Recently a friend and I were at yoga and just as we were about to begin our sweaty start to a new week, we were interrupted by another in class. Out of nowhere a woman approached us and was outwardly rude. Completely unnecessary and unprovoked. This woman was choosing to be ugly. What a terrible way to live. And of all the places – a yoga studio!? What happened to being zen and going with the flow?
My friend and I walked away from the studio smiling (and sweaty) unaffected by the women’s intent to ruin our day. She attempted to kill our vibe for no reason other than to make her presence known. Did she succeed? Yes. But, not in the way she was hoping for. It wasn’t that this woman was physically unattractive, it was she was ugly on the inside, and it showed on her face and through her personality. Her insides were gross!
There’s no denying we live in a world obsessed with physical looks. People spend thousands perfecting their noses, breasts, and teeth, but few invest equivalent resources into improving their personalities. And it doesn’t take much. In fact, it’s free to be nice (and often very easy). But still most feel they must perfect the latest contour trend, own multiple pairs of red bottoms, and have every strand of hair perfectly styled to be considered pretty. Is this society’s fault? Absolutely! But we are all also to blame for feeding into it.
Don’t misunderstand, I too want to ensure I look pretty on the outside and put the resources into ensuring I always make my best attempt at doing so. But none of the physical attempts matter if you’re face isn’t pretty. And all it takes is a smile to make you pretty. Physical looks aren’t everything. They are a bonus. The outside will always match the inside and if you’re ugly on the inside then you’re ugly on the outside. And no amount of makeup or designer clothing will ever be able to rescue you.
If you are not self-aware of the persona you project, the gap between who you really are and the person you are portraying to the world you are, could quite possibility be large enough to swallow you. The facade you build can only hold up so much before it crumbles. What’s true is always on the inside and it’s only a matter of time before it’s revealed. It doesn’t matter how much you spend or the lengths you’ll go to cover the outside, the ugliness on the inside will always show. But there is an easy solution – just be nice.
Instead of striving to be perfect, strive to be a nicer person. Something as simple as turning a frown into a smile can be enough to make someone appear stunning that otherwise would’ve been seen as unapproachable or rude. And let’s be honest if you’re beautiful on the inside – you’re stunning on the outside. But vice versa is never the case. The outside appearance does not always reflect the inside.
I’m a big believer in inner beauty. I believe that a person’s personality is more radiant and shines brighter than their physical looks ever could. I feel someone’s personality can quite literally light up a room (or make a bright room go dark). A person’s personality holds all the cards when it comes to making them either physically attractive or unattractive to others.
The woman at yoga had issues that were hers. Not ours. But she tried to make them ours. This unwanted interaction was a reminder that no matter how good you look on the outside, it will never be enough to cover the ugliness on the inside. Inner beauty runs deep – that’s your truth. Don’t live your life inside out, it’s impossible to hide.
Real Life Talk 