‘Life is only traveled once, today’s moments become tomorrow’s memory. Enjoy every moment, good or bad, because the gift of life is life itself,” Unknown.
This week was such a celebration of life. The good the bad and the ugly so to say. I ran across a post my daughter put on Facebook several months ago. She said that she was going to start throwing compliments and kindness around like confetti. I was fortunate enough to participate in the Arkansas State Fair pageant and with all the bling and glitter of the pageant, I literally took this suggestion to heart. I met some amazing women there and learned so much about myself. I think women are so hard on themselves and I wanted so badly to change that. We all have so much potential. There is so much inner beauty that I saw and yet there was still such a lack of confidence that I witnessed. I came away realizing that pageants are meant to help build self-worth and confidence and yet the tears that are shed after losing a pageant just about broke my heart. To me, you can only define success but understanding that defeat means you never have tried. I currently hold the title of Sr. Ms. Van Buren County Fair Queen and during this coming year, I hope to spread the word that it is not the crown that defines you, it’s the love of self that defines you. Participate in pageants if that is something you want to do but don’t let it define you. Do it because it’s fun because it makes you feel good. There are no losers, you are all winners because you tried and you did something that you wanted to do.
I was raised being told that I could be anything I wanted to be, I could do anything that I wanted to do as long as it was legal, didn’t hurt others, and was done with the best of intentions. Coco Channel said it best when she said, “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.”
Love yourself first, accept who you are. If there is something you don’t like about yourself then change it. Only you have the power to do that. Reach for the stars and keep going until you get there.
“A beautiful woman uses her lips for truth, her voice for kindness, her ears for compassion, her hands for charity, and her heart for love. For those who do not like her, she …….