Unleashing and Taming, Your Inner ‘Beauty and the Beast’

By Sara Butler

I don’t know about you, but my kids are totally dying to see the new Beauty and the Beast movie. I’ll admit that it’s one of my favorite tales too. Who doesn’t love a good, old-fashioned tale about abduction, Stockholm syndrome, a few singing and dancing pieces of furniture, and a little transmogrification thrown in for good measure? It’s a classic.

OK, all the weird stuff aside, Beauty and the Beast has a great message. It’s about seeing past the rough exterior of people in order to see their true beauty. But it’s also about learning to love yourself. Belle is different, and she accepts herself for who she is. Do you?

I think learning to find your inner beauty is important. Every single person on this planet has an inner beauty. You can go the way of the Beast and find it in order to transform yourself or you can go the way of Gaston and plummet to your (figurative) death. The point is if you truly want to embrace health and wellness, then you need to learn to embrace your inner beauty, too.

Why Discovering Your Inner Beauty is Important

When you discover and learn to cultivate your inner beauty, your self-confidence will improve. When your self-confidence improves, you’re able to make goals and meet them because you know you can do it! With improved self-esteem, anything is possible, including goals you want to reach in order to improve your physical and mental health. Do you think in the beginning that the Beast thought he could ever break the spell and return to his human form? No! But once he met Belle -- or forced her to be his prisoner (potato, po-tat-o) -- he started to understand his inner beauty, and he found the strength to hope. I’m sure the Beast is probably preparing for his first marathon as I type this because he believes in himself. And he’s human again, which I’m sure helps to improve his running form and posture.

Step No. 1: Make a List

Lists are great tools to help you with a number of things -- discovering your inner beauty just happens to be one of them. Make a list of the all the positive qualities you possess that aren’t related to anything physical. As you write out your strengths and see them with your own two eyes, it helps make you aware of things you may not have been aware of previously. It’ll give your self-esteem a boost.

Step No. 2: Surround Yourself

How you feel about yourself is impacted by the people you surround yourself with, so find people with qualities you admire and surround yourself with them. Remember, we’re not talking about outwardly gorgeous people (though they can be that, too). We’re talking about people who you are drawn to because they’re kind, funny, caring, or possess some other inner quality you like.

Part of what Belle came to love about Beast was how much he enjoyed reading, and the guy won her over in part by giving her a library. Word to the wise, ladies -- don’t turn down a man who wants to win you over with a library. Anyway, she found that Beast shared her love of books, and it bonded them together. Find people you bond with and hang out with them -- you’ll be happier!

Step No. 3: Foster Your Inner Beauty

Most of us know how to care for our physical bodies. You probably exercise, eat right, and see your chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic regularly. But many people neglect to care for and nurture what’s inside. Once you’ve uncovered the things about yourself you like, cultivate them so that they can grow -- and you can grow right along with them.

You need to learn to encourage your inner beauty in order to let it shine through. Once you’ve done that, the sky is truly the limit. Remember, your inner beauty is what makes you uniquely you, so celebrate and honor it so that others will begin to do the same. Believe me, this is a much easier route than kidnapping someone, then trying to get them to fall in love with you in order to break a spell. But you can feel free to throw in a yellow ball gown and a rose if you think it will help.

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