I saw this image shared by a friend and it just squeezed me from inside, it said so much of said and unsaid. It speaks about how each woman is made to feel -she is not good enough. That perfect size, that perfect height, that perfect colour, perfect eyes, perfect set of teeth, perfect hair and the list is endless. The struggle to be perfect is killing each woman inside, she is stressed, she is unhappy and unfortunately ungrateful for everything she has been blessed with. And who decides what is perfect? Bollywood? Or a few magazines? Or Image consultants? Or fashion designers? Why is it that every woman wants to look like how they looked at pre puberty stage? Why can't we celebrate each stage-each passing year? Each new grey hair, each new wrinkle tells you-“you have lived, you have loved, you have experienced.” Why does this not count anymore? Has our identity as a woman boiled down to being “eye catchy”? Are we not much more than that? And what are we doing to the coming generation? What are we passing onto them as gained wisdom? I have seen many videos getting viral ‘where a girl aged 2-3 years who has barely learnt to speak stands in front of a mirror and says “ Oh I am looking fat”, and many such videos on similar lines like a tiny girl as a routine stands on weighing machine and raises her eye brows, covers her mouth in shame with what she sees on the machine… and.. and.. and Where is it coming from??-no prizes for guessing the right answers. Its high time we accept and acknowledge beauty in various forms - when you kiss your baby on the forehead even when you are in simple clothes-you are beautiful When you share your experiences and stories of gained wisdom, even when you have a bad hair day that day- you are beautiful When you serve that hot paratha on your husband’s plate, even when you are sweating and have little flour on your face - you are beautiful When your child says you are the best mom and you blush, even when you have just got up and you are totally unkept-you are beautiful When your friend has failed in the project and you give a good hug, even when you had a bad day yourself-you are beautiful when someone appreciates you for your hard work and you have that smile on your face, even when you have those extra kilos on your body-you look beautiful you are working in your garden and your passion is seen on your face, even when you have hands full of mud-you are beautiful when you are engrossed reading your book and simply enjoying the escape to a whole new world even if you don’t have kajal in your eyes-you are beautiful when you finally see your child on the stage receiving his most awaited degree and you have smile on face and tears in your eyes, even when you are not in the best suited attire for the occasion-you are beautiful and yes…if you are genuinely enjoying your laugh -that uncontrollable laugh even if you are in dirtiest clothes, no makeup, untidy, undone grey hair or even if you have lost couple of teeth-YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL And I can go on… Each day a woman loves what she sees in the mirror, I think the world will change for sure. If she just constantly reminds herself that she is not good enough how do you expect her to be confident within? Accept, acknowledge and be grateful to god each day for what you are, smile and just say - I am beautiful Change the definition and you will see a confident YOU emerging from within Powerful words by Author~ Sophie Bashford What happens when she has the courage to bring the inner light outwards? What transpires when she softens her hard edges, plants her bare feet on the soul of the earth, opens her sacred channels to the Ancient Ones and declares, "Yes, I am ready to be seen?" She changes everything she touches. The pulse of Life that was given as she incarnated as feminine form, housing extraordinary creative and healing powers, begins to throb faster, deeper, with a rhythm in tune with the universal, eternal heartbeat.