#IntentionalPositivity: You Are Beautiful!!!

Audrey Hepburn brought this Sam Levenson quote to popularity, “For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.”

Being yourself is the ONLY way to successfully navigate a day at the office or a summer vacation. Faking it until you make it only gets you so far, so at some point in the journey, embrace who YOU are to ensure a beautiful outcome. When you are AUTHENTIC, you will become the best versions of yourself!! Beautiful = Be-YOU-tiful!

A – Act like you love your life! Concentrate on one thing at a time that you were uniquely blessed with… an attractive smile, long and thick hair, piercing eyes, a logical brain, two wonderful ears to listen with, etc.

U – Understand that the YOU seen by others is not the YOU seen in your mirror. We are not qualified to see the unique beauty within ourselves because we see our own flaws. Wrap your brain around the fact that the YOU that was created for this lifetime IS perfect!

T – Try to remember that EVERYONE is in the same boat. None of us has a patent on perfect inner beauty, because we’re all human. However, we can embrace the best of ourselves and lovingly give our best effort in all that we do!

H – Help someone less fortunate! There is no better way to feel beautiful than to give to others! Return a shopping cart to the store; Help a disabled person open a door; Give some items to Goodwill or Salvation Army; Visit a nursing home; Sing in a church choir; Reach something off a top shelf for a vertically-challenged person!

E – Enhance the lives of those around you. Offer to run an errand for a neighbor, co-worker, relative, or a friend. Even if they say they don’t need your assistance, you can always mail or hand-deliver a beautiful “thinking of you” card! This may have more impact than an email card!

N – Notice the beauty that others overlook. Learn to appreciate a bird in a feeder or a pretty flower in a garden. When you get into a quiet zone of appreciation, you will become more beautiful by focusing on others.

T – Talk to someone who appears quiet and shy. They might just need some attention to get out of their shell. This could yield some GREAT results! In a new work scenario, this may even be a ploy to see who will step out of their comfort zone to engage in conversation with others. You never know.

I – Isolate yourself from negative people! Love them from a distance and keep them away from your day-to-day existence! Negativity is a sign of their weakness, and it can spread like wildfire. Avoid it at all costs!

C – Consider taking some YOU time for your inner Be-YOU-ty! Be good to yourself and appreciate all the beautiful things that are inherently YOU!