do you know you're beautiful???
Do you think you're beautiful? Do you KNOW that you're beautiful?
If you're like me, you are probably laughing about this. Probably if I asked you, you would point out all of the ways that you feel you are not beautiful...not small feet, not straight teeth, hair that doesn't always do what it should, man calves....you know the drill. I'm the same way. If someone gives me a compliment, I am so quick to talk the person out of the compliment and explain to them why they are wrong.
I'm not a therapist, so I'm not going to get into why we do this, but what I do want to talk about is how we can make it stop....or at least cut down on it.
I went through a time where I was so terribly critical of myself and then in turn was secretly critical of everyone around me. It was a miserable way to walk around. One day, in the midst of my dark place, I made up my mind that it needed to stop. Maybe I read this somewhere, maybe I made it up, I don't remember, but what I did changed my outlook. I decided that when I looked at or talked to someone during the day, I would find something beautiful about them. Sometimes it was a smile, sometimes it was their hair color, sometimes a kind word that they said. It wasn't easy at first, but after a few days it was difficult NOT to find something beautiful in people.
God really put me in check though the day I came in contact with the Walmart check out lady. I was cruising along thinking I was doing so well with this experiment when I made my way to Walmart for some groceries. I got in the checkout line and as I was waiting, I noticed the cashier had no teeth. Not even one. Now if you don't know me, I have nightmares about losing my teeth,(Again, not therapy time here) so this really freaked me out. I was doing so well , but now I didn't think I was going to be able to find anything beautiful about her. Of course I was wrong. As I got to the register to pay, she greeted me with a smile that lit up her face and made her eyes shine and she greeted me as if I was her friend not just some customer. She had the most beautiful smile I had seen in awhile, even without teeth!
Ever since, I have been working this into my everyday life. I've even taken it to the next level and I tell people the thing I saw that I liked. I try not to be weird about it or do this to strangers in a way that would creep them out, but who doesn't love to hear something nice about themselves?!?
The greatest thing I have found from this little experiment has been how much nicer I am to myself. Rather than trying to pick apart all the things I hate about myself, I try to do the same thing for me that I am doing for those around me. I have to admit, it's not as easy, but I keep working at it. Maybe one of these days I will stop picking myself apart all together.
So here is today's challenge....find the beauty in those around you. Look, really look at people and see what you see. Then turn this on yourself. You are beautiful...you just have to figure that out for yourself.
peace, love, and cute shoes,
~chris
If you're like me, you are probably laughing about this. Probably if I asked you, you would point out all of the ways that you feel you are not beautiful...not small feet, not straight teeth, hair that doesn't always do what it should, man calves....you know the drill. I'm the same way. If someone gives me a compliment, I am so quick to talk the person out of the compliment and explain to them why they are wrong.
I'm not a therapist, so I'm not going to get into why we do this, but what I do want to talk about is how we can make it stop....or at least cut down on it.
I went through a time where I was so terribly critical of myself and then in turn was secretly critical of everyone around me. It was a miserable way to walk around. One day, in the midst of my dark place, I made up my mind that it needed to stop. Maybe I read this somewhere, maybe I made it up, I don't remember, but what I did changed my outlook. I decided that when I looked at or talked to someone during the day, I would find something beautiful about them. Sometimes it was a smile, sometimes it was their hair color, sometimes a kind word that they said. It wasn't easy at first, but after a few days it was difficult NOT to find something beautiful in people.
God really put me in check though the day I came in contact with the Walmart check out lady. I was cruising along thinking I was doing so well with this experiment when I made my way to Walmart for some groceries. I got in the checkout line and as I was waiting, I noticed the cashier had no teeth. Not even one. Now if you don't know me, I have nightmares about losing my teeth,(Again, not therapy time here) so this really freaked me out. I was doing so well , but now I didn't think I was going to be able to find anything beautiful about her. Of course I was wrong. As I got to the register to pay, she greeted me with a smile that lit up her face and made her eyes shine and she greeted me as if I was her friend not just some customer. She had the most beautiful smile I had seen in awhile, even without teeth!
Ever since, I have been working this into my everyday life. I've even taken it to the next level and I tell people the thing I saw that I liked. I try not to be weird about it or do this to strangers in a way that would creep them out, but who doesn't love to hear something nice about themselves?!?
The greatest thing I have found from this little experiment has been how much nicer I am to myself. Rather than trying to pick apart all the things I hate about myself, I try to do the same thing for me that I am doing for those around me. I have to admit, it's not as easy, but I keep working at it. Maybe one of these days I will stop picking myself apart all together.
So here is today's challenge....find the beauty in those around you. Look, really look at people and see what you see. Then turn this on yourself. You are beautiful...you just have to figure that out for yourself.
peace, love, and cute shoes,
~chris
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