We’ve heard it before: true beauty comes from inside. And then we learn that we will be even more beautiful when we buy the new mascara, eyeshadow, shoes.

The style experts all tell us how important it is to wear the latest print, or replace our entire wardrobe with the “new” color. This month, Personal Style and Girlfriend Guru DONNA GAMACHE takes a break from teaching us the tricks of looking our best and focuses on the real key to being beautiful–believing in yourself! And girlfriend, we believe in Donna and we believe in you!

This article is about something that has been on my heart lately because it is something we deal with every day—and I for one want it to stop.

We are so bombarded by the “world’s” definition of what beauty is supposed to look like. It is such a confusing message for all of us.  Everywhere you turn there is a magazine cover, article, or commercial about the latest and greatest way to look thinner, sexier, younger, etc.  And, what about all those promises of products and services to help us nip this and tuck that so we can stay young and thin and sexy.  I don’t know about you but it sure seems to me there is more every day.

Don’t get me wrong, I think we should be the very best we can be and should eat right and exercise to keep our bodies strong and to feel energetic and confident. What makes me sad is all the hype about what you can do to make yourself more beautiful.

So, let’s define what beauty really is.

• Beauty is all about who we are on the inside.
• Beauty is about loving yourself for who you are.
• Beauty is about being comfortable with yourself from the inside out.
• Real beauty is about knowing you are uniquely and divinely created for a purpose.

It has taken me a long time to come to this conclusion and I would like to help you get there faster if you are struggling with not feeling beautiful.  You see, when I was a teenager I felt very insecure about the way I looked mainly because of the negative things I told myself.  As a young adult, I continued to look at others and compare myself to the way they looked.  That is one of the biggest mistakes we can make…comparing ourselves to others. It is through my work with entrepreneurs, speakers, and corporate executives that I have seen what this negative thinking can do to a woman.   This lie can permeate deep inside and convince a beautiful woman that she is ugly.  This has to stop.  There is beauty inside all of us!

Use these five steps to feel beautiful every day:

• Look yourself in the mirror and say “I am beautiful.”
• Stop comparing yourself to others. Remind yourself you are uniquely created and there is no one else like you…now that’s beautiful.
• Take time to meditate every day and give thanks for your uniqueness.
• Demonstrate acts of kindness every day to remind yourself how beautiful you are on the inside.
• Know your personal style and reflect it in your appearance to be confident and authentic.

Don’t look to others to define your beauty.  Look inside and let your light shine inside and out to be beautiful every day!

DONNA GAMACHE, speaker, author, and coach works with clients to help them create a Powerful Presence.  Donna combines her personal experiences as an image consultant, boutique owner, representative for two designer lines of clothing, and the work she has done with entrepreneurial women as Executive Managing Director of eWomenNetwork,  to help professionals define who they are on the inside so they present themselves authentically.  She has two published books and hosts the monthly Gamache Panache radio show.

You ARE Beautiful Girlfriend! Share your advice for reminding yourself and your girlfriends of our unique and amazing beauty!

Thanks Girlfriend Guru Donna for this great guest blog and for your previous ones: Appearance Matters and Trendy Ways to wear Animal Prints.

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!)

Tags: beauty from the inside out, Donna Gamache, fashion, girlfriend guru, meditate, personal style, true beauty

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 at 9:46 am and is filed under Be a Better FRIEND, FASHION - savings, style & shoes, Girlfriend Gurus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.