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In short, your "hunt" for acceptance starts and ends with "self." If "I" accept "myself," then whether others accept me or not is not is not as painful. It still hurts, but not as badly or as long. After all, your greatest responsibility is to yourself. You live inside yourself. In the end, it's you that's alone with yourself in those minutes between sleep and wakefulness.

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WOW!!! What a very thought-provoking thread. I too, am always hunting for acceptance. I didn't receive it in childhood either. I know that probably is a great contributing factor in why I crave it so badly today. Like someone (sorry, don't remember who) already mentioned, I too, have non-existant self-esteem and self-confidence, something I'm currently working on in group therapy. It is hard for me to accept myself when I'm so often rejected and abandoned. But Tomi is right, it does begin and end with us, or at least that's how it should be, because when the day ends, it is ourselves that will always be there and we can't alway know that others will. But even with knowing that, I do still desperately crave acceptance from others. I don't think it is to really replace or to make up for that need as a child that was never met, but moreso that same need that I have as an adult today. Who among us doesn't want to be accepted? Sure, there will always be somebody out there who doesn't like us, and I'm finally coming to the acceptance, pardon the pun, of that. That was a very hard thing for me, to not require the acceptance of everybody. To some degree, I do still want that but I also know that is very unrealistic. But I do very much so, look for acceptance from some. I guess what you're maybe trying to get across is that if you accept yourself, there should be no other need to gain acceptance elsewhere. I think it will take me a great number of years to ever reach that point, if I ever do. Therapy, therapy and more therapy

I hope I've replied this thread with some sort of an intelligent reply, my brain is in a *fog* again today and all I want to do is .