Operation Beautiful

I told you “You are beautiful”;
You looked at me and poo-ed.

I said “You are intelligent!”,
And all you said was “Gooooo!”

Dada is your favorite word,
though your days are spent with me.

My dear, my sweet, my darling babes,
When will you speak with me?

I hope and pray my words are clear,
that you know my praises are true.

That one day you will stop and say
“I’m Beautiful, I’m Intelligent, and Important, too.” 

-Kallay (Mommy)

Krysten of Why Girls Are Weird wrote about this site, Operation Beautiful, the other day and I had to share it with you. I love the idea and the passion behind it. We are all our own worst critics, constantly doubting our appearance, our talents, and some of us even doubt our worth. How sad that we rely on a bottle, a potion, or a lotion for self esteem and confidence. The task is simple: write an inspiring note on a post-it and stick them all around town! The idea is to uplift women where they’re standing. To empower, to make someone’s day, to bring a smile to someone’s face. To make the women in your community feel more beautiful, but this time with words, rather than a mascara wand. I love this plan to create a wave of confidence, a new movement of women encouraging women. It’s important, I think, especially as mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends, that we practice giving compliments, that we show the younger generations and our children what beauty is and where it starts. That true beauty doesn’t reflect itself in a mirror, it shows in our actions, how kind we are to each other, and how kind we are to ourselves.

It’s called Operation Beautiful. You can read the full mission here, but I encourage you to try this, even just once.

My favorite quote from the site is: “Change the way you see, not the way you look.” 

Leave your notes in a place a woman will surely find it! Do it once, or use up a whole pad of post-it notes like Krysten! The idea is to uplift each other, and I think no matter where we’re at in life, a little note to remind us how beautiful, intelligent, and wonderful we are could never do any harm.

Here are some of my favorite ideas of places to hide your notes:

* Tampon boxes
* The Beauty Department (Target, grocery stores, etc.)
* Mirrors in public restrooms
* The back of a door in a public restroom
* Leave one in your grocery cart
* Stick one to a pack of diapers, formula, or baby food (a tired mother will appreciate it!)
* On a weight loss product
* On the back of a DVD (workout or otherwise)
* Inside of a beauty or fashion magazine
* The tag of a piece of clothing or bathing suit
* Windshields
* Mailboxes of your neighbors
* With your tip or the receipt for your server
* On an ATM machine or credit card machine at the store
* On the floor mirrors in a shoe department
* Near the kitchen sink at a friend’s home
* Waiting rooms (doctor’s office, dentist, etc.)

I have so many ideas. Everywhere you go, carry your post-it pad, and let inspiration hit you. They say smiles are contagious, so why not spread the love and give someone a smile?

You can write something as simple as “You are beautiful!” -operationbeautiful.com or as complicated as your favorite excerpt from a book. Just get out there, and tell someone they are beautiful.

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