The Empowerment Hidden in Acceptance

Recently, I took a test to determine my biological age. People age differently, and this test explains the functional age of your particular cells, tissues, and organs. Mine came back at 44, a decade younger than my real age, but still not what I wanted to hear. My immediate thought on seeing these results was, “How can I get that down to 39?”

I realize that reaction might sound strange. A result that places me younger than my chronological age should probably feel like a win. But my response wasn’t disappointment so much as curiosity. I didn’t look at that number as a verdict. I saw it as data. If something about the way I’m living is reflected in that result, then I want to understand what it’s telling me.

Some people would say that taking steps to reduce my biological age isn’t accepting the inevitability of aging. I understand that aging is natural, and that it happens to everyone. Knowing that doesn’t make me any less curious about what’s still possible.

For me, denial would be very different. If I were in denial about growing older, I’d be ignoring what my body is telling me. I wouldn’t be taking tests like this, researching longevity, or paying attention at all. Denial might look like stubbornly refusing to engage with new information or continuing to do what I’ve always done regardless of what’s changing.

Acceptance isn’t passive

Accepting something is choosing to work with reality, rather than fight against it. That doesn’t mean doing nothing. If anything, it’s where the work begins.

There are some things in life I can’t change, including the passage of time. But accepting what I can’t change doesn’t mean there’s nothing left for me to do. I can’t stop time, but I can choose what I do with the information I have and what I’m willing to do next.

I can accept that I’m getting older without resigning myself to the idea my capacity, energy, or curiosity have to diminish because of it. Growth comes from staying engaged with what’s possible, while resignation keeps you exactly where you are, or even pulls you backward. In my life, that looks like recommitting to my work, my health and beauty routines, and my own vitality.

What this looks like in negotiation and in life

Acceptance and resignation touch every aspect of life. In a negotiation, you can’t control whether someone bullies you, only how you respond. That doesn’t mean you have to tolerate the behavior or allow that tone to define the conversation. It can mean standing your ground, remaining calm and clear, taking a break, or finding an approach that’s authentically you.

Sometimes acceptance in a negotiation is recognizing that a conversation isn’t going the way you hoped without letting that disappointment define your sense of self-worth. It can mean acknowledging the other side may not give you the answer you want, while still feeling proud of how you showed up, what you communicated, and how you honored yourself in the process.

It’s important to understand what you can’t control, but you may have more agency than you realize. Receiving the good things coming your way and believing you deserve them can be part of that. In disappointing moments, even if you don’t get the outcome you wanted, you can still feel good about how you showed up. What you can’t change doesn’t have to determine who you become.

Staying engaged with what’s possible

Right now, slowing down is the farthest thing from my mind. I want to stay engaged in what’s possible for as long as I can. I can accept where I am without surrendering to every assumption that comes with it. 

That doesn’t mean I believe I can control everything, or that I’m immune to change. It means I’m more interested in possibility than passivity. I’m refusing to let those assumptions define the limits of what comes next.