"...Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face.
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.
But you are eternity and you are the mirror."
Kahlil Gibran

Beauty is primarily associated with the visual aspects of a person's existence. We often confine the entirety of a person to the way they look. It has become an aspect of American culture intensely focused on the bettering of someone's outward appearance while ignoring the importance of the spiritual work that is waiting to be done. Maintaining the idea that beauty is meant only to be shown physically is a disservice to every human being on this planet, for it only further perpetuates a mode of existence that allows for the complete ignorance of the soul. We are taught that, in order for us to feel beautiful, we need to seek the approval of others. But, if we allow our beauty to be defined by anyone other than ourselves, we will never be satisfied. This is not to say that part of your route to feeling true beauty cannot include a care for your aestheticism, but to confine your idea of beauty to physical characteristics is to ignore entire aspects of your being.

There is beauty in the emotions of a person, for they indicate what is truly important to them. While humans are not always able to control their emotions, they are able to choose how to act with these emotions. A person that acts with complete passion in everything he does is a person that recognizes his purpose in this world. The idea that people are meant to ignore their emotions in order to productively exist is ludicrous. If you are not able to efficiently utilize your emotions in order to make your work and your creation an intimate extension of yourself, your work will be meaningless. Beauty is your emotions and how you act with them.

There is beauty in the spirituality of a person, showing the linear link between himself and his own being. A person that lives a life void of spiritual connection is subduing an entire part of his existence. Even if you do not believe in a God, you should be able to feel some sort of a spiritual connection to the immensity of the universe and to the significance of your ability to exist in it. How you use that spirituality is also an aspect of your own beauty. If you exist only to further your own spirituality without contributing to someone else's life through that growth, you are ignoring the responsibility given to every human on earth to collectively better each other. Beauty is your spirituality and what you accomplish with it.

There is beauty in a person's authenticity, for this shows how much of himself he is allowing to exist and how much of himself he is denying. An authentic human is one that allows all of himself to exist and denies no part of himself for the sake of fear of society. Authenticity is the most beautiful aspect of any human, for it is the purest form of a person. The authentic human is the being beneath the social influence, the existence without its past shames, and the person that truly embraces the life given to him by God. Beauty is your authenticity and the God that gave it to you.

Let beauty not represent a mere fraction of a human or an unfulfilled need that you prevent yourself from attaining. Instead, recognize beauty as a pillar of life meant to be expressed in every aspect of your existence. Do not strive for beauty in order to call yourself beautiful, but follow beauty wherever she may take you so that you can call yourself authentic. Look for beauty in everything that you experience, for she is waiting to be noticed in every aspect of life. You are beauty waiting to be found, so live authentically, then beauty will surely radiate from your existence.