When I was a teenager, I never considered myself a beautiful person; in fact, I would often put myself down. I was uncomfortable in my own skin, and convinced that because other kids teased me, I was somehow not as good. I would compare my own physical features – my acne, my awkward haircut, my struggled attempts at “fashion” – to the more popular kids in school, or even to the models in the many teen magazines I was reading, and label myself as not beautiful.

That haircut, though….

Those experiences, while terrible at the time, really shaped me into the person I am today; being teased, bullied, and mean girl’ed really prepared me to live with more compassion, kindness, and understanding for others.

Because the truth is, even as I started to blossom and become conventionally more “beautiful” and accepted by my peers, I never lost sight of that awkward teenage girl. I never forgot the pain, the loneliness, and self doubt caused by the teasing and mockery. And I vowed to never make someone else feel that way.

The older I get, the more I realize that true beauty comes from kindness and love. It truly doesn’t matter what you look like, or what you wear, being beautiful is being compassionate, kind, free of judgment, and full of love.

To me, being beautiful is…

• Putting others before yourself
• Standing up for yourself, for others, and your beliefs
• Demonstrating acts of kindness and compassion
• Accepting others, despite differences
• Being able to say “I’m sorry”
• Being able to admit when you’re wrong
• Laughter and joy
• Positivity and lightness
• The ability to listen
• The ability to think and speak for yourself
• Self confidence
• Strength and determination
• Perseverance
• The words you speak

And being beautiful is not…

• How great you dress
• How toned, skinny, strong you are
• How well your hair looks
• How high your heels are
• How cute your next Instagram photo is
• How flawless your skin is
• The color of your skin, your eyes, your hair…
• The labels you wear

So I want to know, what does beautiful mean to you? 

Comments welcome!

Want to start your everyday more beautifully?

If you’re looking start your day more beautifully – treat yourself to a little outer glow to go with your amazing inner glow – try Amazing Grass’ new Beauty Elixir, containing an herb blend of chaga, hibiscus flower, Indian gooseberry, aloe vera, maqui, yumberry, camu camu, lucuma, and blueberry juice. I love adding it to my morning smoothies for a little extra daily glow.

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Stay sweaty friends!

XO,

Jamie

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Amazing Grass through my work with Fit Approach. I was provided with Amazing Grass beauty Elixir product for review. That said, all opinions, thoughts, words expressed are my very own.