Day 24: On the Home Stretch!!

Day 14: Lessons from Audrey and Jackie

I absolutely adore Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy Onassis! These 20th century women exemplify grace, elegance, and beauty in every aspect! I especially love Jackie, because she endured so much heartache in her life, yet she was strong and held her head high through it all. I often remind myself, mostly in stressful situations, to "handle this like Jackie would," or when it comes to how I treat other people, "Treat them like Audrey would. Give them a genuine smile and talk to them like they are royalty-- make people feel like the Queen of England with all the interest you take in what they have to say!" These are some quotes from these two lovely women that have taught me a great deal about how to truly love life and to enjoy the people you are with: 

Day 13: Change Your Thoughts

Day 12: Blessings and Great News!

 Happy 11-12-13 everyone! Tomorrow I have an interview scheduled with Elizabeth Oxley, co-editor of the Warren Co. High monthly newspaper. Thank you so much for all your support and feedback!! I am also sending off my application to Brigham Young University tomorrow, so please pray for me! I love you all and hope you are having a lovely makeupless November!

Xoxo- Kat

Days 8, 9, 10, 11: Knowledge Causes Fear to Cease!

I haven't had a chance to post this weekend because I was attending a Model United Nations conference at Vanderbilt University! It was a really cool experience getting to see how the UN works, passing legislation, and figuratively holding the fate of a country in your hands! 

I met lots of different kinds of people this weekend. I've always thought that knowledge and Intelligence makes a person beautiful-- the fact that he or she values learning is an incredibly rare virtue! But I discovered this weekend that intelligence must be accompanied by love, selflessness, and humility in order to be beautiful. It doesn't matter how much knowledge you have if you can't connect and relate to other people-- if what you know doesn't benefit or inspire others, and is only used to belittle people or be advantage to no one but yourself, what is the point? I am amazed at selfless, intelligent people-- they have a desire to serve others and use what they know to raise others up. They have a passion and a love for something that they want to share with everyone! They desire for others to feel the same joy in what they know. How beautiful it is to be such a person! I know that Model UN has made me care more about the trials that my fellow brethren are experiencing around the world. Representing Ecuador and trying to come up with solutions to human and drug trafficking makes me thankful that I have not had to experience such horrors in my life! But more than anything, it helps me to see that others DO experience that, and I have the power to change that! 

Satan fears everytime our feet hit the floor in the mornings-- he is terrified when we get off our knees and go out into the world to change it for good. He is aware of our power, our strength, our faith! He tries to fight us with temptation; even when we fall, he may feel some momentary satisfaction, but I'm sure nothing terrifies him more than to see us rise up again and endure on. Remember that you are incredible, more powerful than you could ever imagine! Happy Monday!

Xoxo- Kat 

Day 7: One Week Down!!!

It's been the first official week of NMN! I'm SO proud of you all that have been participating! And for those of you who haven't, I hope you have still been having a wonderful experience growing closer to Christ this month :) I've loved keeping this blog, so thank you to all who have been reading! Please feel free to share it with anyone whom you think it will benefit :) 

This week has been very humbling in many different ways. I don't look in the mirror nearly as much as I used to; it just doesn't seem important anymore! I know what I look like, and after fussing over my hair and clothes in the morning, I try not to give them a second thought the rest of the day. After I leave my house, it is no longer about ME, but what I can do for others. It's about laughing and loving everything about life, even when it's crazy stressful. It's about talking to someone I haven't spoken to in years, smiling at strangers and loving everyone I'm so blessed to see everyday. No, it's not about my appearance and others' opinions; it's about what I can contribute to the world with the knowledge in my head and the love in my heart. I love this description of Daisy from The Great Gatsby:

I've looked at pictures of myself wearing makeup, and I still think I look better with it. More beautiful? No. Beautiful is a feeling now, a feeling that comes only when I serve others or do what my Father would have me do. I feel beautiful when I go out with the sister missionaries from my church and teach others about the gospel. When I can look in the mirror at my makeup-less face and see a young woman who has acquired courage, self-respect, knowledge, and love for her fellow men and her God, I see something more beautiful than any perfectly airbrushed face. Material beauty washes off at the end of the day, but true, inner beauty lasts for eternity! Don't ever forget that, ladies.

