All my life I have struggled with self acceptance. A big lesson I have been learning on my race is discovering who I am, what I bring to the table, and the realization that I am beautiful. That has been a tough lesson to learn. I have had to chisel through the wall of negative remarks from others, the mounds of self-loathing, and the piles of lies from society to get there, but I have broken through to the other side and it is as free and stunning as I am!
In honor of International Women’s Day, I want the women (and the gentlemen too, why not!) in my life to know they are stunning too! My Mother and Sister. My Grandmas and Aunts. Teammates. Squad-mates. Friends all over, from the Gardella family in Kentucky to the Keaton family in Virginia (shout out!). And even complete strangers. You are so beautiful. You may not see it, and you may not want to believe it, but gosh, light radiates out of you. You bless the people you meet. You brighten my life. You are kind. You are loving. You are intelligent. And you better believe me when I say… You. Are. Beautiful.
Here are 5 things that I have learned about how beautiful we are, and how to accept that:
1)“You don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.”
Lord knows we are not perfect. Whether it is physical or mental, we can all think of ways we want to be different. “If only I was taller.” “If only I was smarter.” “If only I where better at sports.” “If only I was a ginger.” “If only I had blue eyes.” “If only I was artsy.” The list goes on and on. And a large number of things on that list are things we can not change. And why would we?! It is in our differences we are unique, special, and beautiful. “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.” -Maya Angelou. Embrace who you are. Find the fabulousness in your flaws.
2) “A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms.”
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, tear others down to build yourself up. All that accomplishes is making others sad, and making your insides ugly… so the exact opposite effect you where hoping for. “We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” -Henri Nouwen. Let your beauty shine through your kindness and joy, share in that joy, and you both will shine way brighter together than either of you would if you shaded the others light.
3)”Nothing makes a woman more beautiful that the belief that she is beautiful.” – Sophia Loren
Confidence is key. But that is easier said than done. Personally I second guess everything… “Is that joke I told actually funny?” “Do they really want to grab dinner, or are they just being nice?” “Was this hair cut really a good idea?” But that needs to stop. Make choices carefully and prayerfully, and act with confidence. “I love the person I’ve become because I fought to become her.” -Kaci Diane. Fight for who you want to be. Be true to yourself. Realize you are beautiful, worthy of self acceptance, and allowed to be confident.
4)”If you have good thought, they will shine out of your face like sun beams and you will always look lovely.” -Roald Dahl
If you have happy thoughts, you will seem happy, you will be happy, you will spread happiness all around you… It’s not medically proven, but I’m pretty sure it is 1000% true. And it is so much easier to be happy than sad. “I have found that most people are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” -Abraham Lincoln. Why be bitter, hurtful, and bring people down, when it is so much more enjoyable to be happy, joyful, kind, and beautiful to everyone and everything around you?!
5)”You are beautiful for you are fearfully and wonderfully made…”
God made you this way. God saw you and said “WOW, this is some of my best, most beautiful work!” There is a reason why God made you the way you are. “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.” -Coco Chanel. You fit beautifully into His perfect plan. Don’t take that for granted. Never, even for a second, think you are not worthy of anything beautiful, because to God, you are EVERYTHING beautiful.
You are loved. You are beautiful. I mean it.
