Beautiful, Bold, and YOU

Hey y’all! I feel as though I’ve become a once a month blogger girl. The truth is, life has been crazy busy. I need to take a minute and slow my life down for a while. That being said, I felt it was time to finally sit down and write this new post for all of you.

When I was a young girl I remember so vividly reading the quote, “Be BOLD, Be BEAUTIFUL, Be YOU.”  This quote intrigued me for many different reasons.  Every little girl knows what the word beautiful means.  When a young girl thinks of the word, “beautiful” outward beauty is the one and only thing she thinks of.  When I was a young girl, I always found a way to compare myself to other girls around me.  I had thoughts similar to, “am I skinny enough, does my hair look okay, is my makeup on just right, does my outfit make me look fat, etc.” 

I was under the impression that in order to be beautiful you needed only an outward appearance.  Y’all, let me tell you, I was wrong!  Beauty is so much more than just an outward appearance.  You could find the most amazing, beautiful woman on the outside, but she could have a stone cold interior.  Beauty radiates from the inside.  Is she kind? Is she honest? Does she love herself? Is she giving? Does she have individuality? Is her character of good quality? Etc…. These qualities make up true beauty.  A lens of a camera cannot capture this beauty.  Beauty is portrayed from the inside.

What is bold though?  I remember reading the quote and honestly thinking that bold meant a darker color.  Ha!  Yes, I was young.  I had no idea that boldness was a quality character trait for a girl to have.  It took me a while to find my boldness as an adult.  When I think of being bold, I think of many different traits.  In reality, I prefer to refer to the word ‘confidence’ instead of bold.  Confidence is part of beauty.  Is she able to speak up?  Does she advocate for herself and others? Is she courageous?  Is she a risk taker?  Is she clear about who she is? Does she stand up for what she believes in?  A confident woman is a beautiful woman.  Beauty and Boldness create who you are. 

So why do I blog about this?  I had a professor in college that became a great friend of mine.  I can’t remember what we were talking about one day, but she said to me, “Jessica, people are intimidated by you.”  She didn’t tell me this as a mean remark, but I did take that statement and I processed it deep.  I knew what she meant when she told me this.  She was telling me that I was a confident person, well rounded, intelligent, and I carried myself well.  There was not much that I was afraid to take on.  With that being said, there was something about all of this that bothered me.  I did not want to come off as an intimidating person.  I wanted others to see my confidence, intelligence, all of the things, but I also wanted those around me to feel completely comfortable being around me.  I don’t let many people into my “tight” circle, but I have found that I truly have many friends around me.  My intimidating personality was due to myself having giant walls.  Through all of the different seasons of my life, I have experienced many good and bad times.  The bad caused me to build those walls.  I just had to learn how to let them down.  You could never see my pain through my smile. 

Oh guys, I still have walls built around my heart.  I have my “tight” circle, and I have my big circle.  Nevertheless, I can tell you that I know who I am.  I follow a fellow blogger Nikki Banas.  She is an excellent writer, and her words inspire me.  “Be bold enough to listen to your heart, and more so, to follow it.  Your heart has always known exactly who you are, what you are made of, and what you are made for.  Your heart has always known that you were meant for so much more and that you deserve to live feeling free.  Start listening to your heart.  It has always known the way.” –Walk the Earth 

These words are some of my favorites by Nikki.  Beauty and Boldness are all from the heart.  Follow your heart and let it lead you in life.  Do not compare yourself to others.  Do for others as you would want them to do for you.  Have a servant’s heart. Lead life with confidence.  Y’all have got this thing called life!  Until next time….

Much love,

Jessica