The Art Of Honoring Yourself: 3 Simple Habits Of People Who Protect Their Peace

How people who truly honor themselves keep their peace, no matter what's happening around them.

Last updated on Oct 19, 2025

Person honors peace. Aliaksei Lepik | Unsplash
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The main idea of radical acceptance is the ability to accept life "as it is," and protect your peace. The situations you face, the relationships you experience — all of it, just accept them. Let’s think about that a little further and what it really means:

  • "I just lost my job… and I accept it."
  • "My partner is controlling and jealous…and I accept it."
  • "My child has started taking drugs… and I accept it."

Now, if I’m honest, I’ve got to admit that there is part of me that says: "What the...?! How do I just accept this? Is that a reasonable or smart response? Surely, this just means that I’m giving up and living like a victim!"

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To hold the intention of my divine nature (compassion, love, and acceptance), I have to work on and with my ego self and re-frame a few ideas for her so she can stop shouting and feeling threatened.  It meant the introduction of a few life philosophies and spiritual insights that helped protect my peace and calm me.

Here are 3 simple habits of people who protect their peace:

1. Their outer world reflects their inner world

If I have inner turmoil (e.g., ego fears), then this will show up in my life with accidents, arguments, and confusion. If I’m feeling peaceful and connected with myself and others, my outer world is harmonious, and things flow. 

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Therefore, I need to choose the thoughts I have and the actions I take carefully. I need to take responsibility, and in this way, I am empowered to define my world.

The concept of the mirroring effect suggests that your external reality acts as a mirror, reflecting your internal state of thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions. Challenges in your outer life can be signals to look inward and change your inner world to resolve the recurring struggle.

RELATED: The Art Of Inner Peace: 6 Simple Habits Of Authentically Joyful People

2. They attract good energy

woman who protects her peace as others around her are mirrors shurkin_son / Shutterstock

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An extension of #1, I attract into my world the experiences and relationships that are exactly what I need to learn and grow. People and experiences are mirrors for me to recognize where I need to fine-tune my thoughts, judgments, and behaviors.

One study argued that recognizing this dynamic can help protect your peace by reframing negative interactions, setting boundaries, and focusing on personal growth rather than taking others' issues personally. By recognizing that their behavior is about their own struggles and not a reflection of your worth, you can avoid absorbing their emotional baggage.

RELATED: Highly Intuitive People Quietly Observe These 7 Things About You Without You Saying A Word

3. They settle into a groove

It’s a flow towards growth, transformation, and peacefulness. It’s the tree that grows without being told to; it just grows. It’s the caterpillar that goes into its cocoon because it ‘knows’ it is part of the journey. 

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It is the natural state of all life to be at peace. The challenge is to work out how to release resistance and just flow with it. Instead of constantly striving to change or control circumstances, awareness and mindfulness encourage observing thoughts and feelings without trying to eliminate them. Techniques like cognitive defusion help individuals to see their thoughts simply as mental events, not absolute truths.

There are many more of these ideas and concepts that support my way of thinking and acceptance of life, but we shall play with these for the moment. 

Let’s return to the main points of life that we were considering accepting:

  • "I just lost my job" becomes "Perhaps it is my time to move on, I’ve secretly been dreaming about something new" or "What have I learned from this experience? It has taught me XYZ, and now when I approach the same situation I’ll do it differently." From here you can accept the loss, learn from it, and move on.
  • "My partner is controlling and jealous" becomes "How is my partner a mirror to me? Where am I exhibiting the same traits in my life? If I release this pattern, will that affect our relationship?" or "What makes me stay in this relationship? Is it out of fear? What do I need to do to shift this fear, empower myself, and then make the choice to stay or go?" From here, you can accept this, witness yourself as part of the co-created problem, and therefore, learn and empower yourself.
  • "My child is using drugs" becomes "What is my child really struggling with? What do they need to learn about themselves and life through this experience? Are they a mirror to me in any way? Am I avoiding something I don’t want to look at? What am I to learn from this?" From this place, you can accept the situation and move forward with wise, compassionate action.

You will notice that these examples all finish with "I accept this experience ‘as is’." We are always invited to take some level of responsibility for all the experiences we have in life, either full responsibility or at least some responsibility for the co-created situation. 

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From this point of responsibility, we are then invited to reflect upon ourselves and our patterns of thought and behavior. The final element is to make the transformations that are required to heal or shift this issue. This is a far cry from victim consciousness. 

We are asking ourselves to learn and become empowered each step of the way. This approach invites us to work from the ‘light’ side of our ego, which exhibits life characteristics more closely aligned with our divine nature — that all-accepting, compassionate, and loving part of us. 

The more we can inhabit this part of our nature, the more we can hold the experience of witnessing life unfolding, not being attached to the outcome, and being fully present in the moment with love, compassion, acceptance, and ultimately, happiness.

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RELATED: The Art Of Authenticity: 5 Simple Habits Of Naturally Authentic People

Mandy Agnew, PhD is a counselor who uses a hollistic approach to help her clients overcome their anxiety and depression.

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