Beauty

Thanks to the media and how it portrays what is considered “beautiful”, I have spent a couple of months stuck on this topic, trying to come up with something meaningful to say about it. I think the reason I’ve struggled with writing on this subject is because it’s impossible to find one meaningful definition, but this is what I’ve come up with so far.

What is beauty?

Webster’s Dictionary defines beauty as:
: the quality of being physically attractive
or
: the qualities in a person or a thing that give pleasure to the senses or the mind

To me, there are infinite definitions as to what beauty is. There is the old saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I absolutely agree with this. Beauty is how WE define it in our own lives, or at least how we define it is the only thing that really matters in our own lives. What might be beautiful to me might not be beautiful to you, or vice versa.

For me, there is just something beautiful about music… The moment I get chills, smile, or even cry because a song speaks to my heart & soul… that’s beautiful… Even when the song is sad, there is something beautiful about it. Maybe it’s because it tells a story and gives you a peek into someone’s life or struggle and gives you a better understanding of who they are as a person. Maybe it’s about cancer and being loved by someone through it. Maybe it just has a good beat or silly, nonsense lyrics and that lifts your spirits… To me, that’s beautiful too. Maybe it’s about finding God, rising above an addiction or getting over a bad relationship… Whatever the story may be, it can be beautiful. No one has the right to tell me that what I find beautiful is wrong. It’s my definition; not theirs. The same goes for you…

What makes you feel beautiful? If you don’t know the answer to this, I encourage you to think about this and do some soul searching, because I guarantee that you will start to feel better about yourself once you start to figure this out. Why do we work out? Why do we get our nails done, our hair done, buy new clothes, etc., etc., etc.,? We do it to help ourselves feel more confident and beautiful, to be thought of as attractive by SOMEONE, to be noticed, or to stand out… but beauty isn’t always external. Whether you feel like you have a beautiful soul or like yourself for who you are on the inside is equally (and possibly even more) important to your life and the quality of life you have. Without confidence and the ability to recognize the gifts we possess & see the beauty in our lives, we most likely will never pursue certain things to help us reach our full potential, so we never reach a point where we are content and are 100% happy. If we are always holding back, we can never go as far as we can when we approach something with confidence… and confidence is a beautiful thing! Finding beauty in your life, struggle & triumph, so that you can grow as a person is so important. I know that I have missed out on opportunities because I was led my own fear, rather than letting my confidence lead me.

Having the ability to see the beauty in your own life helps you to give back to the universe and help someone else that might be struggling with a similar issue, because they lack the ability to see the beauty they possess in their own life. Without the confidence of knowing that your experience is in fact beautiful & could help someone else if you just reach out to help them, they may stay stuck feeling like there is nothing beautiful in their own situation. God gives us these opportunities for a reason. It may seem horrible at the time, but you will eventually have a sense of peace in your own situation and the BEAUTIFUL part of that is when you feel that peace in your heart and use that experience to help others become resilient in their less than perfect circumstances.

Everyone’s definition of beauty is different. If working out makes you feel good… Do it! If getting your hair done makes you feel beautiful… Do it! If showing others kindness and doing things for others makes you feel like a beautiful person… Do it! Whatever it is that makes you & and your heart happy, DO IT! I believe that you can’t keep true internal happiness without YOU doing something to keep it a constant in your life.

What we sometimes forget (absolutely myself included) is that God designed us to be perfectly imperfect. You should never feel like you’re less worthy of love, friendship, kindness or good things happening to you just because you don’t fit a nearly unattainable mold or standard. For some crazy reason, society has helped make us to feel like no matter what we do, we’re never enough. We’re never perfect. So why do we continue to try? There’s nothing wrong with trying to improve ourselves, but we should never do it to fit a “standard” or to please someone else other than ourselves or God, especially if it is at the expense of our own happiness. By no means am I perfect or exactly where I want to be in every aspect of my life, but I do know that God has filled my life with so many beautiful people and experiences and that truly fill my heart with joy… In turn, I try to be the best version of myself & I hope that I am able to help spread that joy to help others find their happiness. We are “meant to be” beautiful souls that encourage each other to be the best versions of ourselves and we should always strive to constantly set a good example to others around us who are struggling to find out what their best version of themselves is.