title: True Self-Acceptance:: A Short Guide to Dealing with Toxic People, Reinforcing Your Self-Esteem & Accepting Yourself For Who You Truly Are! (True Series)
author:  Sonya Triggs-Wharton 
description: I enjoy helping people navigate the sometimes troubled waters of life. Whether you're looking for self-help, affirmations, motivation on inspiration to take your life to the next level, I hope you find what you need through my books and my websites. I have a Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) and am a Certified MBTI practitioner. I am a 22-year career professional with the Federal government. I currently provide individual and group counseling in the Virginia area and life coaching worldwide. My primary modalities are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. I believe that if you can change the way you think, you can change your life! Also, if you put in the work - and are willing to experience both the beneficial and difficult process of healing - therapy can work for you. My guiding philosophy is that in all things we have a choice and I see it as my mission to help my clients discover the best choices for themselves from within. For free audio and video positive affirmations and articles (or to find out more about my Life Coaching Services), please visit www.sonyawharton.com. I am a Christian and believe in God (the Father), Jesus (the Son) and the Holy Spirit (the Teacher).
zlib_text: ![](../images/00001.jpeg)FATAL ATTRACTION
  
  
  Beyond Love
  
  
  ![](../images/00002.jpeg)Validation
  
  
  “I’m not what I think I am, I am what I think you think I am”
  
  
  Most of us come from a culture that gains confidence in the approval of our
  family. It
  
  
  starts with our parents, then teachers and at work. Now, social media likes,
  and comments
  
  
  is another huge way to seek approval. We need to be told we are doing well. We
  find it
  
  
  challenging to sieve life independently without the support of others, how
  much ever
  
  
  liberal values we obtain. This stems from the desire to feel safe and secure
  within, it is
  
  
  linked to the overall feel goodness of ourselves.
  
  
  we play safe and dumb to avoid conflicts. We tend to reply in ways the other
  person
  
  
  wants to hear. These strategies we take as of the desires for our approval-
  seeking
  
  
  behaviour. Someone else not agreeing with us is not hating us. This we must
  get into our
  
  
  minds first and foremost.
  
  
  When someone utters a thought different from us