Not Just Pretty—Radiant WITHIN

When I was younger, my mother often told me, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” At the time, those words felt less like wisdom and more like a dismissal. Whenever I mentioned that someone thought I was pretty, that was her only reply. Not encouragement. Not affirmation. Just that phrase.

As a child, I never truly felt beautiful. I carried insecurities, especially when I compared myself to other girls. I remember one day going to my father in tears, telling him I felt fat and unattractive. What I didn’t realize was that I was in the process of becoming—I was blossoming into a young woman—but instead of being reassured or uplifted, it often felt minimized, as if my beauty had to be hidden to keep me grounded.

The result wasn’t humility. It was self-consciousness. My older sister was the model, the one people called beautiful without hesitation. My siblings had their roles—the smart one, the witty one, the funny one. And me? I became the “funny-looking” middle child. That label stuck with me, so deeply that even now, despite compliments and admiration, I sometimes still hear it echoing inside.

As a teenager, I wanted so badly to be seen as pretty, to be admired. I had crushes on boys who made it clear we’d never be more than friends. Every rejection seemed to confirm the label I had been given. And because I never fully believed in my own worth, I settled. I allowed people into my life who recognized my value but chose to downplay it—or worse, diminish it.

But life has a way of teaching you what no one else can. Over time, I began to see myself differently. Slowly, I stopped carrying the labels that others had placed on me and started embracing the truth of who I am. I realized that I wasn’t just pretty—I was breathtaking. Drop-dead gorgeous in a way that radiated from the inside out.

That old phrase, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” no longer carried the weight it once did. Because I came to understand that I was beheld—everywhere I went. Not just for outward beauty, but for being smart, witty, charismatic, caring, thoughtful, and generous. Qualities that had never been included in the conversation about beauty suddenly became undeniable parts of mine.

Now, I walk in a beauty that can’t be boxed in by a single label. A beauty rooted in love, depth, and authenticity. A beauty that shines far beyond what the eye can see.

Not Just Pretty—Radiant WITHIN