As a girl, I have a hard time loving myself because my body isn’t that great. What can I do to feel better about myself?

A female friend of our family was talking to my wife about the world’s expectations of women. She said, “I don’t want to be skinny. I just want to be healthy.” This woman has a husband who is crazy about her, and her alone. She knows that true beauty, which comes from within, does not fade. This woman knows that the expectations of the world for flawless physical beauty are unrealistic. For example, did you know that Revlon Makeup thought that Cindy Crawford’s arms were too fat? So, they used computers in the photos to make them thinner! When the supermodels themselves can’t live up to the standard of perfection, what are normal people to do? Click here and you’ll see how bogus the whole industry really is. The ultimate source of a person’s self esteem is her character, and how she lives. In fact, you'd probably be surprised to find out how many supermodels have no self-esteem because they aren't proud of how they're living.

If you define your worth by what others think of you, you’ll always fall short and feel unstable because your worth will lie in the hands of others. It will be outside of you. If you base your worth on who you are and how you live, then you become in control of your own happiness. Granted, it can be tough at times, but loving yourself is ultimately a decision before it will become a feeling. Certainly, you should strive to eat healthy and exercise. This will make you feel better about yourself, and can actually elevate your mood. But being in shape can only take you so far. If you want to really impress yourself and others, live a great life, and treat others with love and respect. Also, if you notice, the people in the world who have the best bodies often have the worst relationships (check out the cover of any tabloid magazine), while people who hardly look like runway models often have the happiest marriages.