Want-to-Go-Skinny-Dipping?

accepting this body did not mean convincing myself that it was beautiful, it meant giving myself permission to exist regardless.

Society puts too much emphasis on physical beauty. And this, we all know. But when I tell a girl that she’s beautiful, and she laughs as if it’s a joke, I have to wonder. Or when I tell a boy that his smile is glorious, and the first thing to slip his mouth is “Kids used to make fun of my teeth, you know? I don’t like my smile much.” I can’t help but be concerned. Because I see myself in them. I don’t fully believe anyone who tells me I’m beautiful, immediately I search for an ulterior motive. And whenever I’m complimented, I remember each and every hateful word that once hung on my shoulders. It’s only when someone compliments something other than my physical beauty that I embrace it. So when I tell the boy that he is unimaginably intelligent, he blushes, and takes it bashfully. Society has put so much emphasis on physical beauty, that it has caused us to deny our own. Your physical beauty exists. And it is much more than what you have been trained to see.

So, what if, instead of thinking about solving your whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.