"The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode,but the true beauty of a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows. the beauty of a woman grows with the passing of years." - Audrey Hepburn

Every girl should feel like she is beautiful. Even though we all have those "ugly days" (a tutor of mine once referred to it as "not having an Audrey Hepburn day"), it is so important that we don't bully ourselves. Cognitive therapist Dan Roberts (taken from an article of Glamour magazine February 2013) states that "we often think about ourselves in an incredibly harsh, even downright nasty way". The article continues that when you say to yourself "'Ugh, you look so bloated today', just stop and think: 'Would I say this to my best friend?' Of course not. So focus on what you would say. "It's bound to be something much more supportive, helpful, and reassuring" says Dan".

Shifting your thinking in this way does not mean that you are succumbing to vanity. When you feel good about yourself you can best serve others.

"Fashion is so close in revealing a person’s inner feelings and everybody seems to hate to lay claim to vanity so people tend to push it away. It’s really too close to the quick of the soul."

— Stella Blum

Here are some tips on how to feel beautiful:

1. Wear perfume. 

2. Make a conscious effort to keep your shoulders back and maintain a healthy posture. Its amazing what a difference this can make. 

3. 'Messy bed, messy head'- keeping your workspace and bedroom clean and organised will go a long way in ensuring a peaceful state of mind. 

4. Keep your hair out of your face. If you can pull it off, don a topknot and top it off with some stylish sunglasses. 

5. Most importantly; think good thoughts. One of my favourite quotes is, “As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” 

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. The best is yet to come.

To some this might appear to be stating the obvious, but I have posted this for anyone who needs that extra bit of encouragement and support. I know I definitely need it sometimes (what would I do without the internet? :))

xxx