If you’re anything like me, you might spend at least ten minutes each morning putting on makeup. I never had an interest in learning how to do make up well, as I usually just wear eye makeup. But I know that others spend extra time applying products that I have no idea how to use. It’s not that I wouldn’t love a good makeover to hide my natural and aging blemishes, but that’s an obstacle that I really would like to overcome. Feeling pretty without makeup has not been easy, so I set a challenge for myself to take one day each week to not spend time painting makeup on my face. One day to work on accepting and loving my natural self, to find the beauty that is already within me. I’m tired of feeling sad when looking in the mirror and the immediate feeling of displeasure with the image I see. Just like with other things in life, I’m usually the one to point out the negative or the reality of something. Instead, I want and need to start thinking like how I tell my children to think. As I want the best for them, I should want the best for myself as well. I need to start looking at the positive in lieu of the negative, especially if I can’t change it. Perfection sounds great, but is it all it’s cracked up to be? I recall watching the movie Encanto with my daughter, the character Isabela was perfect but was not as happy as everyone believed or assumed. Isabela hated being perfect and hated always having to be perfect. All she really wanted was to be free. It’s funny that we all want something we don’t have, and those that do have it want something else. I know this came from a movie, but I’m sure somewhere, someone might relate to Isabela. So, we need to be mindful of what we do have and how lucky we are. We are beautiful inside and out and just need to stop focusing on the imperfections we have allowed to define us.
With this in mind, I’ve challenged myself to redirect my thoughts and to rethink how I feel about myself. I want to be okay with how I look without makeup, because it’s my true self. It’s also nice to see how people treat you without makeup on, to find out who truly loves you for you and not for the mask. Those are the people to surround yourself with. Being yourself will bring out your happy. So, I encourage you to take this 18-day challenge to be more mindful and to truly see and accept yourself for you. Find your happy in you!
