“You are beautiful.” Those three words are the most interesting words when strung together in one sentence or if they are said by the right person. But they are hard to believe when they are said repeatedly by the wrong ones. That sentence begins to lose meaning after awhile. But the one who should be saying them is you. Your reflection in the mirror should be saying that phrase and you should believe it when he/she does.

You are beautiful inside and out. You don’t need a significant other or a parent to tell you that. You need to tell yourself that. This is a touchy subject sometimes if you have had a bad relationship or other experiences that make you feel like something you aren’t. But it is a lesson that is essential to life. Feeling beautiful helps with self-esteem by loving yourself as you are.

I have never thought of myself as beautiful. I am simply me. I have friends I care for deeply and a family I love compassionately. But I have never seen my own body or spirit as beautiful. Sure I have good hair days and people notice when I wear make-up. I also look great in certain colors.

I often prefer hiding myself from the world. I want to be loved by someone in the romantic way, but not noticed for my body or other features. So I hide my body behind a humorously sarcastic manner and an outgoing personality. When people make comments about my make-up, body or hair I brush it off as “they are just being nice. They don’t mean it.” I sometimes can’t see when people are trying to be complimentary. I hate feeling like I’m in the spotlight. I prefer to be in the back of the classroom, reading a book and being invisible. But I have tried to get into the habit of looking in the mirror and liking what I see.

It is difficult but I believe I am slowly beginning to accept myself. I have always taken things at my own pace. It used to bother me but I realize now that it's okay not to rush. I am a healthy weight, a fine height and I am proud of my stick straight hair. Everything about me is small but that isn’t a bad thing. And I have plenty of friends who love me for who I am without ever having me change.

Being beautiful is an important trait. It isn’t just physical either. You can look great and have an ugly personality. Beautiful personalities are somewhat rare but not terribly. They are aspects of a person that need to be tweaked a bit with time. You don’t just inherit a perfectly beautiful personality. You have to work to keep it that way.

Be kind to everyone, but not a pushover. Stand up when you need to. Live life full of zest. Be lively. Try new things. Those are all ingredients to concoct the perfect person. Now you just need to mix it together and continue to “cook” until you have the you that the world needs to see. Keep it trimmed and in line. A beautiful heart is equally as important as a great body.

Act beautiful to become beautiful. That is the biggest take-away I have learned from living the way I do. In order to make and keep friends, you have to know your limits and stick to them but don’t be mean about it should you reach that threshold. Always be kind even when it is hard to do so. Keep a positive mindset. You are beautiful no matter who says so. Just make sure to act like it whenever you get the chance.