The trouble begins with the obsession over dress size, waistline and calories. Why is it that a daily concern is how much we are eating and when we plan to exercise? It would be absolutely absurd to miss the gym for one day, right? I cannot even count the number of times in a day that I think about exercise, guilt myself into eating the healthiest concoction in the fridge, or worry about the size of my stomach. I can’t blame any other women for doing the same; it has just become so normal.

The absurdity comes from the fact that we believe the only way to be beautiful is to pose in size two jeans while eating an ever-so-delicious colorful salad next to the beach. We have become hypnotized by the healthy food crave and the waist-shrinking transformations of nearly every female celebrity. We force ourselves to buy countless work out DVDs and jump on the opportunity to try the next big thing in weight loss because we so desperately want to be beautiful. News flash: There is absolutely no luxury in fighting your own body to become something other than it already is.

Our bodies have become something we constantly tear down and pick apart as if we are dwindling ourselves to nothing. The yearly goals and extensive fitness plans to be small and beautiful just distract us from what really matters. We need to begin to measure beauty not by size but comfort, focusing on becoming exquisitely proud of each of our bodies. We must create our own beauty in our life’s work, in the extra cupcake for dinner, and in the amount of time we spend searching for life’s beauty. In fact, we have been missing out on true beauty only to create an artificial form of self-satisfaction. Lose a dress size to prove to yourself how disciplined your mind can be, not to show everyone the slimmer side of who you are.

We must remember that being thin will not make us stop hating our body; in fact we are likely to never be satisfied with ourselves after becoming infatuated in sweating off what makes each of us one of a kind. Over the years of endless fads and ridiculous trends, we have taught ourselves to simply hate the beauty we have. We resort to recreating it, bending it, twisting it and nearly ruining ourselves to create something more attractive, something more recognized for its beauty. We have taught ourselves to forget our soul’s worth and our heart’s desire. Let’s be honest, we want another piece of cake and we don’t want to run another five miles. Take time to walk through life’s remarkable wonders without waiting for your stopwatch to buzz.

As a woman, I must say beauty is the most difficult thing to define. We want to always say, “Beauty is what is on the inside,” but how many times do we actually believe that? Our bodies are our homes; make it your own, find comfort in it, uncover its foundation and value its unbreakable strength. Homes are beautiful for what they hold inside their walls. After all, decadent floral wallpaper can only be seen by those who enter. Save your beauty for those who can see more than what you reveal on the outside.