AFRICANISM COSMOPOLITAN

UNFADING BEAUTY (1)

Posted on October 24, 2014     7 Comments

Hello people!

TGIF! Hope your week went great and you’re pumped about the weekend like I am. Today I’m introducing a series on the blog titled 20 Lessons of my 20’s, I’m still in my twenties hence ‘of’ as opposed to ‘from‘.

This segment talks about various things I’ve learnt and I’m still learning as a young woman. I chose today’s topic Unfading beauty: beyond the reflection as the Number 1 LESSON simply because this was the first lesson I learnt in the first few years as an adult. Now I sometimes wonder if this is because I’m female or because God knew I needed to reck that part of me. I’ve once shared my journey on beauty and vanity on the blog Here, but today I’d just discuss a few things I’ve learnt on beauty.

All ‘lessons’ are solely a result of my personal experiences, but I do hope they are valuable and worth sharing to someone else. Do have an open mind whilst reading….

1. APPEARANCE MATTERS: I would not be cliché and say “only inner beauty matters”, Although this is very true in God’s eyes -1 Samuel 16:7, on earth the case is not the same. You may be thinking “shouldn’t only the thoughts of God matter”, you are also more than right. However the bible asked us to apply wisdom. We as humans have been placed on earth for a purpose and it’s God’s intention for us to live at the maximum potential, walking with utmost dominion. I’ve learnt that it’s only wise to look good. It sounds simple, but think about it using this analogy. Imagine God has destined you to be a great preacher, but because you feel that’s all that matters you decide not to shower or wear nice clothes, would that aid/hinder your mission? (you be the judge). Look around the world most great and impactful men/women of God make a conscious effort to dress well. This is simply because they understand the human mind, not everyone you come in contact with has the mind of christ. Its only normal that anyone would assess you based on how you present yourself. Moreover, I’ve also learnt that looking good is a good thing, don’t be apologetic for it.

2. YOUR PHYSICAL BEAUTY IS INCOMPARABLE: It’s funny how everyone is familiar with the terms “finest girl, “most beautiful” and other comparative titles in that context. But in these years, I’ve asked my self, should beauty really be compared? My understanding of physical beauty is something you have no control over, your cheek bones, eyes, lips, legs …were all formed as a result of genes and cells, all orchestrated by God- unarguably ‘the all knowing God’. So in retrospect, what exactly validates one person to be more beautiful than another as God is a just God, and we are all made in his likeness. However I do not disagree with some being physically more attractive/appealing than others although I truly believe it doesn’t make the other any less-beautiful. I’ve also come to learn that you can and should only be the most beautiful version of you. I decided to stop comparing my self with the next girl or celebrity(consciously or unconsciously). You shouldn’t feel the need to be/look better than others to validate your beauty, your God-given beauty.

3. BEAUTY DOES FADE: Probably an over-flogged phrase but it’s the utmost truth. Beauty is vain so certainly it would be of less value over time. Notice I didn’t say less beautiful, I mean less-appraised. There are people who are strikingly gorgeous from infancy to senior years, but that factor becomes less apparent over time with those who they share their lives with. This is simply because physical beauty only feeds the eyes. Your character, personality and actions feeds the mind. We can all agree that the mind is more powerful than sight. This is why you can imagine things that trigger emotions even without its physical presence.

There’s also a saying that goes thus “people rarely forget how you made them feel”. Moments are often treasured because they are made up of thoughts, experience, feelings and emotions all triggered by actions Not as a result of the appearance of the actor. This realisation has taught me to invest in my being: not just looking my best but doing and being my best. Daily above all vain pursuits I strive to improve temperaments, attitudes, thresholds, speech and thoughts.

4. HEALTH IS WEALTH: I particularly was most guilty of this, I could be very nonchalant with my health. I try to eat right and a little exercise here and there but nothing grand. I consider our twenties as  basically the 1st lap of ageing. In a relay race they often put the best runners at the 1st and last lap, why? because they understand the importance of starting off well. Taking your health with utmost importance now is a gift you must give yourself. You need to be strong and full of vigor. This spans from running checkups, exercise, a healthy diet, and being product cautious. Us women in particular are guilty of the latter(product cautious), we use anything that we are told works, You don’t need an immediate allergic reaction to a cream, oil or pill before you find out what it’s made of. Some products have delayed response and may take years of continuous use before showing its negative outcomes. You are what you eat, and when the inside is great the outside with glow.

5. PEOPLE VALUE WHAT YOU VALUE: This is a lesson that spans beyond beauty, but is relevant to this topic so I thought to also include. Have you noticed that if someone bashes/praises a particular item/feature/relation of theirs, it somewhat shapes the way to look at that item?  If you always complain or speak ill about a habit/relation/feature of yours, don’t be upset when people begin to tease or mock you with it.  It’s paramount to have a healthy self-esteem and see yourself as God’s best creation. He felt this is the best form for you to be born, in his likeness. It’s best to ignore anything that makes you feel less special, because you are indeed special, born for a purpose which you must fulfil. The moment you begin to value yourself with God’s standards coupled with humility everything will begin to change.

That’s all for today, 19 more to go. I hope to one day publish these writings into a book/compilation, but until then it’s all for you my blog readers!

Have a fruitful weekend ahead!

Got Questions, requests or suggestions? Kindly leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you

xoxo

Tosin