More Beautiful Than You Think

While this video clearly focuses on a person’s outward appearance we know from personal experience that we can also be very judgmental when it comes to our inner beauty.

Why is it that we are so critical about ourselves? 

Elder Richard G. Scott stated, “Satan has unleashed a seductive campaign to undermine the sanctity of womanhood, to deceive the daughters of God and divert them from their divine destiny. He well knows women are the compassionate, self-sacrificing, loving power that binds together the human family. He would focus their interests solely on their physical attributes and rob them of their exalting roles as wives and mothers. He has convinced many of the lie that they are third-class citizens in the kingdom of God. That falsehood has led some to trade their divinely given femininity for male coarseness.”

We know we are children of God.  The scriptures teach that we are of great worth in his sight (D&C 18:10). The YW motto states: I am of infinite worth with my own divine mission, which I will strive to fulfill.  But, even knowing that, sometimes it can be hard to feel good about ourselves. 

So what can we do to help increase our feelings of self worth?  The following suggestions have come from the General Authorities.

1) Set Goals

Life is more exciting when you’re working toward goals. Remember these principles when you’re setting goals:

 - Keep your goals realistic

 - Write each of your goals down. Remember, a goal not written is only a wish.

 - Share your goals with a friend, and encourage that person to set some, too.

 - Be committed to your goals.

 - Don’t compete with others.

 - Share your goals with Heavenly Father. Talk to him in prayer. Ask for help in reaching your goals—or in understanding why you didn’t. He’ll help you feel good about the positive things you achieve.

2) Vary Your Routine

Boredom, monotony, routine—they can make our lives seem dull and discouraging. So why not break out of the old habits and experience something new?

3) Look Beyond Yourself

Do your little flaws bother you? If your hair doesn’t look quite right, is your whole day ruined? The small things you dislike about yourself probably go unnoticed by those around you. Forget about them by trying to—

- Shift the focus to others. Instead of dwelling on your weaknesses, look for the good in those around you. Point out those good things to them.

- Listen to others. Listen to understand, not just so you can prepare a response.

4) Find Your Strengths

Everyone has strengths, something that they excel in. It could be a personality trait, a skill, or a way of thinking... something that can be used to help them in the every day areas of life. Finding what your strengths are can empower you when you are feeling down. You can discover ways to use your strengths to help you improve your current situation. After finding your strengths, write them down and display them in a place where you can always be reminded of them.

5) Have Fun With Others

Did you ever notice how much faster time flies when you are having fun with family or friends? You do not have to go through rough times alone. Allow others to be there with you. If you feel comfortable, talk to others about what is causing you stress and let them work with you during this time.

6) Laugh

Find something to laugh at every day. Even when you are having a horrible day, find something to make you smile.  A professor once had a whole class of 250 students stand up. He had them stand with an annoyed, angry look on their faces for one minute. They began to feel annoyed and angry by the end of that minute. Their facial expression triggered something in their mind to feel the same way as their expression showed. The professor then had them smile for one minute and they started to feel happy. Smile every day. Smiling even when you are not happy does improve your mood.

7) Celebrate

There may be a lot of things still going wrong, but do not let that take away from the other areas of your life that are going well. At times, the little things that are going poorly in our lives appear magnified. All we see is what is going wrong and we do not see the many things that are going right. Do not forget to celebrate the little things in life.

8) Change Bad Behavior 

We need to change our bad behavior. We need to repent. As Alma said to his son Corianton, “Wickedness never was happiness.” It’s hard to like ourselves if we are doing things that we know to be wrong.

9) Forgive Ourselves and Others.

Forgiveness is an important part of putting bad behavior behind us. As we make the necessary changes, we need to forgive ourselves. But we may also need to forgive others who have been traveling with us on the wrong path. Forgiveness will help us to let go of the bad behavior we are forsaking. 

10) Give Service

If we really want to feel better about ourselves, we should serve others. Kindness shapes our character and makes us more like our Father in Heaven. The Savior taught us, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” A prominent psychiatrist once wrote: “We feel pleasure when we are involved with other people, and they are involved with us, but we feel pain when we are uninvolved and lonely.”  Look around you; there are all kinds of opportunities.

11) Choose Happiness.

We each choose our own happiness. As President Harold B. Lee once said: “Happiness does not depend on what happens outside of you but on what happens inside of you. It is measured by the spirit with which you meet the problems of life.” It will often be necessary for all of us to choose between having a good time and leading a good life.

Somebody loves you, I want you to know,

Longs to be near you, wherever you go.

 

President Gordon B. Hinckley interpreted those words differently from the meaning given by the author. He says, “I wish you—each of you, wherever you are—to know that you are loved. You are loved by your Father in Heaven, of whose divine nature you have partaken. And He desires that His Holy Spirit will be near you wherever you go if you will invite it and cultivate it.”

“Some of you may feel that you are not as attractive and beautiful and glamorous as you would like to be. Rise above any such feelings, cultivate the light you have within you, and it will shine through as a radiant expression that will be seen by others.”

“You need never feel inferior. You need never feel that you were born without talents or without opportunities to give them expression. Cultivate whatever talents you have, and they will grow and refine and become an expression of your true self, appreciated by others.“

Remember, you are more beautiful than you think.