Love Lounge: Wise Words on Beauty

Do you ever come across a quote that just practically screams out, “THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR YOU!!!”??

That’s the exact thought that went through my head when I found the above quote. I even thought it in big caps, too, because it so succinctly captures so much of what I’ve been feeling lately — about love, work and life in general. We’re so hardwired to think of beauty in terms of something pristine and untarnished looming above us on a pedestal. By virtue of it being beautiful, we also assume it must be perfect.

True beauty is pure perfection. If it’s beautiful, it must also be pretty. The two are forever linked and you can’t have one without the other.

So we find ourselves desperately trying to live up to that unreachable standard, no matter how unrealistic it may be, no matter how many hoops we have to jump through. We will be perfect, we think, and once that happens, EVERYTHING will be perfect.

But here’s what I’m discovering: It’s impossible. It’s an impossible feat. Because being human doesn’t really lend itself too well to being perfect — or even being anywhere close to perfection. We’re flawed creatures, aren’t we? After all, we’re not robots who can be programmed to do certain things or say certain things at specific times, and even if we were, I don’t think that would be much of a life. Life, to me, is IN those tiny imperfections, in those moments that maybe aren’t fairy tale-worthy and in the midst of those times when all you can do is think to yourself, “Oh, man, I just want to forget all about this.”

We make mistakes. We stumble. We fall.

The beautiful part — WE GET BACK UP AGAIN. We don’t let anything keep us down for too long, and that’s pretty awesome, if you ask me. And besides, I’m a very big fan of another certain quote about beauty…

Flawed is the new beautiful.

It’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think, friends? So embrace your ‘flaws’ and love all those imperfections. They make you who you are — a beautiful, complicated, REAL person.

So, tell me, how do YOU stop yourself from always trying to live up to those crazy standards of perfection? Are there certain mantras that have helped you over the years? Why do you think it’s so hard to silence that inner voice that is constantly telling you to be perfect? xoxo

[Bottom photo via We Heart It]