Inner Beauty-The Real Beauty That Shines Through

If it's one thing that I see so much of in society, it's people labeling others because they view them as being different. It's sad that so many want to only look on the outward appearance and never get to know a person for who they really are. Too many people are so focused on the outward appearance, that they fail to see the beauty that lies inside the heart. I believe that a person should be measured by their heart, not by what they look like, who they hang out with, what they wear, etc.

What's so wrong with being different? Why do we have to follow society's guidelines and live up to their expectations? I mean, really, who is society to tell us what to think, believe, say, act, and do? There's a saying that goes, in order for one to be irreplaceable, one must be always be different. Just because people have their own lifestyle doesn't mean that they are freaks. The problem is that people want to stay inside their comfort zones. They want to stick with what they've always known. So when someone comes along who is different and doesn't measure up to their standards or expectations, they want to just dismiss them instead of getting to know them. When people stay inside their comfort zones, they never see beyond the horizons in life because they are too busy paying attention only to what is inside that so called safety zone of theirs. There's so much more to life than the material things that society puts up so high. The most important things in life are the things that money cannot buy.

I used to think that I wanted this high society life where I was a famous writer living in New York City, going to parties all the time, traveling the elite circles of society, and just living this fancy life. Over the years though, I have come to realize that is not what I want at all. I'd rather live a simple, plain life where I can enjoy being who I am and enjoy the life I live. The dreams that I have for my life are settling down, having a steady job, eventually fall in love again, and have a family of my own. It is true that I have had people suck up to me because of the work I do. But you know what really impresses me the most about people? What really impresses me is when they are not afraid to be themselves around me. You see, I don't look at clothes, jobs, or anything else like that about a person. Because those are not the things that make a person. What really makes a person is their personality and character traits they possess. Too many times though, people are so afraid of things they don't know and they are too busy caring about how they look in society's eyes that they listen to everyone else and miss out on knowing wonderful people.

People see something that they think is unusual about a person and they are so quick to just judge the person by that something. They mock, ridicule, and make fun of the person for it, too. Back when I was in middle school and even when I was in high school, I was a total outcast. My friends in school were the ones that other people thought were weird or different. Those were the ones I befriended because they turned out to be the ones who were real in life. Yeah, the popular kids teased me and made fun of me for it, even bullying me because of it, but I knew that I'd rather hang out with people who were real and not afraid to be themselves then hang out with the popular group who were superficial and pretended to be someone they weren't. I was labeled a loser and a freak most of the time. In fact, I even heard how I would never make it far in life. No one had high hopes for me, including my own parents. I had to fight through so many stereotypes and labels that they stuck on me. However, the real friends in my life were and are the ones who know me for who I am and don't expect me to change and don't want to change me.

Since I started writing and making a name for myself, I've had people from my past try to come back into my life. When I attended college for one semester, I had a group of friends I hung out with. After I left, no one kept in touch. It took 5 years for them to find me on here and see how well I was doing, how I wrote books, and suddenly they are acting like they've always been best buddies with me. I let them in my life thinking it was a good thing and they turned around and used me as well as hurt me by believing rumors about me. Thankfully though, I have real friends in my life who don't use me and are there for me. They are the ones who encourage me and don't tear me down and don't put expectations on me or try to tell me how I should live my life. The people who can't see you for who you are don't need to be in your life. If people can't accept you for you and want to change you, they are not your real friends. Your real friends won't tell you what to do and they won't bring you down but be supportive of you and your dreams in life.

Whoever came up with the phrase, "Beauty is skin deep," must not have known the meaning of true beauty. Beauty goes way beyond skin deep. What makes a person stand out is the way they act and how they treat others. Sadly, the ones who care about others and show compassion towards them are the ones that are taken advantage of and used a lot. They are the ones who get judged. Just as you can't judge a book by its cover, you can't judge a person by their past. When it comes to people, I believe there is more than meets the eye. Then again, I look at the heart and the overall picture when it comes to a person. When people only fixate on a certain thing about someone, they aren't getting to know the whole person. I've heard people say they are looking for the perfect guy or girl to be with in life when it comes to relationships, but well, there's no such thing as a perfect person. I'm not saying that there aren't certain things that we look for in a person but when you make a list and catergorize people and limit yourself, then you're closing yourself off to other possibilities. Who says that someone has to be exactly like you for you to befriend them? The world would be a boring place if we were all the same. Diversity is a good thing. Yet so many only look for others who dress in the latest fashion or who are popular and well liked, etc.

They fail to see the whole picture when it comes to someone. I believe that everyone is beautiful in their own way. I believe that what makes a person truly beautiful is the inner beauty they have. If it's one thing I have found out and one lesson I've learned, it's that when you are attracted to a person's inner beauty, they become attractive to you in every other way. I'm confident about who I am and I like that I can be myself and that others are comfortable around me because I'm just me. I like that my inner beauty shines through so much that it draws people in. Because I know that those who see my inner beauty are the ones who really see me. I'm not invisible to them because they see beyond the surface and see who I really am inside. I would personally rather have a person like me for my inner beauty.

Don't change yourself just to be accepted by others. Dare to be yourself and dare to be different. Different is good. It makes the world a more interesting place to live in. When you change yourself for others, you lose sight of who you really are because you are not being true to yourself by pretending to be someone else. So then they start liking you for who you are not and in order for them to keep liking you and accepting you, you have to keep acting out this false charade. You should be comfortable with who you are all ready. Have confidence in the gifts and abilities you have, the personality and character traits you possess, and everything else that makes up you. You're one of a kind and you can't be duplicated. The traits and characteristics you possess can't be found in anyone else because we are all unique. That's what makes each of us special. So just be yourself. Don't try to impress others. You will impress people more if you just be yourself instead of pretending to be someone you're not. People will like you more when you show who you really are. When you act out a charade and people find the truth out about who you are because your true colors are going to shine through eventually, they are more likely to despise you. So why not just be yourself and show your colors from the start?

Let your inner beauty shine through. If people want to judge you and label you for being different, then they are allowing ignorance to blind them and they do not have an open mind. It is their loss if they don't get to know you for the wonderful person that you are. True friends don't accept and like parts of you; they accept and like all of you. Befriend those who are different from you as well. Get to know them for who they are and see beyond the surface and into their hearts. Everyone can learn from one another if we just keep an open mind and not be so shallow. So step out of those comfort zones and get to know people for who they are. Because inner beauty is what tells the real story about someone, not outer beauty.