Women of Beauty, Part 2

Part 2!!!! Yay!!! I actually did a part 2 like I said I would without completely forgetting!!!!!!!!!! I'm so proud of myself!!!! 

Okay now that I'm done doing a mental happy dance, let's talk about what makes a woman beautiful. After my post last week, I had one reader respond telling me that, "I think a lady is beautiful if she carries herself with dignity and grace and takes care of her appearance while still being strong and intelligent." First of all, thank you AGM for responding. Secondly, you are right on. 

As Christians, we know that the interior is what makes someone truly beautiful but that does not mean we should neglect the exterior as well. We are temples of the Holy Spirit, and we are also given the great honor of being bearers of life, a gift we share with the Blessed Mother. Dressing in a way that is beautiful is an easy way to remind ourselves of who we are and the value we have. So, what are those things that make women beautiful? As I said I've been working on a list and below are some of the ones I came up with... some directly from my head and others from a Catholic talk that went over what men find attractive in a spouse, which as women always pops in our heads no matter how much we try to ignore it. 

1) Holiness

  I could not write a list about what makes women beautiful without this one word. Holiness is so attractive especially in your teen and young adult years. During this time, it is so easy to get distracted. A mind that constantly comes back to the Lord and truly tries to maintain an avid and fervent religious life is incredibly attractive and valuable. 

2) Confident

If you constantly put yourself down and have little self-confidence it shows. It is really hard to be confident. To be honest, I haven't figured it out either, but this is one of the times where fake it till you make it really works. I wake up every day, get ready, look in the mirror and think, "Well, how in the world do you expect to make a difference?" But then I just keep pushing. I do the things I have committed to doing and when I see an opportunity, no matter how scared I am, and I'm usually really scared, I pursue it and just pretend that I have everything together. Every day I do that and achieve my goals, I grow in confidence. 

3) Femininity 

NO, I DO NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO BE A GIRLY GIRL. Frankly, most of us just aren't girly girls and you should never pretend to be just to make others happy. What I do mean is embrace the fact that you are a female and live life as girl without feeling bad about your girly habits. I have an addiction to colorful lip products. Lip-gloss, colored lip balm, lipstick, I love it all. That's nothing to be ashamed of and I can enjoy the things that make being a girl fun. 

4) Graceful

Do not go and sign up for ballet classes just because you read this one. Grace doesn't always mean physical grace even though that is attractive as well. Be graceful in life. Avoid gossip. Try to eliminate drama in your life and live life with grace. Think less ballerina and more southern belle charm. 

5) Nurturing

We are motherly at our hearts and, when we live that, it is undeniably attractive. Take care of those you care about, welcome those around you, and be open to the needs of others. Have a gentle motherly hand and be patient. By putting yourself to the side, you shine brighter. 

6) Joyful and fun

When I said holiness is attractive, I didn't mean doom and gloom. Have fun! Life is short and God did not make a world with bright flowers, butterflies, and gorgeous beaches for us to sit around in darkness. Be a person whose life is full of joy and laughter. EVERY LAUGH IS A GIFT!

7) Sincere 

Don't lie to those around you. When you say something, mean it. There will be times where the choices are to say something that might hurt the person or to lie. In that case, I usually just try to be silent or phrase things as gently as possible. People get hurt sometimes and it is never fun to be the person who does the hurting, but it will happen. You can't always avoid the unpleasant. 

8) Flexible

I don't mean flexible as in try to do a backbend or something. I mean flexible with your needs and time. Things change. Plans get messed up. Have the ability to take a deep breath and reroute yourself without letting the chaos of life depress and stress you out. 

9) Loyal

I like to think I carry this one out to a fault. Be a person people can count on to be there for them when they need it most. Friendships and family are messy but having the courage to put aside your personal pain in the moment and stand up for the people you care about is a trait worth fighting for. I had to work on this one quite lately. 

A friend I have had for about nine years really hurt me and had sent me some pretty nasty messages. After I believe i had acted with grace given the circumstances, she continued to tell others about what happened resulting in me explaining myself over and over again. Two of my very close friends heard what was going on and told me they were going to attack her right back with some things she had done. I won't say it wasn't tempting, because oh my goodness, it really was, but for the sake of what we once had. For the love of an old friend who doesn't deserve to be hurt even in the same way she hurt me, I couldn't. Loyalty to people who have hurt you can feel like a waste sometimes but at the end of the day it will always make you more beautiful to those around you. 

10) Strive to become the woman of your dreams and you will attract the man of your dreams

This is a line I heard years ago, and it is so true. If you desire an amazing spouse, work on being the woman you want to become. There is nothing more attractive than a woman striving for perfection. She isn't focused on hunting down every possible guy that might fit her but instead works on being a diamond amongst the rubble. When you shine out, it isn't hard for a holy spouse to find you. 

Of course, there are sooooooo many more things that make a woman attractive both inside and outside, but these are the 10 that I have found and strive for every day. Being the woman, you want to be doesn't happen overnight, but in pursuing it every day and constantly working to improve yourself, you can and will become a treasure in this world and the next. 

Thank you for reading and
please, once again, feel free to share what you think makes a woman beautiful, whether exteriorly or interiorly, as well as any requests for future posts which can be left in the comments below or directly emailed to me! Love y'all!!!!