You are beautiful, no matter what they say ~ Christina Aguilera
I came across a saying once that you can’t expect anyone else to love you unless you first love yourself.
There is a lot of truth to it. Often, we see our flaws far more clearly than we do our merits. It is so much easier to see a negative point, pick at it, blow it all out of proportion until it overshadows everything else positive. It is almost as if we love to wallow in self-pity. It doesn’t help when society has their set ideas on how you should look and behave.
Well, get out of it! 😛
Beauty is so much more than just proper application of makeup and good skincare. It is much more than having a pretty face. Beauty is to me, a package. It is reflected in your physical beauty but also in what you do, how you behave and how you react to situations. It is enhanced by what you use, that’s for certain and yet, how many of us have something we love about ourselves, yet never embrace or enhance it? How many of us downplay our strengths to conform to the general perception of beauty?
We think “Oh I have a big nose, not a cute button nose like Ms. Y” But do you then notice that what we have is also a great sunny smile? Or we think “I have so many acne scars and my skin isn’t porcelain smooth” but do we also realise that we may have a lovely head of hair and lovely delicate fingers?
We don’t do we?
I had this post in drafts for the longest time – 2 years. I never found the right way to approach it. But then, I saw Tine’s post and suddenly, it all fell into place so thank you Tine! 😀 Tine asked you what you loved about yourself. Well, I’m going to ask you something a little different. What do you find beautiful, that you love about yourself?
These are some of the things I told Tine that these were what I love about myself and they are also what I personally find beautiful about me – self praise you know, coz sometimes that’s the best praise of all HAHA! 😉
- Hair – My hair has natural volume so it holds most hairstyles well and I don’t have to do anything fancy to it. Just wash, dry and go. Yay! One less thing to maintain! Better still, short hair = win!
- Smile – A perfect stranger I met a little while ago sat across the table and told me I had a nice smile. It totally caught me off guard so I did the next best thing – smile bashfully 😀 Actually if I don’t smile, I look like I’m about to grind your bones and make me some bread (Jack and the Beanstalk anyone? 😛 ).
- Intuition – I have a more than healthy dose of intuition and perception. Sometimes its a blessing and sometimes its a curse but rarely am I proven wrong 😉 I like that because it means my ‘gut feel’ pushes me in the right direction so I get to the root of problems quicker and solve problems more quickly.
- Maps and some DIY – Yep, I’m really good at both. My brain is just wired that way 😀 I am not the artsy-crafty sort, but I can fix stuff around the house, build basic things, own a toolbox of proper tools and do a lot of guy-sy stuff.
- A cool head – Some might say too cool to the point of being detached. But I have shown more than once that I can keep my head in an emergency and have enough analytical skills to solve the problem because as with maps and DIY, I am a problem solver, intuitively.
These are 5 things I found about myself to love and embrace, that I have accepted about me. I’ve had my fair share of negative thoughts but realising that there are things about me that make me a unique package, which meant I did not have to conform to society’s norm, was the first step towards being happier and leading a happier life. Positivity, and a smile, is infectious 🙂
What do you love and/or find beautiful in yourself?
Recognizing something to love about yourself is the first step towards burying the negative thoughts and attracting the positive ones! So come on, share! 🙂
Paris B
Tammy says
I love myself for always being ‘ME’ 😉
Paris B says
And I’m quite sure others love you for it too 😉
LeGeeque says
Oooh! I’ve already commented this on Tine’s post but I’ll go for non-physical traits now 😀
1. I’m glad I’m very logical. I can be very cool and collected in dissecting problems and issues which makes me rather kick ass in doing what I do. Not many people can say they love what they’re doing but I do and it’s a great thing 😀 It also allows me to enjoy games (usually first person shooter and strategy games) and be one of the boys sometimes.
2. By nature, I’m very cynical. Nothing is free in this world and if it’s too good to be true, it generally is. This trait has saved my tush numerous times and I’m very thankful for it. It’s also helped me in pulling my friends back when I see they’re being taken advantage of.
2.
Paris B says
I am really cynical too, but sometimes, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. That said, after too many instances, I’m back to being cynical again. The benefit of the doubt can only go so far!
Rin says
Hi Paris.
Love your post! Made me think about myself too. I know I m really good at bashing myself, so yeah this is the time for me to appreciate what I feel are the things I love about myself.
1. Determination – Most of the times, once I set my heart and mind on something, I am determined to achieve it.
2. Being able to be alone – I am very comfortable being alone. I am alone but i am not lonely. I am pretty independent. I enjoy my ‘me time’.
3. Passion for learning – I love learning new things. It can be the simplest things or some complicated stuff.
4. Shoulders – I am short but have broad shoulders for my height. A lot of people told me that, hehe. Can be a minus sometimes but it’s a plus point to me because I love my shoulders. Most jackets sit quite well on my shoulders. I am proud of that 🙂
5. Eyelashes – Quite long and thick. I seldom wear mascara. I am thankful for that.
Thank you Paris! I should appreciate myself more. “Learning to love yourself… is the greatest love of all…” The song lyrics are familiar to u I believe 🙂
Paris B says
Hi Rin, yes! You are so right to quote Ms Houstan 😀 I like your #2 and I’m totally jealous of #5! Eyelashes! If only I too could go without mascara! That’ll be one less thing to worry about
Connie De Alwis says
I still remember how you started the car with pliers when your key broke off from the remote! Definitely good with DIY problem solving 😀
I shall need some time to think about the things I like about myself
Paris B says
Whoa add resourceful to the list 😉 That was such a horrible situation huh? Thank goodness for a cool head LOL! 😀 I’m sure you have lots to like about yourself – just have to list them out and you’d be surprised why you never noticed them before 😀