“Be(U)tiful”
“Be yourself, love yourself no matter what anyone tells you…stay true to who you are…
“Baby Jem” ~ Skai Jackson
“Quote source: Former Disney Channel Star Skai Jackson talks about new book/GMA (Youtube published date 9/30/10)
Stock photo source: elle.com
Are you afraid to be you? At times in our lives we can be a little insecure within ourselves when we make the mistake of making what others think about us more important than what we think about ourselves. When I was in elementary school there was a girl who in my opinion had the best bang and ponytail I had ever seen. I took it upon myself to cut my hair so that I could have the same style as her but the problem was not only did I cut my hair totally uneven, making me look silly, I also looked even sillier because the style looked hideous on me. I learned the hard way that it's literally not cute attempting to be someone your'e not. Each of us possess unique characteristics that make us who we are and the sooner we learn to embrace those rare qualities and become comfortable in our own skin, the sooner we will be able to move forward fully with boldness, promoting our individual beauty.
When you operate in confidence you aren't concerned with what others think about you. You function daily fearlessly, not phased with the assumed expectations or labels that others or even society force upon you, freeing you to behave in your true nature. An aspect of being yourself is in trusting yourself wholeheartedly. What do you believe about yourself, what type of person do you want to be and what plans do you have in place that will specifically ensure YOUR happiness down the road? In order to answer these questions in a healthy manner, you must first figure out what you believe about the person that you are. The mind is a powerful tool. It is important to recognize that what you think about yourself in all actuality forms who you will essentially be. When you have a positive outlook about who you are then you are in essence training your mind to believe and operate in that truth. This trickled down to how you carry out your life and what your character is built on which is the heart of who you are.
Naturally, there are moments when we second guess our abilities and don't like the person that we see staring back at us in the mirror. When this occurs it is important to have a mantra or affirmation in place that will assist us with getting back on the right track. When you believe in yourself you won't mind being who you are, and will ultimately end up loving the beautiful person that you are created to be. Being you means loving yourself fully, flaws and all. No one is perfect and everyone has things that they wish they could change about themselves, however when you truly cherish yourself you don't focus on the things that you are unable to alter, but instead celebrate your strengths while working on improving the aspects that you may not necessarily admire about yourself but have the ability to control and change. When you value yourself you are courageous and comfortable with the attributes and ideas that you have to offer and bring to the table in any given situation. You are able to serve in your true gifts and offer your best self to others.
As peace activist and monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, stated “to be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You just need to accept yourself.” I urge you to consider the concept that beauty is being the best possible version of yourself from the inside out. When you have the audacity to be yourself you take control of your destiny while indirectly empowering others to do the same. Feeling good about yourself without the need for anyone else's approval guarantees peace of mind, freedom and happiness to reside in your life and that is definitely a beautiful thing.