Are you beautiful?
When someone says the word beautiful, what do you think of?
It’s been about a month since I did a more personal, heartfelt post {other than my health update}, so I thought it was time to do another one. I was debating for a while on what I wanted to discuss, and decided I wanted to talk about something that can sometimes be controversial- beauty. However, this isn’t going to be the traditional take on this subject…I’m going a little deeper than the surface this time around.
When I was younger, I would spend hours upon hours trying out different ways to style my hair, do my make-up and put together outfits. During a few of these sessions, my mom would remind me to be beautiful on the inside, but honestly, as a teenager I didn’t take those words of wisdom to heart. I would see all the magazines, movies and tv shows and compare myself to those people. While on the inside, I was holding in resentment, anger, stress, low self-esteem….things that are NOT beautiful on anyone. I was so focused on outside “beauty”, that I failed to work on beautiful on the inside.
You may be wondering what kind of beauty one could have on the inside. There are SO many qualities I could have listed, but that in itself could be its own post. Here’s a short little list I put together:
When you read this list, does this bring to mind some people in your life? I can think of so many of my friends who fits many, if not all, of these qualities. You see, they WORK on their internal beauty and it shines through and even translates into physical beauty. When you see someone that is happy, it changes their whole countenance and even their approach on life. That, dear friends, is beautiful.
During this difficult time in my life, there have been health issues that prevented or made it difficult to look beautiful on the outside. Did this discourage me? Absolutely. Then it occurred to me, maybe during this time I could work on becoming more beautiful on the inside instead. I am most definitely a work in progress, but I hope that as time goes on, the beauty on the inside will start to shine forth and radiate on the outside and hopefully also encourage others to pursue the same kind of beauty!
Are there qualities that I didn’t list that you consider beautiful? I’d love to read them! Are there people in your life that you consider beauties on the inside? Feel free to gush about them! We have one life to live, let’s start showcasing that TRUE BEAUTY comes from the INSIDE!
I so enjoyed reading your blog today. I thought of another trait that I value in someone who is beautiful on the inside and that is GENEROUS. No I don’t mean that they go about giving away their money and valuables, but generous of heart and spirit. Someone who gives of themselves and makes those that they come into contact with know how important they are to them. What do you think? Is GENEROUS a good word to add to your list?
Kathy, yes, I think generous would be a great word to add to the list! Thanks for suggesting that!
Glad you liked my suggestion. I’ve had occasion to think of such things during a health problem of my own lately………..
Way to go girl. Wonderful list of qualities!! Teaching these very things to my daughters right now…perfect for me to remember too!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Lovely post today Paulina! And I agree with Jeni (above) that teaching these concepts to my daughter right now is so important. There is more to beauty than your hair or clothes. Thank you for reminding me of that in order to pass it along! I appreciate the variety of topics on your blog! Keep up the good work!
Fabulous blog today! I thought of one I would add to your list… respectful… I always look at someone in a different light when I see them being respectful not just to me, but to others… something I’m sad to say you don’t see much of these days!
Lisa, I love this addition to the list- it’s such an important one! I agree, it seems more and more people are becoming disrespectful (both young and old), and it’s NOT an attractive trait. Thanks for suggesting this one!
Respectful is a great one! I have 4 teenage granddaughters and there are too many times when I wish they’d learn that one! AND w/o an iPad or cell phone in their hands!
Lovely post Paulina! Your post reminded me of so many people in my life :)
I think modesty is a great quality to have as well :)
Love your post. They are all great qualities. I like the addition of generous, people
who give their time to help others in need are so appreciated.
WOW! generosity and modesty; more great qualities! I thought you had a great list but some of your readers have come up with more great ones! This is becoming quite an inspirational blog post!
Paulina what a beautiful post today! I enjoyed reading this post so much. I have been teaching my 9yr old about inner beauty for the past two years now and am trying to get her to realize that beauty starts from the inside out. I enjoyed getting to know a little about you as a teenager and how you coped with what you thought “beautiful” was in your life at that time. Thank you for giving us an eye opener to remind us that in the real world, it all starts from within us. A few other words that come to mind that remind me of beauty are: considerate, loyal and dedication. =)
Grateful is another great quality and that seems to be lacking more so today than years ago. Not sure the reason but it is definitely more obvious how ungrateful people can be, and it’s very sad. Well-written post, Paulina!
Kathy Mc: boy, do I agree with you! I have 4 teenage granddaughters and they are [sorry to say] soooo ungreateful, as is the 11 year old grand son. I’m sure it’s because they have so much now-a-days and aren’t taught to appreciate what they have and what they get. Too bad!
Generosity is an absolutely gorgeous quality! My parents always grabbed the cheque when we went out for dinner with another couple/family and I often heard them mentioning a loan or early pay cheque they had given an employee. And sadly they were often not paid back on schedule and were taken advantage of. I learned this quality and strive to take it to heart in my life. I often do so quietly not putting my name on donations. I hope that didn’t sound snotty, it wasn’t meant to. Hospitality is also a quality that is sorely lacking that I strive to take to heart. I can’t do much since I am disabled but I do my best. We have a big BBQ for my congregation each year which my family enjoys immensely. This year our family is facing more challenges than ever so I am hesitant to take on such a big event but we enjoy it so much and so does everyone else that I am inclined to recruit help and try to do it anyways. It’s pot luck and I am a good organizer so I hope it will go ok.