I don't think I'm beautiful.

Beautiful. When I was a kid I heard it all the time, how beautiful I was. Now that I'm older I continue to hear it, not near as much because I'm a young woman, but still. Is it ok to think of YOURSELF as beautiful/handsome? You all know that one person that thinks its a privilege to be around them and that scared you, you never wanted that. You know, that person with the big ego (Maybe even a big truck). They think they're all that; Smart, pretty/handsome, talented, the list goes on. Everytime I'm around one of these people I think "Wow they really are confident, why can't I have that?", but is it confidence? Or narcissism?

In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hunter from Thespiae who was known for his looks. He was proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. Narcissus was drawn to a pool, where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus lost his will to live. He stared at his reflection until he died.

I don't think of myself as beautiful, and it's not because I'm afraid of being caught up with my own reflection, it's that everyone nowadays who considers themselves beautiful is labelled as a narcissist, and those who don't are narcissists as well because they're just searching for attention. Narcissus is the origin of the term narcissism, a fixation with oneself and one's physical appearance or public perception.

So what's the difference between being a narsassist and just being confident? --Confident people tend to focus more on others than on themselves while narcissists keep it about them. --Confidence does not seek to prove itself while narcissism craves approval. --People who have high levels of confidence will help to encourage others, while narcissists will bring others down. --With narcissists nothing is ever their fault, don't ever get into an argument with a narcissist, they will turn everything around on you. Confident people are willing to listen and accept when they're wrong.

Do you tell your kids they're pretty/handsome? Of course you do because they're yours and you love them, even if they weren't attractive you would tell them that. You want to build their self esteem as much as possible before they go to school and are exposed to not being asked to dances, and the cruelty of bullies that find their way into their lives. You should tell your kids they're beautiful. Because they are. But it doesn't matter what they look like, it's all about what's inside. If someone is "Ugly" on the inside how are they ever going to be pretty on the outside? ▪ For just a moment imagine if everyone you met on the street smiled at you, told you to have a good day, or complimented you on something. How great would that feel?     ▪ Now imagine looking at everyone with the innocence of a child... We wouldn't have to distinguish between narcissism and confidence because it would all be confidence. We wouldn't have to explain the difference in someone's skin pigmentation because we are all the same on the inside. If we could keep that love, that passion, that confidence from when we were children to when we grew up imagine how much better we would all feel. ▪ So no, I don't think I'm beautiful and I don't want people to tell me I'm beautiful just because I don't think I am. I want to tell others that they're beautiful, smart, talented ext. to build them up. I want to look at everything with the eyes of a child. I want to look inside because if they aren't beautiful in their hearts where are they supposed to go for guidance? Tell your children they're beautiful, your family, your friends. But don't give them a weird look if they tell you that you are. Own it. You're beautiful. Say thank you and smile. Let it soak in and raise your vibration. Because you know you're beautiful ♡