True Beauty

True Beauty....This world has distorted the definition of beauty. Every day girls, even guys are affected by the media, hollywood, magazines, movies, and even peers. Everyday the world tries to convince us that designer clothes, make up, accesories, and even diets are NEEDED to be beautiful. Beauty is more than skin deep.
Sometimes we are so caught up in looks, that we forget the true meaning of beauty. Girls can become affected at such young ages. They watch their sisters and mothers getting ready and begin to understand what it means to "put on your face in the morning." Girls at such very young ages are begining to wear makeup and spending hours in front of the mirror getting ready, and this makes me so sad...Girls shouldnt feel that way, especially the little ones..



"When a girl can wear no make up and sweats and still look good, and be happy, she is beautiful..."

If you or if you know someone who worries about their looks. Be there for them. Help them try to see themselves through the eyes of people who love them. I have been told that if you feel good, you look good, So confidence and happiness is key.

“seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Nowadays, people are blowing their paychecks on things that will make them "look better" Plastic surgery, tanning, hair salons, nail salons, expensive clothing, the list goes on. I wish that people would realize that true beauty comes from within. I have met some people in my lifetime with the most caring and loving personalities, no matter what they looked like, I automatically loved being around them. Their hearts made them beautiful. Remember, you are Beautiful no matter what the world tells you. Keep your chin up and work on serving others, instead of serving yourself all the time. God made you and he loves you with all his heart. He does not want you to spend hours in front of the mirror worrying about how you look, or eating less and less everyday, because you feel fat. He wants you to look in a mirror and smile. Do not let anyone get you down. Be strong and remember that the people who mind dont matter and the people who matter don't mind.

Its important to take care of yourself as well. Make sure you get enough exercise and try eating a well balanced meal. I have found that exercise helps with feeling good about yourself, as well as eating healthier.

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have knowndefeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

-- Elizabeth Kubler Ross

Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes.

Our world of 'becoming beautiful' on the outside, has created many different disorders and illnesses. Body dysmorphic disorder, Bulimia, and Anorexia nervosa. We need to stop judging people, and love them for who they are as a person. When we judge harshly, we hurt people. We break hearts. We cannot judge a person. Why? Because we do not fully understand and know the person's thoughts, feelings, and know why they do the things they do. We must first get to know a persons heart. Do not judge a book by its cover. Dating people is becoming more and more difficult because we look for people we know as "beautiful" or "handsome" We don't like that guy 'because he is too short' or 'he doesnt have a great body.' We don't like that girl because 'she isnt skinny enough' or 'because her hair isn't the way we want it.' We should give everyone a chance, because you never know who will take you by suprise.

Aritcle about Woman with Body Dysmorphic Disorder on OPRAH...

Broken Reflections



'When we first met 28-year-old Jenny , she'd undergone 26 plastic surgeries. During the show, Jenny realized what everyone watching saw so clearly: She needed to get help for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a psychiatric problem that causes people to be preoccupied with imagined or very slight physical defects. What she didn't realize was that her story inspired others to come forward to talk about BDD.

Like Jenny, 24-year-old Taryn suffers from BDD. "When I look in the mirror," she says, "I see somebody who is non-human. I've had times when I've actually felt physically ill because I can't understand how a person could look like this, how God could create somebody that looks like this."

Fearful of peoples' stares, Taryn says her BDD makes it hard for her to leave her house. Being on The Oprah Winfrey Show today is a huge step for her. Taryn says BDD has cost her many things—a productive life, relationships and, at moments, her sense of sanity. "To hate yourself, to hate who you are—it's difficult beyond anything I can explain," she says. "Many days I would cry myself to sleep because all I wanted was to not wake up in the morning."

Dr. Katharine Phillips is the world's leading expert on body dysmorphic disorder. She's written what many call the bible of BDD, The Broken Mirror. "BDD is a serious psychiatric illness," Dr. Phillips says. "It's not vanity. And it can be absolutely tormenting."

"People with BDD see themselves differently from the way everyone else sees them," Dr. Phillips adds. And, as Jenny's ongoing struggle shows, surgery cannot cure BDD.



If you would like to read the rest of the article...http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://static.oprah.com/images/tows/200509/20050914/20050914_101_350x263.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Broken-Reflections&usg=__cSBocKwMwXMd5oUVlFWhW71aN74=&h=263&w=350&sz=34&hl=en&start=15&sig2=dsyUgvTE6uUDkkQMgiM6sw&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=zKnZd0avyT-bTM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbody%2Bdysmorphic%2Bdisorder%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=evzTS6npE5f8swPz5NTECQ



According to international study commissioned by Dove, by the age 12 most girls have seen around 77,500 ads. Researchers questioned 2,000 girls from the UK and the US aged between 10 and 14 and found out that as much as 77 percent of them described themselves in negative terms. Many said they consider themselves ugly, fat and upset when comparing themselves with attractive images shown in advertisements.

