I’ve been thinking a lot about beauty lately, as I always do, but this time I was focusing primarily on outward beauty.  You know, what everyone else sees and judges you by.  You know me, I think that people should spend the majority of their time focusing on inward beauty and developing better character traits, helping others, etc.  However, every woman wants to feel attractive on the outside too and that’s okay!  Going through life changes such as growing older, an illness, becoming pregnant {yep, that’s me!}, or gaining weight {me also!} can make us feel less than attractive…to put it mildly.  I was thinking of a few ways that I try to make myself feel more beautiful and I thought I would share them with you in case you need to feel more beautiful today.  Remember that you are beautiful, even when you don’t feel like it!

1. Have something sparkly.
Don’t tell your husband I’m telling you to go out and buy diamonds {Although that might not be a bad idea either! ha!}.  Keep something sparkly around you.  Lip gloss, nail polish, a sparkly pen, etc.  If you’re not into sparkles, then surround yourself with your favorite colors and textures.

In school, I was always terrible in English class.  Literature was great, spelling was okay, but grammar was pitiful.  {I can see all of you grammar folk shaking your head in agreement.  I know, I’m sorry!}  Most of my school notebooks were plain white or black but my English 101 notebook was beautiful.  My definition of beautiful changed from year to year but it was always something that gave me a little smile inside whenever I looked at it.  Surround yourself with things that make you smile.

2.  Make someone else smile every day.
I used to have a friend whose goal was to make someone smile every day.  This was the end all be all goal of his life and while I certainly didn’t agree with that I did take note of his personal challenge.  Obviously, it had an impact on me as I’m still thinking about it and writing about it 10 years later.  When you do something for someone else it makes you feel good about yourself.  That’s not why you should do nice things for others but it’s a nice side effect and it’s a good habit to get into.

3. Smile, smile, smile.
Studies have proven that smiling people are more attractive.  That’s a good enough reason to smile, isn’t it?  Plus, I read somewhere that your brain gets an instant mood boost when your facial muscles contract and that boost of happiness is maintained as people smile back at you.

That reminds me of a poster that was in our high school cafeteria that read, “Smile.  Start an epidemic.”  If smiling doesn’t come natural to you practice while you’re alone and then practice in front of others at least once a day.  Try it and see if you don’t feel more beautiful and confident.

4. Work out.
I know people are groaning as they read this step.  How? Well, because I’m groaning too.  I don’t like working out, at least in the formal sense of the word.  I don’t own tennis shoes or yoga pants.  Crazy, right?  I like music though and dancing silly with my daughter, I like taking exploring walks with her, I like swimming, and I like shopping.  Those aren’t typically things people consider exercise but every bit of activity helps keep you healthy and boost your spirits.  Any safe activity that raises your heart rate is exercise in my book.

When you exercise it gives you a spring in your step.  You’ll smile easier, you’ll feel good about yourself knowing you’re taking care of your body, and your face will just glow.

5. Surround yourself with smells.
Smells are the biggest triggers of memory.  The sense of smell is powerful.  Surround yourself with scents that make you feel good.  Wear your favorite perfume {discount perfume is okay too}, light a candle that embodies the current season, or keep your favorite Wallflower plugged in at work.  Be mindful of those around you that may have a sensitive sense of smell but if you can, allow yourself embrace different scents.  Wearing perfume will help you feel better about yourself and smelling it through the day will make you smile a little on the inside.

Those are my five favorite ways to make myself feel more beautiful.

What about you?  What do you do to make yourself feel more beautiful?