Feeling Beautiful Is Being Beautiful

“Being you is what makes you beautiful and strong. True courage and inner strength are all about being able to say ‘No’ to conforming to societal stereotypes just because you have to fit in the conventions.” Rising above the ordinary, being able to smile through adversity, meeting challenges --- are all signs of real beauty.

I once met a woman who had gone to her 25th school reunion. She made an astonishing discovery. Most of the women who had been beauties in their youth looked rather dull, while many of those who had been plain looking now shone with an inner beauty. As she talked to these friends from many years back, she realised that some of those who had been beautiful had not had to make much effort to attract attention in their hay days, and this rather self-satisfied attitude had stayed with them through the years, while the plain Janes had clearly been working to develop themselves and had become truly attractive as human beings.

A woman’s true beauty lies not in her appearance, but deep within her heart. A woman who makes an all out effort and who exerts herself wholeheartedly in her field is indeed beautiful; she really shines. She looks sharp and focussed and full of confidence. This kind of radiance will always outshine for me any external beauty related to what a woman was wearing or how her structure was. In fact, those who are aware of their inner beauty do not need to seek borrowed beauty from outside. And sadly, those who care only for their physical appearance are often spiritually impoverished and try to conceal that lack with exterior trappings.

I feel that appreciating and realising your own beauty means establishing a secure and robust inner self that will not be swayed by outer circumstances.