Everybody since the beginning of time has had that moment when they set out to prove the assumptions about them wrong. Sometimes that means changing your personality, your looks, or even sharpening your mind. However, this glow up isn’t always something observable by sight or test. This change might not even shift on the surface.
Social media and television have fed to us that we need to show our transformation to others, but these posts on Instagram and stories on television don’t always show what it truly means to heal and become a better version of ourselves.
A glow up is not learning how to properly apply make-up to your face, but that doesn’t mean it is not a good idea to learn this ability. Additionally, a glow up is not about having the latest clothing and accessories, nor does it involve getting into a relationship just to prove that you are capable of getting into one. This type of transformation is not about money or friends either because, although many of these things listed are ample parts of your transformation, they will never be enough to satisfy your needs.
A glow up is about reaching your fullest potential and living your best life because of it. It is the ability to feel content about the next steps in your journey, and even when bumps in the road occur, you still have the courage to continue on.
When you first start on this journey, there are still those looming thoughts of trying to impress other people. However, when you are still focusing on the opinions of other people, you are not really growing as a person because you are still reliant on people who probably do not care for you as much as you care for them. People who glow up for themselves now focus their lives on how they feel and not others.
A genuine glow up is removing all the bullshit that you have been told by others and yourself and really focusing on the problems you have hidden underneath. This is the beginning of the healing process. This is your moment to shine and change yourself for good. It is time to put your thoughts, feelings and emotions first over the opinions of other people.
Anyone is capable of piecing together their idea of the perfect persona they wish to acquire. Anyone is capable of photoshopping photos, putting on a few filters and then adding a catchy caption to their Instagram post. Anyone can become beautiful with the addition of makeup. Anyone can convince the whole world that they are doing better than how you are doing. However, this urge to prove themselves better may be because they still feel empty on the inside.
That feeling of not worrying about what other people think about you is so liberating. The moment that another person’s opinion becomes obsolete to you is the moment that you are able to start living your best life. There is more to life than worrying about whether people noticed your new outfit or hair. What if you were more concerned about your academic achievements, gaining real relationships, feeling mentally prepared, getting a job that you actually enjoy, or even changing your personality?
The truth of the matter is that there is always room for improvement because that is what life is about. It isn’t about just one moment in time where you did something wonderful and thought that that was what would change yourself. It is about growing from that experience and continuing to grow from it.
You have nobody to prove wrong but yourself. The enemy in your eyes is something called self-doubt. Always telling yourself that you can’t do something, that you don’t look beautiful, or that they don’t like you is every reason you are giving yourself to not reach your full potential.
But a glow up is really recognizing that you were not your best self and that there is still room for improvement. You had a lot of attributes that you didn’t like about yourself.
You didn’t have an appropriate attitude.
You didn’t have true relationships.
You didn’t achieve what you set out to do in the first place.
Sure a glow up can be about proving someone wrong. That person is yourself. The need to accomplish your desires because you didn’t live up to them is what should fuel that fire in yourself to make those necessary changes you need to achieve them.
Sometimes you have to ask yourself why are you changing yourself for other people. More than likely, you aren’t changing for other people, but you are trying to find the courage to change for yourself.