Growth & Acceptance

A Year of Growth: The Power of Unconditional Acceptance

Today’s post is a personal one. I want to share something that changed my life—an entrepreneurial program designed for people with invisible disabilities. It is called, GO-3D Self-Employment Start-Up Program.  It’s one of the reasons this website and blog even exist. This program didn’t just teach business skills; it helped me break through barriers I’d built for myself.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived in my head. Ideas? I have plenty. Execution? That’s another story. I tend to get stuck in cycles of overthinking and what I call "procrastilearning"—endlessly researching but never actually doing. This program gave me the push I needed to step out of my comfort zone and finally take action.

But the real magic wasn’t just in the structure or the amazing facilitators—it was in the people. My fellow participants were the glue that held everything together. Even when I disappeared for weeks at a time, caught up in my own struggles, they welcomed me back without hesitation or judgment. It felt like reconnecting with an old friend—you pick up right where you left off, as if no time has passed.

What I experienced wasn’t the cliché of unconditional love, but something even rarer: unconditional acceptance. They saw me as I was, met me where I was, and supported me however they could. As someone who has always felt like an outsider—navigating life with PTSD, ADHD, OCD, and more—I had never known that kind of belonging before. At times, I found myself waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the kindness to be a façade. But it never was.

Even the facilitators—when I withdrew, I expected pushback, maybe even the usual cycle of self-sabotage where I quit before I can fail. But they never gave up on me. And that made all the difference.

I share this because I hope that, at least once in your life, you get to feel what I felt: pure, unbiased acceptance. No conditions. No expectations. Just being seen and supported for who you are.

This journey meant so much to me that I invited my son to my graduation from the year-long program. I wanted him to witness it—to see that his dad followed something through to the end. And for once, I could say: I did it.

If you’ve ever doubted yourself, if you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong—I see you. And I hope you find your version of this experience, too.