’m not good enough”. “Life is flawed”, "something is wrong and needs to be fixed”

Todays therapy methods are based on “12-Weeks Programs toward healing”. While I see the benefit of therapies such as behavioral therapy, it doesn’t fix the core issue.

You might see strong changes within those 12 weeks but eventually many of the people fall back into their old patterns. And that’s where the art of acceptance comes in:

Acceptance doesn’t aim at changing oneself, it aims at accepting oneself.

And the great paradox is best explained by Carl Rogerss (one of the most renowned psychologists of the 20th century): "The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change."

Meaning: The more you accept yourself the more you’re able to change for the better. 

And the same goes for business: The more you can accept the state of your business right now (even if it’s not yet existing) the more you’ll be able to grow it.

So here’s ACT explained and how to use it to grow a succesful & connecting business (and life) in 2025:

ACT addresses core human struggles: avoiding challenges, battling negative thoughts and emotions, and feeling dissatisfied even when things go well.

Take a moment to reflect on these questions:

• Are you avoiding a difficult conversation, a high-stakes presentation, a sales call, or a follow up?

• Do you often think you’re not good enough? Are you caught in imposter syndrome? Do you feel smaller or less capable when you compare yourself to others? Is it hard to acknowledge and celebrate your wins?

• Are you dissatisfied no matter how much you achieve? Do compliments make you uncomfortable? Do you feel a constant pressure to stay busy?

• Do you find yourself overthinking past mistakes or worrying about the future? Does self-doubt keep you stuck when you want to move forward?

• Are you pushing away difficult emotions like fear, sadness, or frustration, only to find they come back stronger later?

These are all signs of non-acceptance and are sabotaging your business. And the art of acceptance can radically help you to work with these feelings of inadequacy and pursue your business with a new found love and passion.

So first let’s discuss:

What is Acceptance?

Acceptance is the willingness to accept your thoughts and feelings without trying to change, modify, and control them.

Acceptance is not to enjoy everything or forcing optimism but about non-judgemental observation. It’s about living according to your values and addressing your inner world without becoming trapped.

When I started my business it was all about the grind. Working all day with force. I felt bad when I wasn’t working and I structured my whole life around making this business thing work.

There was only tiny little problem with my approach:

I was functioning from a place of fear. 

And underneath my fear was a deep feeling of unworthiness. Of not feeling good enough. No matter how much I achieved, the feeling of “smallness” never went away.

I noticed I needed to change my approach. I realized, in order to make this work, I need to use my business as a vehicle for presence. To keep doing my best but being present through it all and to not fight the obstacles life and business puts in my way.

How to practice Acceptance?

• Whenever I have a negative thought I try to label it:

“I'm having the thought that I'm not good enough”, “I’m having the thought that I won’t make it and need to get a job', “I’m having the thought that I’m frustrated that others who started at the same time as me are making more money than me”, “I’m having the thought that the sales call will go horribly wrong”

• Then I try to smile at it:

Don’t fight the thought, make peace with it by smiling at it. I need to constantly remind myself that I’m not my thoughts and that I have the choice to not believe everything my mind is saying.

Your mind is like a radio, constantly playing - but it’s seperate. Smile at it, acknowledge it but DON’T identify with it.

The Present Moment - The Core of ACT

As we said before, we should use business (and life) as a vehicle to be with the present moment.

Life as an entrepreneur can get busy and stressful at times. And these are the exact times we need to use to concentrate and appreciate the feelings in the moment.

Here are 3 mini-practices you can perform at any time when life is getting a little too much:

• Focused breathing: Feel the air in your nose and, observe your chest, if your mind wanders go back to your breath.

• Mindfulness in daily life: be mindful of what you're doing (washing dishes, brushing teeth, eating, going for a walk)

• Observe things happening around you (kids laughing, leaves dancing, birds chirping)

These are exercises to ground you whereever you are. Business will be filled with setbacks:

you lose money, you struggle to make ends meet, deals fall through last minute, customers complain, unexpected expenses come up, you work long hours and still feel stuck, make decisions that don’t work out the way you planned….

Business is not easy. It’s probably the hardest thing I have ever done. BUT: In 2025 I want to use business as a vehicle for liberation.

Because the ultimate truth is:

Your business is not important. What’s important is to be present with life. The goal is NOT to get money and be successful. The goal is to become free. Your business is just your vehicle to be with presence.

I’m 26 and I want to dedicate my life to the art of acceptance. To be open to whatever life has in plan for me. All that's left to do is to try to do my best work, use my life to observe my emotions and have faith.

With love,

Heythem

P.s.: I still have one spot left for in January for my 1:1 “Magnetic Writer” Mentoring, where I teach you exactly how to write in-depth content that grows your brand and builds a connecting audience quickly. If you want to read more about it you can visit my website under: https://heythemnaji.com/work-with-me