30 Days Of Beauty: Week 1

“We are all fascinated by beauty and many of us devote much of our lives to its pursuit. But physical beauty can only ever be held fleetingly. Real beauty is far greater – It’s a life force, an energy, which radiates from within and transcends the physical. It’s a vibe – you feel it in those who truly know they have it. Real beauty is not beauty generated purely for others’ consumption. Real beauty is beauty in action, not beauty that sits on the sidelines of life, worried it will run or get messed up. Real beauty may not always be visible at first glance, but it lasts forever.”

~ Anthea Paul

Hello beautiful!

Well, the 30 Days Of Beauty Challenge has been spreading self-love for a week now, and I am absolutely amazed at the response!

In less than a week, $90 has been raised for To Write Love On Her Arms. To everyone who has donated, thank you. So, so much. You have helped an amazing cause, and you are a force of good in this world.

To everyone who has shared this campaign on their blogs, twitter, facebook, and told their friends about what we are doing, thank you! Your support means more to us than you will ever know.

The first week of 30 Days Of Beauty has been more challenging than I expected. As Jen Fromal said in her post on The Smashed Planet;

“This was one of those times when I didn’t really know what I was getting into. Well, I kind of did, but I didn’t know it would actually be hard and I didn’t know it would make me uncomfortable.”

The planning part of this challenge was fun, exciting and kept me so busy that I didn’t think about the fact that every day, for 30 days, I have to see something beautiful about myself, and then tell the whole world about it.

Of course, when the idea for this challenge first came about, I was excited at the thought of digging deeper, seeing myself in a new light and promoting self-love. But when, on the 2^nd of April, I was struggling to find something beautiful about myself already, I knew this was going to take work.

I sat at my laptop for a good 20 minutes, trying to come up with something. This is when I realised just how important this cause is – it shouldn’t be so hard to find one thing about myself that is beautiful.

Every single little girl and woman on this planet deserves to see how beautiful they are. Including me. That’s why I’m doing this. So that one day, without hesitation, or 20 minutes staring at a blank screen, I will be able to list at least 30 things about myself that are amazingly beautiful and wonderful, and then go on to list 30 more.

I eventually saw something beautiful in myself that day. Not a physical quality, but more related to how I live my life. I was feeling proud of myself because the night before I had done something that had been making me anxious for days; I went out to dinner and dancing with a group of the other expats here.

I know, to most people that’s not even something they would think about, it’s so easy. Most people don’t see how that could possibly scare someone, let alone keep them feeling panicked and anxious for days before hand. But the thought of being out in a club with a group of people, especially people that I haven’t known very long, used to paralyse me with fear so much that I never went out at all.

So, the fact that I had faced that fear, and had the courage to go out and live my life despite the sick feeling in my stomach and anxious worries in my head, is a big accomplishment for me.

It’s like someone who is afraid of heights jumping out of a plane every single day. I know that the more I jump, the less fear I will feel next time.

So, my tweet for that day, April 2^nd, was this:

I face my fears every day, and no longer let my anxieties rule my life. #imbeautifulbecause

And I had never felt more beautiful.

Here are all of my other #imbeautifulbecause tweets for this week:

April 1^st: Today, #imbeautifulbecause I am learning to see my own power, & how to use it to create my life.

April 3^rd: I take the time to nurture and express my inner creative Goddess every day. #imbeautifulbecause

April 4^th: When I smile, I can feel my body and soul smiling, too. #imbeautifulbecause

April 5^th: Today, I’m taking the time to put myself first, and be still instead of wired in. #imbeautifulbecause

April 6^th: I have big eyes, that really are the windows to my soul 🙂 #imbeautifulbecause

April 7^th: I smile at myself in the mirror #imbeautifulbecause

April 8^th: #imbeautifulbecause I can always find a reason to smile 🙂

I have been reading all of the #imbeautifulbecause tweets from women all over the world, and I am so inspired. I feel so blessed to be in the company of such amazing, beautiful women.

Here are some of my favourite tweets from you:

@Zanthi: #imbeautifulbecause I let my inner light shine through, even on my dark days.

@NJRae: Today, #imbeautifulbecause I have faith in me and achieving my dreams.

@ClaireLaraine: #imbeautifulbecause I have learned to bloom after I have broken.

@IncaMaia: #imbeautifulbecause I feel grateful every step of the way. For friends, running, yoga, magic, rainbows, being alive… so much more.

@karenmead: #imbeautifulbecause I make the choice to focus on the sunshine!

@frangepanni: #imbeautifulbecause I take time to indulge my passions even when my mind tries to tell me I could be doing something easier and more fun : )

@decodingdress: #imbeautifulbecause I don’t look like a supermodel. #imbeautifulbecause I look like ME.

@LaurRains: #imbeautifulbecause I believe in the hopes and dreams of myself and every single person I’ve met and haven’t met. : )

Thank you so much for sharing your beauty with the world.

If you are new to the 30 Days Of Beauty Challenge, find out more about it and how you can join the movement here.

If you don’t tweet, share what puts the YOU in beaYOUtiful in the comments or on the Facebook page, or show your support by donating whatever you can to To Write Love On Her Arms here.

“To be beautiful means to be yourself.

You don’t need to be accepted by others.

You need to accept yourself.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Go smile at yourself,

Jen ♥