Recognizing Someone’s Beauty does not mean the Absence of your Own

Growing up I would say almost everyone struggles with his or her self-esteem. I know I did. I have vague memories from childhood where I could recall thinking it was odd to like myself. It became a norm that society pushed on not only me, but all of us to constantly draw attention to what we thought were flaws. I recall looking in the mirror and directing my attention to everything I thought was wrong with myself. I remember not liking myself. This affected me greatly as it would anyone. But, as I got older I realized that the constant feeling of insecurity really took a toll on me. I was exhausted and run down by all the negative energy that I constantly brought upon myself. So, I worked on myself for myself. I learned that if I stopped stressing about every minuscule thing that I thought were wrong with me I would be able to see myself in a different and brighter light.

The standards that society holds are ridiculous. But, if you look past them then you’ll find out that there’s more to life.

We are told to recognize our imperfections before our beauty.

We are told what to do, wear, and think before we are told to do what makes us happy.

We are taught that we are products placed upon a shelf behind a glass window specifically for others to stare at.

We are taught that it is all right for others to define our self worth, but if we do, we somehow become self-centered.

Maybe this is why self-love is so difficult to contain. Humanity is becoming incapable of feeling okay about being inside our own skin. Because of this we tear each other down in order to build ourselves up. We are all people and instead of wearing masks hiding who we are, we should embrace one another out of pure individuality not similarity.

We should cherish the beauty each of us beholds, but at the same time cherish ourselves too. We should create room for ourselves to breathe and let the fresh air seep into our lungs demolishing the negative energy. As humans we have so much to give and so much to receive. We cannot confine ourselves to a bubble of self-hatred. That’s unhealthy and lethal. Of course there’s going to be bad days and good days. Of course we’re going to feel self-conscious. This is normal because we’re human. Everything is a learning process.

Acceptance of others and ourselves is an important key to happiness. We’re all in this crazy world together working towards a better future. We should take the time praise others as well as ourselves.