Xoxo-Kat

Day 4: He Was Never Gone

Today's post is short and sweet, but just know that whatever trial you're facing, no matter how busy or stressed or out of control you may feel, know that it won't last forever! God walks every step with us, letting go of our hands every now and again so we can become stronger by figuring things out for ourselves. But just because He let go for a second doesn't mean he left us; He was standing there all along. If you get the chance, listen to "Never Gone" by Colton Dixon :) I love you all! Happy Monday :)

Xoxo- Kat

Day 5: Humbling Ourselves

This morning in seminary, we discussed and analyzed the subject of Pride. Pride is being hostile, disobedient, judgmental, defiant. Our will is not completely aligned with the will of God. It's easy to identify pride when we see girls gossip about another girl, or when we are told to do one thing and decide we think it's better to do what we want to instead. Others, like grumbling internally or begrudgingly doing what we're told, is still being prideful. That shocked me, because suddenly I realized that I have been extremely prideful in hundreds of situations! Pride can delay or damage our spiritual growth, it keeps the Spirit from being able to guide us. The cure for pride is Humility. Humbling ourselves brings us down from our pedestals and helps us to see things as God does. Money, intelligence, and talents are common things we have pride in. They give us a big ego, and a rather unhealthy confidence boost. So how can we counteract those with humility? If you have a lot of money, instead of buying excessive material items, you can pay tithing and help out those in need. Instead of using your intelligence to make others feel lower than you, you can teach them and help them to grow. Instead of being cocky about your talents, you can share them and use them in a way to interact with others, and again, helping them to grow by possibly teaching them how to acquire new talents. 

I've been working really hard the past couple days on avoiding being prideful. I feel like I have, in a way, cleared out some of the junk in my mind and heart so that there is more room for the Spirit! I know that humility will make me a more beautiful daughter of God, if I can be to others what Christ would be if He were on this earth. I challenge you all to do the same! He works through us, His children, and in order to become more like Him, we must be humble and show love to one another. Have a lovely day! 

Xoxo- Kat

Day 3: It's What's Inside Your Head, Not What's On It!

I read a quote by Ashton Kutcher that said,"The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart, really thoughtful, and really generous. Everything else is crap, I promise you. It's just crap that people try to sell you to make you feel like less. Be smart, be thoughtful, be generous." Wow! Believe it or not ladies, the guys who are worth it are the ones who think exactly that. The best guys LOVE a girl who is confident and has filled her mind with knowledge. I just love Emma Watson's statement: 

When you embrace your values, they will view you as a person, not as an object to be used. They love it when you put thought into your actions; it shows that you value yourself and those around you. Remember, everything else is just crap people want to sell to you.  

   Generosity is very rare today. We live in a world that screams, "It's all about YOU! Don't think of others, they dont matter; do it for yourself!" While there is much we should do for ourselves, there is also much we can do for others. When was the last time you went out of your way to do something nice for someone? Give it a try, and I promise that it will give you so much for satisfaction than anything you will do for only yourself. 

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you have been able to feel the love that God has for you. If you weren't able to attend a worship service, take some time to read a few scripture verses or think about all the blessings you have. If you have extra time, write someone a note and tell them how much they mean to you. I promise that your inner beauty will shine as you serve others and continue to fill your mind with good things :) 

Day 2: Beauty is the Opposite of Perfection

  What a powerful statement! The media gives us this false idea that we have to be perfect to be considered beautiful. Ladies (and gentlemen!) we are not meant to be carbon copies of those magazine models! We are not meant to be cookie cutter versions of someone else! A painting of perfectly straight black and white lines is nowhere near as fun and interesting as an abstract masterpiece. 

   While on the subject of art, we are familiar with the fact that people don't like criticism. If someone has worked super hard to create something fascinating and incredible, they would probably be a little frustrated if you told them it should look different. Or even worse, you told them it was ugly, or that it would be better had they never created the work of art in the first place. Isn't that what we do to God? We look in the mirror and wish we could change this or that, telling ourselves we aren't as attractive as others, or for some, wishing they could just cease to exist. Imagine how that hurts our Father! For the longest time I thought that I could be so much prettier if I had green or blue eyes instead of brown. But then one day I thought, What do I know? God probably has much better taste in the design of our bodies than we do. We may hate certain parts of ourselves, wishing we could be taller or shorter, thinner or curvier, blue eyes instead of brown. Perhaps He thought I'd look best with brown eyes, dark hair, and taller than most people. Who am I to question His work? The same One who created the stars in the sky created me and you. He knows what beauty is, and it's not the same as our distorted idea of what we think it should be. So love all of your flaws! Thank Heavenly Father for creating you, for sending His Only Begotten to atone for your sins so you can enjoy a life full of love, learning, beauty, and growth! 

