“Outer beauty attracts, inner beauty captivates” – KATE ANGELL
Does this happen to you? Somebody catches your attention for unknown reasons. The person may or may not be beautiful or handsome. The person may or may not be educated. The person may or may not be rich. It is just that the person is captivating enough. You desire to be friends with that person, just because he or she has that inner glow that shines through the personality. We often feel this for our mothers, right. She is beautiful for us, no matter how does she look. She is the beautiful first thing in the morning. I think moms get that glow for the selfless love they shower on their kids. That’s the reason new moms look so much beautiful – because of the newfound love for their babies.
There is a magic that surrounds some people. They look beautiful even when they are not smiling. They look charming even when tears are rolling down their cheeks. And the magic is their inner glow. So, is it really possible to get a glow from the inside? Can we make our beauty skin deep? Can inner glow be acquired? I would certainly say yes but it takes time. It takes time to change our personality type to look beautiful from the inside.
Let’s change ourselves one quality at a time. Let’s be the one we always desire to be.
Embrace Yourself
Most of us have the habit of self-criticism. Some of the examples are ‘I don’t look beautiful’ ‘what should I do of this ugly face?’ ‘If only I had a flat tummy’ and so on and so forth. We do not love our bodies and this is just the beginning. I felt the same about mine. However, my husband motivated me saying, “Firstly, love your body and secondly, try to change the things that you possibly can. Just cribbing would not get you there.”
I realized my mistake. Instead of criticizing, I started smiling and praising myself the moment I saw my reflection in the mirror. It takes some effort. Initially, you will find it funny but gradually you will actually begin to love your body. And when you love yourself, others also will.
“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within” – Maya Angelou
Get up, Get Going
Is it not true that many times we are lazy to dress up for ourselves? So, Monday to Friday we dress for the office, but what about Sunday. We are in our PJs, either on a cleaning spree or slouching on that sofa. Why can’t we dress up for our own sake? Why can’t we look beautiful even on the day when nobody is visiting us or we are not stepping out of the house? You definitely need to try this out. Wear your favourite underpants this Sunday and sport that new dress you bought and sit back and relax. And I bet that you will not stop smiling all day long. Bright colours, new clothes, good smell and the like pep our mood and make us look beautiful.
“Life isn’t perfect, but your outfit can be”
New Love
Earlier in the post, I mentioned that new mothers look so beautiful and charming. It is required that you fall in love time and again to stay young and beautiful. When you are newly in love, you start taking care of your own selves. You feel good about the newfound love, isn’t it? And the interesting part is that you need not to fall in love with a person. Your spouse will sue me if you fall in love with a person. You can fall in love with a new hobby, a new beauty regimen, a new form of dance or activity or even a plant or pet that you just bought or adopted. Love is a beautiful feeling and it nourishes your soul in many ways.
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream”
Eat Well
The other day I was talking to my sister who will be staying alone on account of her new job in a different city. She told me that she would be eating boring food, most of the times, as it would not be so happening to cook for her own self. I retorted that it is, in fact, interesting to cook for yourself – you get to eat your favourite food, the spices are to your liking, you get to stay healthy and you also get to relish the food without any disturbances. There is a growing culture wherein people cook and eat by themselves. And the reason is that the satisfaction they get is ultimate. Eating well and enjoying the food will bring out that much-required glow on your face. When you eat, cultivate the feeling that the food is nourishing your soul and you are getting healthier.
“Eat like you love yourself”
Stay Happy
There are millions of reasons to be sad and you require just one reason to light your face up. So, to stay happy and gay all day long, you need to find that one reason. When you wake up in the morning, make a promise to yourself that nothing will perturb your inner peace and happiness. Even before you retire to bed, make sure that you think about things that made you happy that day before closing your eyes. I bet that you will have good dreams. During the day if you face something that is unpleasant, make sure that it does not disturb your inner peace or even if it does, try to get over it as soon as possible.
“Laugh at yourself at least once a day”
Be Content
There are two different philosophies in this context. Some people say that if you are content with what you have, you will not succeed. And others believe that contentment is the key to happiness and success. And my stand is that both contentment and dissatisfaction are necessary for some amounts for a balanced life.
You need to be content about what you have in life – for instance, your looks and body. You also need to be content about the name you have been given, the house that you recently invested in or the dress that you shopped for. There are many people who are never content about anything. They are not even content in things that they bought after analyzing them for hours together. This discontent shows up on their face and makes them look less beautiful. When you are content about the people around you, the place that you stay at, the love that you are receiving and the life that you are blessed with, you look beautiful, no matter what. Skepticism is ugly, I think.
“Consider what a long way you’ve come today”
Exercise
Whether or not you are overweight or unhealthy, you should make exercise a part of your routine. You should make sure that you exercise enough so that you stay healthy and glowing. Exercising on a daily basis keeps you in a good mood and that reflects on your face all day long. You can begin with light exercises for short periods and then gradually increase the timings. Even walking for thirty minutes in the morning is sure to keep you fit and fine. Team up physical exercise with breathing exercises. It helps release the toxins out of the body. A healthy body is the key to everything else in life.
“The reason I exercise is for the quality of life I enjoy.” – Kenneth H. Cooper
Pamper Yourself
Ahaa!! What bliss pampering is! If you don’t get someone to pamper you, pamper your own self. Take appointment for manicure and pedicure. Or go to an eatery for early morning breakfast and relish the food all by yourself. Buy books that you always wanted to read and vow to read them, even if it takes time. Pampering gives you the confidence you desire and deserve in your life.
“You owe yourself the love that you so freely give to others”
Don’t Complain
With so many problems surrounding us day in and day out, it is difficult not to complain about them. However, one of my friends once told me that she took the challenge of not to complain for 24 hours. Interestingly, she realized how much she cribbed about everything around, right from people to places. But not complaining helped her a lot in the way she began perceiving life. Inspired by this, I took the same challenge and my life is changing gradually. The dullness on the face can be credited to the sadness that we carry along in our lives from the past day or even in the past years. When we get rid of them, all that we have is peace and glow.
“Don’t complain about things you are not willing to change”
Be Kind
Kindness is something that remains when everything else has lost meaning in your life. When you are kind to an ant by placing your foot a little farther than you were supposed to, you feel good about saving a life. Little acts of kindness do not cost much, in fact, most of the times they are absolutely free, but the satiety they give is priceless. And people who are kind are always beautiful, no matter what. The kindness reflects on their faces and it gives that glow that is hard to miss. Further, kindness also makes sure that you stay healthy and fit.
“Kindness is not an act, it’s a lifestyle”
Inner glow is a combination of several things that we do, we think about and we say in our daily course of life. When we adopt a lifestyle that is simple, healthy and kind, it ultimately leads us to achieve our goals. However, when doing such things as mentioned above becomes a part of your lifestyle, trust me, getting that inner glow will not be your goal then. You will rise higher.