#MotivationMonday
Surprise! This week's quote was not, and I repeat NOT, found in a book I've read. Instead, it was discovered during my family vacation this past week. As we drove from Boston to Hampton Beach, we passed by Walden Pond, widely known for Henry David Thoreau's book, Walden. Much to my dismay at the time, my little brother demanded that we stop. So, in the blazing heat (really it wasn't that bad, but I was dressed for the city, not hiking. i can be a little dramatic), my family began trekking down the path to see where his house once stood.
Upon our arrival, I was shocked, not by where the house used to be, but simply by a pile of rocks behind a sign.
I know what you're probably thinking. Well, that's a cool quote on the sign and all, but honestly, that just looks like a bunch of rocks. If that is what's going through your head, you're basically reading my mind from the time I first laid eyes on it. That is, until I actually walked amongst the rocks and discovered that people who visit write quotes on them. For a lover of language like myself, it was a very, very cool find. Unfortunately, I didn't know about the tradition beforehand, so I showed up empty-handed, unable to add my own words. On the bright side, it's now on my bucket list to go back with a Sharpie in tow, and plus, now all of you know to bring one if you ever happen to stop by!
Anyway, there was one rock-quote in particular that stood out to me.
"Energy is more attractive than beauty." - Louisa May Alcott
I'm a strong believer in the fact that the right words will find you at the right time. And this week, I needed these words. There's something about being in a city that makes me want to fall in love. Maybe it's how much I romanticize skylines, or maybe it's seeing so many couples, eating in fancy restaurants and drinking wine. Whatever it is, my heart, and my head, seem to sink into a little self-pity about my lack of a relationship. I tell myself I'm not good enough to get a boyfriend. I'm not pretty enough. I'm not skinny enough. I'm just not enough.
Well, the truth of the matter is this: there will always be someone skinnier, someone prettier, someone 'better looking' than me. There will inevitably be someone who's appearance beats mine. It's just a fact, but it's also a fact that beauty is not the most decisive factor in a person's worth. Just like Louisa May Alcott said, energy is.
I know it's been said a million times, but it's so easy to forget. Beauty is not just about the outside, but what's on the inside too. Beyond plastic surgery and spending hours doing your makeup, you don't have much control over how you look, but you do have control over your personality, your attitude, the energy you're giving off. So, take the time to admire your energy, rather than your appearance, for once. Appreciate yourself for how excited you get when you talk about your favorite scenes from The Office. Let yourself swell in your own pride when you manage to complete that tough workout. Pat yourself on the back for telling the random stranger how much you adore her outfit. Don't hold back the laugh you're convinced is way too loud.
Maybe these moments seem small, irrelevant even, but they're not. It's in every single one of these small moments that you're at your most beautiful. It's in these moments that people really appreciate how incredible you, as a genuine, human being, are. It's in these moments that your true self shines through. For example, when you walk into a room, are you more excited to meet the pretty girl or the girl who's making everyone around her laugh? You probably said the funny girl, and it's because her energy, rather than her appearance, is enticing.
So, if you're feeling a little down this week, try to remember how beautiful you are when you're being yourself. It's so easy to get lost in negativity, comparing how you look to those around you, but it's unnecessary. Your energy really makes you so much prettier than you can even imagine. You are so much more than enough.
only four more days until friday!! wahoo!!
xoxo madison