Written by contributing blogger, Daniela Forte. 

I will be brutally honest, I never thought of myself as beautiful, while I often was always grateful anytime someone gave me the compliment, I never actually believed it. Sad I know.

When I was younger I hated everything about the way I looked, from my hair to the terrible acne on face, my weight (I was never overweight, but I was never happy with it anyway), the way I dressed, I never quite accepted myself for all that I was.

I always felt awkward, like I didn’t quite fit in or didn’t quite make the “beautiful” cut. As I got older, I began to accept and like parts about me, but still at 33-years-old I feel like I don’t quite make the cut.

This past year, I didn’t feel beautiful. I felt horrible on the inside and I know it showed on the outside. I started to exercise, I started putting more effort in my outward appearance, but I realized what I needed to do was work on the inside.

This was tough, because I am a stubborn person. No matter how positive I tried to be about what was going on around me, I felt so ugly. I often asked myself, “Why am I not enough?” I began to question the things I did like about myself and that is when I realized I needed to make a change.

So where does one begin to feel beautiful? First, it’s understanding that beauty isn’t just what is on the outside; it’s what’s on the inside. Beautiful is how you treat others and yourself on a daily basis.

Embrace Your Quirks: We all have them, I certainly do. Embrace the oddities of your personality and your looks, because it’s what makes you, you.

Tell Yourself You’re Beautiful: Everyday. In front of a mirror until you believe it. Or record yourself on your phone telling yourself you are beautiful. Listen to it every time you feel down about any aspect of yourself.

Smile: No matter how you feel when you get up, no matter what is hurting you on the inside, smile at everyone you interact with. I have had hard time doing this over the years, because I wear my emotions on my sleeve… I’m still working on this.

Don’t Insult Other People: Beautiful isn’t a person who insults other people to make themselves feel better. There is nothing beautiful about that. So no matter what you think about another person, keep your thoughts to yourself.

Beautiful is Confident: Confidence is hard, especially if you weren’t wired that way. You have to be confident in who you are and what you have to offer the world around you. Being insecure with yourself can destroy important relationships in your life and destroy you.   Being confident is beautiful.

Take Care of Yourself – Mind, body and spirit: Being beautiful is about taking care of yourself. And not just one part of yourself, your whole self. Exercise, get enough sleep, drink enough water, eat healthy, get rid of any bad habits. Surround yourself with people who bring you higher and don’t bring you down.  Don’t stress over things you can’t control and love yourself.

Feeling beautiful is a state of mind. It isn’t about looks, it’s about how you feel about yourself on a daily basis. What you tell yourself everyday. Understand that there is only one you in this world and without you the world wouldn’t be there same. Celebrate that, because it is beautiful.

#radiatedaily

Image source: We know your Dreamz