A Glow From Within

Hair done, makeup applied, dressed for the day or the event; ready to go! One last check in the mirror to make sure you look your best. But what if you didn't have every hair in place, and your face wasn't painted with perfect detail, or your outfit wasn't the latest trend? You'd feel like you weren't quite ready or you were about to go out and disappoint; that you were less in some way. No shaking your head and rolling your eyes, because we have all been there; even the most confident in the lot has had their moments of; how will I be received, what will they be thinking or saying as they take me in with their eyes.

Yet shouldn't the real question that is crossing our minds, the more important, to the point, cut to the chase question be; how am I perceived, how do I project myself to the masses? It isn't about the hair, the makeup, the dress; the outer shell the world sees first but can be all too deceiving. It's about what comes from deep within and how we project that, how that, paints our faces and outer shell, that is the real beauty of us.

Have you ever seen the most put together person stand up in front of an audience and you look and say I wish I could look like that, and the buzz and the chatter begins about the hair, the makeup, the outfit, and then they speak and it's as if the paint begins to melt away and the clothes become just a covering; not at all what we saw standing there! There is something lacking in the tone, in the word choice, in the heart, or more so, the lack of heart of the matter.

Now think of a conversation, meeting someone for the first time; the very essence of who they really are, had you seeing beyond what most see at first glance. There was something about that person that spoke to you in such a way that they sat before you as if they were a blank canvas and with each word, sentence, bit of chatter they painted the most beautiful portrait of themselves. It wasn't the details of how their face had been colored in, how their hair was done; it was them sharing with you without reserve who they really were deep inside. Them sharing their story without editing, without filtering and letting out only the good parts; they shared it all with you and you saw the most beautiful person you have ever seen.

Take a risk today...before you do your hair or paint the details of your face; take a long close look at you...pay close attention to the reflection that seems to bounce back, let what you're holding deep inside come to the surface. What is the passion that stirs within you, the story that dances and yearns to come out, the one you're not so sure the world is ready to hear, to accept; the one that might not match what the hair, makeup, and outfit are telling.

Let the dreams, and the ideals, and the goals, and the what you want to do that matters most, float there in front of you and then let it settle as it paints your face and the outer shell of you. Do you see the difference of how you look? Do you see a glow reflecting that you have left covered up in the way you think others expect to see you or will judge you?

Can you share the view of you that forms from the inside? What does it take to walk out in the world and let everyone see that beauty? Can you let it out? Walk out into the world and just let it be seen; walk proud and with confidence that this is who I am world, see me, not just the outer trappings of what society expects and dictates is beauty.

Today is National Inner Beauty Day; celebrate it by embracing you, all of you, by owning what you value and what has worth to you, write your story your way! What picture of you does it paint? That's what you need to share with the world; that's the you that will make all the difference! That's the you that will create a genuine buzz 'n chatter, one that won't be forgotten when the next "pretty face" walks into the room, the one that leaves a lasting impression because it comes from within, not from your closet, or cosmetic bag, or your hairstylist; but from deep down where you nurture it, protect it, and sometimes hide it. Look in the mirror see the real you looking back and...

...send your true beauty out to the world today!