The study found the link between the prevalence of beautiful images in media and increasing number of teenagers having low self-esteem. One 14-year-old girl wrote that images in magazines make her feel upset because she knows she could never be that beautiful.
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When I went to Diamond Ranch Academy, (youth treatment center) the girls werent allowed to wear make up and we werent allowed to straighten or even curl our hair. Everybody dressed the same, so we had to learn how to love ourselves from within. We didn't compare ourselves because there was no need to. The nine month experience has helped me learn how to love myself and care for myself. To be honset, after the treatment center, there have been days where I felt not good enough or not pretty enough, but thats because I let other poeple get to me. I began believing other people, and I remember a few times, I would be almost in tears when getting ready. I wanted to give up trying, because i didnt feel beautiful enough to be seen in public. Every girl is beautiful in her own unique way. People who can look past your flaws, are the people who truely love you, and thats all that matters.



True beauty is the heart, not the physical part....Remember that.

Faith

Faith. We all hear the word but do we really know what it means?

Life

Life Is Full of Suprises,
Many turns and many slopes,
It's filled with lots of grief,
Sadness, happiness, and hope.

Just Remember to stay postive,
In problems big and small,
the result will be marvelous
And will catch you when you fall.

I bet you are thinking,
What is my purpose here on Earth?
Remember God has a plan,
and in his eyes, he sees worth.

Whenever you feel lonely,
and tears of sadness fill your eyes,
Remember to say a prayer,
For, he will hear your cries.

Life is full of suprises,
Many turns and many slopes,
In the end it will get better,
just be positive, pray, and hope.

-Ashley Rawson

Faith is believing in something that we cannot see, but are true. Knowing for certain in your heart and mind that it exists even though you can not see it. Faith is what helps us believe in ourselves. Faith helps us pray to Heavenly Father everynight, and knowing that he is watching over each and every one of us, loving us with all his heart. Faith is Life.

We all struggle with faith sometime in our life. For some of us it can affect our lives for weeks, months, years, and sometimes a lifetime. The key to true happiness is having faith. You are about to take a very difficult exam, do you sit and bring yourself down, telling yourself you'll fail no matter what? Or do you believe in yourself and fill your mind with positive thoughts. Thoughts like, "I will do the best I can do on this test, and I will do good." Affirmations can help. Trust me. Without faith, how can we be the best we can be? We need it to strenthen ourselves when times get hard. We need it for comfort. We need it for a testimony.



"faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him and trusting him. It includes believing His teachings. It means believing that even though we do not understand all things, He does. Because He has experienced all our pains, afflictions, and infirmities, He knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties. He has "overcome the world" (John 16:33) and prepared the way for us to receive eternal life. He is always ready to help us as we remember His plea: "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." (D&C 6:36)

Faith is more than just thoughts. It is expressed through action as well. We show faith by how we live our life. With faith and perserverance, we are able to expierence many blessings and miracles in our lifetime. Faith is like a child. We must take care of it and nurture it in order for it to grow throughout our lifetime. It is very fragile, and if we are careless and selfish, it will die, or become weak. Kind of like a testimony...

Praying is something we should do to help us with faith. Many of us search for answers right away. And we wait. When we feel like our prayers are not answered, we give up. We let satan control our thoughts. A good friend of mine told me this "God will not give us answers we are not ready for yet." I can tell you, all of you. Please dont give up. God is there for you and He loves you with all his heart. He doesnt give you answers when you want them, because hes testing your faith. If Heavenly Father gave us answers each time we prayed, what would be the point? How would we grow spiritually and learn? Answers come to those who wait patiently. You may not get an answer today, tomorrow, or next week. Pray with all your mind, might and heart, and have hope. He listens. He is there. And His arms are around you everyday. Even if you can't feel his nearness. He is right there by your side. He knows your heart. Your weaknesses. Your Strenths.




Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you."
Mary Stevenson



"To access information from heaven, one must first have a firm faith and a deep desire. One needs to 'ask with a sincere heart and real intent, having faith in Jesus Christ' (Moroni 10:4). 'Real intent' means that one really intends to follow the divine direction given."

Russell M. Nelson


My Friends and family, I love you all so much and I can tell you that I've experienced some of the most difficult times in my life. I gave up on god because I felt like he gave up on me. I cried myself to sleep. I didnt know who I was. I was lost. My dad told me "Sin is easy, easier than obedience, but it will never make you happy." I have been tempted and brought down by satan over the years. Do not let him get to you. Whenever you feel lonely, Say a prayer "For he will hear your cries." Satan can ruin your life, tear apart families, and make you miserable like himself. Spend a little more time with your family. It has taken me long to get where I am, But I couldnt be where I am today without my family. Thank you mom and dad for not giving up on me. I love you guys with all my heart and You guys are the best parents I could ever have.

If you are not close with your family, then work on it. Set good examples for everyone. Be strong, Smile, Love like there is no tomorrow, and most importantly, Have faith.