What if I told you that you are beautiful, that you can do anything that you set your mind to, that you are worth loving, and that you are enough? What if I told you that the only thing that holds you back from believing all these things is yourself?

This may or may not be news to you, but...you are beautiful. You are different. You are strong. You are worth more than you believe.

I am writing this article because I believe that I have a different view of beauty than most people would. I think that beauty is not a body type, it's not a face, a filter or a hair color, but beauty is a feeling. I think that looking beautiful and feeling beautiful are two different things. Looking beautiful is easy, anyone can do it. But, feeling beautiful is a different story. Feeling beautiful means that you are full of happiness, filled with hope, you are aware and mindful, and you are not afraid to stretch your arms out wide and believe in better things.

I will admit that this concept was very hard for me to understand completely. It's not an idea that just pops in your head overnight. I have a little brother, Ian, who is physically handicapped. Before Ian, to be honest, I used to judge, stare at people who were in wheelchairs, and I thought different was weird. I had no idea what beauty was until I was walking along side my brother on the other side of that stare.

My brother is only 9 years old, yet, he is the most optimistic, strong, happy, and courageous person I've ever met. He knows he can do anything he sets his mind to and that he is more than enough. So, if this little boy, who goes through far more in a day than I will ever have to face, is happy with who he is -- then why shouldn't I be? It was when I came to this realization, that I decided to be beautiful. To stop the judging, to stop worrying about outside opinions, and just be me and let everyone else be themselves.

I don't know if I could ever emphasize enough that the only thing that holds you back is yourself. You can choose to love yourself, and love the people around you. You can get a spray tan, hit the gym, die your hair, load on the makeup and look beautiful, but at the end of the day none of that matters. What matters is that you know you are beautiful. The moment that you stop the judging, and worrying about others think of you, and you open your mind and heart to the world around you -- everything and everyone becomes beautiful, even yourself.

With all of this side, my point is that I challenge you to feel beautiful. To empower you, and give you the courage to look at the world and the people around you in a different way. Once this is done, you'll find that it is much easier to be happy, to meet new people, to accomplish goals, and love yourself.