Beauty is beholden to the fierce and the strong.

Our fire burns brightest when we are holding ourselves accountable to the difficult deeds, the mundane but necessary tasks, the truth-telling moments, the hard conversations, and the reaches across the divide.

Strength and confidence, love and loyalty are not for the faint of heart or the weak-minded. These things come from bravery to look ourselves in the mirror and be honest about who we are and what we want and then following through and doing the difficult work of being warriors of love, light, and truth.

We aren’t born beautiful…we become beautiful because we do the work. We ARE born precious, as we each have unique gifts to contribute to the lives of others. But beauty is for those who go out and earn it…not with plastic surgery or likes on Instagram, but with their direct impact on others.

No, beauty’s existence is not a right. It is beholden to those who allow it to be exposed through the small little gestures and the multiple acts of kindness that reveal it.

In fact, is a sunset across an ocean skyline beautiful if there is no one present to notice or enjoy it? It must be acknowledged. The definition of beauty lies deep within us at our core where we fight our demons and only allow our love and light be exposed to others.

Do not confuse demons with negative emotions however. Negative emotions such as sadness or melancholy (which I would argue aren’t negative at all but rather useful in gauging our well-being) are part of life whereas demons should be cast out.

Vulnerability is beautiful, too…when we expose our sadness or our hurt in order to embrace empathy and compassion. Vulnerability is what allows us to connect to others; it is what makes us human.

Beauty emanates from the soul and moves people to tears and laughter.

Be bold, be vulnerable, be courageous, be beautiful.