What is a GLOW?

Written by: Spencer Randolph

Everyone is drawn to that glow.

But what is that glow? And no, I’m not just talking about GLOWstudios, I’m talking about the glow that someone who feels truly beautiful from the inside out puts off. It’s this elusive ‘glow’ that comes seemingly so natural to those that ‘have’ it. But let me tell you, behind the scenes of that ‘glow’ is likely a lifetime of ‘work’; And not the work that you see the fruits of right a way – it’s the type of self-work that takes time, belief, and care. It is the type of work that usually can’t be seen with the naked eye, but can only be felt. So to begin igniting the ‘glow’ we must start on the inside and work our way out.

OK, but where do we begin? Whether insecurities lie on the surface of our appearance or beneath our skin, we must stop letting them define us. While we may be dissatisfied with our outer expression of attractiveness at times, constant negative self-talk deteriorates the view we have of our own inner beauty. There is no doubt that we will all have days where we just don’t feel our best, but the true ‘work’ starts when we make the choice to not allow a moment of insecurity or dissatisfaction with something on the outside cloud our perspective of who we are on the inside. So – whether it is a moment of pause to find something we are grateful for, or its picking up the phone and calling our favorite stylist for a mid-week pick me up blow-out ;), challenge yourself as often as possible to nourish and grow the parts of yourself that lighten your presence and brighten your ‘glow’.

And what about our next generation? It is so important now more than ever that we teach our daughters and sons and nieces and nephews and students and peers and friends what real beauty TRULY is. Chances are that almost everything around them will tell them differently, and it is our job to instill a bulletproof sense on confidence and belief in them – showing them their value and internal beauty from day one.

Media will portray handsome men as ripped, tan, wash-board ab-wearing entities and will suggest that men who do not fit within this mold are less than wonderful and that they should try and achieve these things to feel worthy. Likewise, women are portrayed as flawless goddesses with perfect skin, curves in all the right places, no signs of aging whatsoever, and not an ounce of fat out of place.

These are not the descriptions of beauty to be endorsed. Being slim, fit, curvy, sexy, white, black, tan, tall, short, etc. is no definition of what beauty is. While many wonderfully beautiful people share these characteristics and may look this way, that is not why they are beautiful.

What makes someone beautiful are their defining characteristics and the qualities that they express like joy, bravery, kindness, confidence, and empathy. The qualities we exude define our beauty, not the vessel we hold them in.

This said, hair, makeup, pampering, relaxation and education about the body is to be endorsed to enhance inner beauty and give the finishing touches to our vessels of boundless expression.