I was a kid who wanted to be beautiful, but more desperately wanted to feel loved. My self-esteem increased through the years, but I never quite shook the sneaking suspicion I’d ever be beautiful enough, or even lovable enough.
It would be easy to blame it all on society and the Kate Moss/Victoria Secret era of modeling, but I think it’s more than that. I just never learned to notice and appreciate all the beautiful things about myself. The stuff that has nothing to do with my waistline, height, skin tone or the shmiiiize in my eyes (as Tyra Banks would say) and everything to do with who I am.
I never learned to give myself credit for any of the good I did. I was too busy focusing on my weaknesses, mistakes, and flaws to recognize it.
It seems like such a cliché to say pretty is as pretty does, but the truth is physical beauty is subjective. And no matter how closely someone matches your ideal of physical perfection that will eventually fade. What endure are the qualities, passions, and habits we nurture.
That’s what makes us beautiful. Believe me when I say there is something beautiful in everyone. If you’ve done any of the following lately, you are absolutely beautiful:
Smile. As the quote goes, “I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.”
Be there for someone who needs you
Give someone an Uncontrollably long hug just because
Admit a mistake, even if it’s hard to say you’re wrong, and work to make amends.
Make a sacrifice for someone you love.
Forgive someone without needing to hear the words, “I’m sorry.”
Make someone laugh. A smile can literally melt stress and pain away. How beautiful of you to do that for someone else! Never underestimate the power of touching someone’s heart.
Take the high road when someone hurts you instead if being cruel or catty.
Measure a person by their best moments, not their worst.
Give yourself the same courtesy–focus on the good you’ve done, not the mistakes you’ve made.
Find strength in a challenging moment. It’s not easy to do, and you deserve credit for it.
Acknowledge the beauty in others, instead of feeling threatened, jealous or competitive.
Keep an open mind instead of sticking with a judgment or assumption.
Accept and love yourself–“Learn to live with what you are.”
Be the voice of optimism when the people around you need it badly
Hear what someone means, not just what they say. Anyone can nitpick. Not everyone actively works to be understanding.
Honor the values that matter to you. Showing integrity is the first step to feeling good about yourself.
Treat people like you want to be treated.
Accept someone for who they are instead of trying to change them to who you want them to be.
Help a child feel good about him or herself.
Create something that helps people. A song, a blog, a support group anything that inspires.
Think positive thoughts and act with positive intentions.
Tell someone what you appreciate about them
There will be days when you may never be able to do any of the things I’ve listed above-in fact you might do the opposite. Even on those days you are still beautiful.
There are times when I’m having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Times when it seems like I might get swept into the tornado of chaos around me. There are times when the voice in my head is unkind, and I interpret everything that happens through a negative filter. When I think the worst of people and complain about it; when I expect the worst of my day and mourn it.
Me admitting this might seem like the biggest possible acknowledgment of hypocrisy, but all I can do or will do is be honest. And the reality is I’m imperfect, I’m flawed. We all are. We all have moments of weakness-but they’ll only define us if they far surpass the moments of kindness, compassion, love and strength.
Being beautiful doesn’t mean sticking to some picture-perfect fantasy, or living every moment that way. It means realizing this moment is a new opportunity to be who you want to be, and making the effort to seize it.
I'm working very hard to take the positive route and overlook all that I've been dealt. This year i have vowed for it to be my year of Reckoning, accepting that which is in me that is good, inspirational, loving and above all else focusing on all that "I AM", not that which I am NOT!
I hope that the things I write here can become some kind of Inspiration to at least One person even if you don’t follow me I hope you can take the time to read. I know that I have been helped through reading other peoples blogs. If you stop by I just want to thank you ahead for your time .