Don't criticize yourself, and don't criticize others, for when you do, you criticize the Creator who knows so much more about the beauty of our souls and bodies than we can comprehend. Learn to find beauty, because it is all around us! 

Day One: He Knows Us!

I love this talk by Dieter F. Uchtdorf! He tells us that we are all living our own fairy tale, complete with adventure, true love, and triumph. But none of these come without overcoming trials and tribulations. Think about all the Disney princesses: none of them achieved their "happily ever after" until they had overcome a few challenges! We must not be discouraged as we go through the hard times in life, but ready to conquer anything that comes our way. 

        

  I once met a woman that would not be considered "beautiful" by the world's standards. But as I talked to her, her countenance glowed! She told me about her children, and how she had given up serving an 18-month mission because she felt like her calling in life was to be a mother. Her confidence radiated, shining through her eyes, and she is still, to me, one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. 

  So remember today, that our Heavenly Father's love for you is not measured by the way you style your hair, how much you weigh, or the kind of makeup you use-- those are fun things we get to do because we were SO BLESSED to be girls ;) -- but by the words we speak, the love we give, and the strength inside us that comes from our Savior Jesus Christ. One day when we're all old ladies and the world no longer considers us beautiful, I want to have that beauty that comes from the love I have for my family and my Redeemer. Because all worldly things will one day crumble and fall away; but you... You are in infinite, eternal, and ever-lasting. Never forget that! Have a happy Friday :)

Xoxo- Kat

Day 6 : The Truth Revealed!

We've all been there: we see magazines, movies, fashion ads, billboards, makeup ads... We see these women with perfectly airbrushed skin, big eyes, perfect smiles, no flaws whatsoever. We constantly have voices saying, "Wear this, and you'll look like them." And we don't ever really stop trying to look like them. All we see is our flaws, and hardly give our natural beauty the credit it deserves! 

You can see how this model has been digitally enhanced and touched up. Her eyes are bigger, her smile lines have been smoothed out, even her arm has been made to look thinner. And she was already so beautiful to begin with! That's what we sometimes do to ourselves. We are already so beautiful, and yet we think we'll be beautiful only if we lose 10 more pounds, or if we have blemish-free, perfectly airbrushed skin. 

I gasped when I saw this. The digital enhancement on this model is just baaaaad. No human being looks like this in real life. This sends a strong message of what the media is doing to us. 

And guys, you are no exception!  He looks 20 years younger with darkened hair and eyebrows and smoothed-out wrinkles. 

BIG thank you to Oprah for showing her natural beauty! 

And finally, this is me before I washed off my makeup for the last time before NMN!  Sometimes I go look in the mirror at the true me and it's like,"Whoa! Forgot I looked like this!" But then I remind myself that mirrors are not God; if He were here, He would tell us the truth: that we are perfect just the way we are! 

So I encourage you all to not look to the media for the definition of beauty: look to your Father in Heaven who created your soul! He sees you not for what you can look like, but for what you can do! Think of our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that He has felt every kind of pain that man has ever known, very specifically. He knows what it's like to be a girl who feels as though she will never measure up to the world's expectations. He knows how it feels to look in the mirror and wish you could change every single thing you dislike about yourself. He knows us that well! Isn't that incredible? I know that we will one day see ourselves as we truly are. One day the influence of media will be removed from our eyes, and we will see the truth that we were too blind to see. But until then, be kind to yourself. Love yourself. Treasure yourself. Nothing less, and so, so much more. 

Xoxo- Kat

A Month Without Makeup

I first heard about No Makeup November when I was scrolling through my Instagram feed. A month without makeup? Yeah right! But then I thought, why not? I have a chance to grow spiritually, so why pass it up? No Makeup November is being advertized by Rave Ministries, encouraging girls and women of all ages to try and see themselves as our Heavenly Father sees us: beautiful, confident, full of light and strength, with the power to lead nations back to Him. Makeup isn't bad thing at all, but it shouldn't be our main source of confidence! This blog is about my personal journey to recognize my true beauty and develop a stronger relationship with my Savior, in hopes that I can help you do the same! Everyday I will put up a new post with some kind of quote, picture, scripture, or video. So feel free to join us in No Makeup November, or if you'd rather not, you can still celebrate the beautiful person that you are! Happy November! 

Xoxo- Kat