Acceptance means agreeing that something is true, valid, or acceptable, even when you might wish it were different. When you receive acceptance to a summer program, the organizers have agreed to let you participate. When a store accepts your coupon, they're willing to honor it.

But acceptance often means something deeper: recognizing reality as it is rather than how you wish it would be. If you don't make the basketball team this year, acceptance means acknowledging that outcome and deciding what to do next. Maybe you'll practice more and try again, or maybe you'll discover you enjoy a different activity even more. Acceptance doesn't mean giving up or not caring. It means you've stopped fighting against what's already happened and can now move forward.

Sometimes acceptance means welcoming something or someone. A new student hopes for acceptance from their classmates. People want to feel accepted for who they really are, for their genuine selves and qualities.

The opposite of acceptance is denial, when someone refuses to acknowledge the truth, or rejection, when someone actively pushes something away. Acceptance takes courage because it means facing things honestly, even uncomfortable things, and that can be the first step toward making things better.