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I know lots of beautiful women. The world definitely does not have a shortage of beautiful women, that’s for sure!

But what is it that really makes us beautiful? Is it when we think we are beautiful? When others think we are beautiful?

I believe that true beauty comes from within.

“Beauty isn’t about having a pretty face, it’s about having a pretty mind, pretty heart, and most importantly a beautiful soul.”  ~Unknown

I used to be a model and work with lots of “beautiful” girls. The thing is, some of them were so incredibly mean that it made me think they were ugly. It doesn’t matter what is on the outside, if the inside doesn’t match. Whereas someone like Elle McPherson who is kind and has a good heart, will be beautiful until the day she dies. With age she seems to be getting so much more stunning. Miranda Kerr is another beautiful soul, made so much more stunning by her positive attitude and kind heart. Angelina Jolie makes herself even more beautiful by being a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations.

Only three years ago, I was a workaholic. All I wanted to do all day, every day was work, and I could because I was so busy with work. I made sure that I never let anyone help me, I was short with people, I was angry most of the time and—if I am honest—most people would have described me as a b*tch. My good looks were being masked by my meanness and my insides were matching what was happening in my world, I was living in hell.

The sad thing is, I had no idea I was.

I used to think that people who were kind were a bit unintelligent. Little did I know that kindness is what will make your soul beautiful, your mind pretty and your outside glow with radiant beauty.

I have done some serious soul searching to get to where I am today, to make my outside match my inside. You don’t have to follow my soul searching journey; I want to let you know right now, what makes us beautiful.

Kindness: I know I don’t have to explain what kindness is. What I will ask is, “How do you practice it?”  How are we kind each and every day to people that pass through our lives? Do you smile at strangers? Do you laugh at someone’s unfunny joke? Do you give to those in need?

Listening: When was the last time you really listened to someone? These days people tend to be “listening” to more than one person, thing or conversation at once. Try focusing on what one person has to say, let your own thoughts pass by and focus purely on what they are telling you. Notice how good it feels to really, truly listen to someone when they are talking to you.

Empathy: Try to withhold judgment and opinions about a situation. Just imagine what it is like to be in their shoes. Instead of thinking about yourself and how you think they should react, try thinking from their point of view.

If you are ready to ditch the b*tch and start getting cozy with kindness, then make a commitment to put above into action. There are plenty of benefits for being kind. For example:

1. We don’t need to wear make-up. It’s true! I have a special little lady in my life who honestly bowls me over with her kindness. Try it yourself: don’t wear make-up and just be super kind. Your skin will glow and the light that is inside of all of us will shine through making you attractive to everyone you meet. Also it’s a serious #moneysaver

2. Kindness always comes back to us. What we give, we will receive. If you are being nasty, then that is how people will treat you. But if you are being kind, see how the world around you, see how your world changes.

3. It’s brain changing. Kindness actually makes us happier. When we do something for someone else it makes us feel good. When we feel good we produce happy vibes in our brain, which in turn like to spread and stay put. If you are thinking and acting happy, then guess what? Your brain will be happy too.

I am about to about to give birth to a baby girl and I will be teaching her this:

Beauty is only on the inside. When she asks me if she looks beautiful I will reply “Your beauty is shining from within”  and I will encourage her to see the beauty inside of others, no matter what they look like on the outside.

I will teach her kindness, I will teach her how to listen and I will teach her empathy.

I will compliment her on her amazing personality and beautiful character. I will have her say “I love you” in front of a mirror. I will tell her that a positive attitude is true beauty and that her smile can brighten someone’s day. I will teach her to talk to herself beautifully and that she should make very good friends with her inner mean girl. I will have her eat healthily because it is good for her heart, not for her waistline.

True beauty is truly inside of us and it is up to us to change how the world has somehow managed to make beauty about the texture of your skin, the size of your waist, and the chemicals that we put on our face. If we are kind, and we come from a place of love, we will forever be roaming this Earth as gorgeous, pretty beings!

Author: Jessica Groom

Editor: Sara Kärpänen

Photo: Hernán Piñera at Flickr