Today I went to Redondo pier and met the sweetest little lady in a store there. She was absolutely hilarious and was telling me about her childhood in Hawaii, how she grew up with a deep appreciation for nature, and hated wearing shoes to school(totally agree with her on this, shoes suck). Then she started telling me about how she used to be married to someone who constantly made her feel insecure about how she looked and would even compare her to other people. She told me she was never really happy with him, but stayed for three years because she thought she wasn't "pretty" enough to find someone else. That broke my heart, first of all she was stunning but mostly because she didn't see all of the other amazing qualities she had.The world puts so much emphasis on being pretty, like it's the absolute most important thing. I understand it's nice to feel pretty and feel good about yourself, and if finding the best selfie lighting or spending hours arching you eyebrows makes you feel good I say go for it. I just wish people could find confidence in themselves for other reasons too. This is not going to be a lecture on how beauty is only skin deep, all I'm saying is that it's not everything. For me, if I had to pick between everyone looking at me for my beauty, and one person looking at me because of how amazing/smart I was, I would always pick the latter. Don't strive to simply get someones attention with how you look, but captivate people with how you are. There of plenty of things a person should aspire to be before aspiring to be "pretty" here are just a few.

1. Genuine

I aspire to be someone who does things that they truly feel is right. Someone who is kind to others and cares about people without expecting anything in return. My favorite phrase is "Vivi Con Amore" which means live with love. I want to be someone who puts their heart into life, and does everything with passion and sincerity.

2. Effervescent

I want to be someone who is bubbly, and excited about life. Someone who is enthusiastic and hopeful for the future and the world around them. I want to be someone who is lively, active, spirited, and energetic who welcomes each new day with open arms.

3. Kind

I've always believed that kindness is everything. The way you treat people is one of the most important things in my book. I want to be someone that makes people feel happier each time I talk to them. I want to be there for the people I care about, to always make everyone feel that they matter. I want to always be someone approachable and friendly. To smile at strangers, to not let rumors dictate how I see people. I want to be someone who remembers that people are going to give you their worst, but to be kind anyways.

4. Considerate

Someone who is understanding. To be someone who thinks about how other people feel, not just about my own feelings. I want to be someone who people don't feel they need to be fake with. I won't judge anyone, if someone has something to say I will listen. When someone's hurt I want to help, when someone is excited I will be excited with them, when someone is angry I'll listen to why. I never want to be someone who's self-absorbed in what's going on in my life that I forget to think about what is going on with the people around them.

5. Uplifting

I want to be able to see the light in whatever situation life throws at me. I want to be someone who motivates people to do better, be better for themselves. Someone who believes in people and believes they can reach their goals.

6. Easy-going

I don't want to be someone who constantly reminds people of a mistake they made forever ago. Yes, I want to be someone who can defend themselves, and stand up for what I believe in. But also someone who is able to let certain things go and not make things a bigger deal than they are. I want to always remember the bigger picture, and the few negatives are always far less important than the countless positives.

7. Intelligent

I want to be someone who is smart, and articulate. I'm not just talking about textbook intelligence, I want to be someone who is witty and can pick up on things quickly. Someone who is capable of more that what people expect, someone who's intelligence is exhibited in how they handle situations.

8. Creative

To be someone who is imaginative, innovative, and artistic is such an amazing thing to be. I admire people who put their creativity into practice and are unafraid to share it with the world.

9. Funny

I've said this probably 90902842084 times in my everyday life, being called funny is hands down the best compliment. I want to be someone who can make people genuinely laugh like they are about to fall out of their seats. I laugh a lot and loud, it's kind of annoying actually, but people with a good sense of humor are always the best people to be around.

10. Humble

I've never been someone who really likes attention all that much. Honestly, every time I write one of these articles I get really nervous that people are actually going to be reading the things I write. I'm not saying to never be proud of your accomplishments, of course be proud, but I never want to be someone who is boastful. I never want to be someone who needs to tell the whole world every good thing i've ever done, it should be enough to know that you did it. I want to be someone who always remembers to be grateful, and to remember the people who helped you get to where you are.

11. Weird

I want to be someone who is unapologetically themselves. Who does things like send every person in their phone a picture of a really cute dog they saw, who is just a goofy human who thinks differently, and does things a little differently too. I want to be someone a little out of the ordinary, it keeps things interesting.