on feeling beautiful and being

once i decided i should be beautiful
i got better at it every day.
how i did it?
practice,
practice,
practice!




i had to look at my face every morning
until it was beautiful.
nobody is supermodel perfect,
and i don't need to be.
i learned to love my face at a glance,
to accept compliments and offer them too!

one thing people tend to do is pick out every feature of their face
and classify it as horrible or ok.

i don't.

i don't designate parts of my face as better than others,
i see my face as a whole and look past all the little things
- because nobody sees those.



i don't know how many times i have taken a picture of a friend that,
in my opinion, looked beautiful,
only to have them recoil in despair
and force me to delete it (guilty: tootsie, jane, susan).
just because you see everything that is wrong with yourself
does NOT mean others do!
everyone can be beautiful,
YOU are beautiful
and you could be the only one that doesn't know it yet!

don't be afraid to compliment others and receive compliments,
and know that most people won't lie about how nice your hair looks today.
i started surrounding myself with people
who made me feel beautiful
and be around people who helped me feel good about myself
even when they weren't trying to.
this includes being around people who lifts me up
instead of tearing me down and there are a lot of the latter than the former (one should be picky).

i just came to the realization
that i won't look like anyone else.
everyone has their flaws
and i shouldn't be so hard on myself.
i have learned to be comfortable with who i am
- the good and the thing that i wish i could change,
the person I see at the mirror everyday.
i stopped comparing my looks to others,
everyone has their own unique look.



and just like what Ernst always tells me,

i am beautiful because


i am Bernadette.