Inner Beauty
Patience
     Are you one of those people who gets impatient fairly easily? I definitely am, and I’m working on not getting so impatient all of the time. It is hard. I am running late for school a lot of the time because of my brother. I sit out in the van waiting for him to come out of the door. It takes every ounce of patience I possess to stop me from honking that horn like there’s no tomorrow. It’s hard to not get impatient when it’s someone else’s fault that you are behind, or something like that.
     I think that we all have moments in life when we have to clench our hands tightly in our laps in order to keep from blowing up at someone. Some days I just wake up and I am annoyed with everybody even if they haven’t done anything wrong. It’s okay to have a bad day, but it’s not okay to take it out on other people. 
     Are you familiar with the phrase “patience is a virtue?” I think that we have all heard this at some point in our lives. It is true that patience is a great character trait to have. People like you because they know that you won’t blow up on them randomly. 
     You also aren’t rude because of your patience. For example, if a friend is trying to tell you a story, and you find it crazy boring, you don’t just interrupt them. You patiently listen to them because you care. 
     Being patient allows you to have remarkable self-control. Having patience allows you to become a better person and it makes you a better friend. If you are like this, you are going to be beautiful inside and out.
     I know that I’m getting repetitive with the whole ‘being beautiful on the inside makes you beautiful on the outside’ thing, but it is so true. I can’t stress how important this is. You could be the most beautiful girl at school with the meanest personality. Boys may flock around you, but once they discover your true character, that attraction might vanish.
     Choose to be beautiful by developing your character. Become the woman that you were meant to be. If you’re not sure whether you are beautiful, work on your character. You will become more confident and more likeable.
      Patience is worth it. 
  
 
 

Click hereInner Beauty
Attitude
Did you know that one aspect of our health that we have complete control over is attitude? We can choose how we face certain situations and circumstances. We can choose to be optimistic or pessimistic. We have the power to say no to being angry and miserable. You simply have to make good decisions.
Nobody likes to be around someone who is an absolute grump. They aren’t any fun! They sit around complaining because they have some problems in their life. “Why can’t I be prettier? Why can’t I have a better at home life? Why do I have to do this? This is so stupid?” Uh!!! It gets frustrating to hear people complain.
If you change your negative attitude and start becoming positive about everything, you’re going to become a much happier person. You are going to find joy in the little things, and you’re going to be thankful for the blessings that you already have.
What’s the best part about having a great attitude all throughout life? Other people notice! If you’re fun to be around and if you’re not negative, you’re going to become a more attractive person.
Author Karen Casey writes in her book Be Who You Want to Be, “Having a good attitude is easy – all I have to do is think of myself as sunshine, not rain.”
Don’t you just love that! We all have bad days, but when we start getting a bad attitude, we can choose to see the light in a situation instead of the gloom.
Be positive, not negative. It shapes you as a person, which makes you more attractive on the outside!
(Quote from page 92 of Karen Casey’s Be Who You Want to Be.)
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​Inner Beauty
Kindness
     Kindness can take you a long way in life. It always feels nice when someone does something specifically for you in order to make you happy. It makes you feel good and it makes the person who was kind to you feel good inside.
     Do you ever take the time to go out of your way for people? I don’t always. We live in a world where everyone is trying to gain from the things that they do. I’m just saying, but you do gain from kindness. You don’t get money or anything, but you feel so good inside, and people notice what you do. They may not comment on your actions, but you shouldn’t stop doing good deeds.
     Like I said in another blog, if you are beautiful on the inside, you can become more attractive on the outside. You will become more attractive on the outside. 
     The exact definition of kindness is “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” It means being selfless and compassionate. I like to think of it as a deliberate act. After a while, it becomes second nature. You can’t help being kind!
     How can you be nice to people? That seems like a silly question, but it’s not. We can be nice in so many ways:

• Sit with someone at lunch if they are all alone.
• Open the door for someone if their hands are full.
• Compliment someone on their outfit. Just make them feel good about what they look like. 

     There are so many other ways to be kind to someone. The ones I listed are just basic ones. My point is this: Being kind doesn’t take much time out of your day. It is so easy! You just have to make a point to do nice things. 
     An anonymous quote reads like this: “If you can be anything, be kind.” 
     Make kindness your goal, your dream and your inspiration. Trust me. It’s worth it. 
 

Click hereAttention-Seeking
PART 1
Everyone likes to be noticed. It’s just a fact of life. When people ignore you, you feel invisible, like you don’t matter. Here’s the thing: You do matter. Someone is bound to notice your strengths eventually. You just have to wait for the right person to come along.
When people give you the silent treatment, you can react in two different ways: You could change your personality and become an attention-seeker or you could just be yourself and do your own thing. The bad decision would be to become an attention-seeker.
You may wonder why seeking attention isn’t a great thing to do. Don’t get me wrong, there isn’t anything wrong with wanting to get someone’s attention. For example, if you have a crush on a super handsome guy, you’re definitely going to want him to notice you. The way that you seek attention is going to affect how people respond to you.
If you try to push your way into someone’s life, you come across as overpowering. They are going to really try to ignore you because you are getting weird. They aren’t going to want to spend time with you and you’re probably going to get hurt even worse than you were before because of this rejection.
If you try to gain attention by quietly going about your business and by doing things to help the people you want to hang out with, they are going to start to notice you. This type of attention-seeking is okay because you aren’t making yourself susceptible to major rejection. If a group of people still ignores you, you should probably go and hang out with another group of people. You don’t want to get hurt, and you don’t want to start getting pushy.
In a book titled Be Who You Want to Be, the author, Karen Casey, makes a great point about attention seeking. She writes, “It’s okay to want attention. Everyone likes it when people notice them. But there are good ways and bad ways to get attention. Bad ways get people’s attention at other people’s expense, like by interrupting them or making jokes about them or teasing them.”
This point is so great because it describes how attention-seeking can have negative impact on your character. If you are rude in order to get someone’s attention, people aren’t going to want to hang out with you.
The message is this: If you want to be a nice person that people like, you have to gain attention in good ways. After all, you don’t want to be known as a rude girl.
(Quotes are from page 53 of Karen Casey’s book Be Who You Want to Be.)
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​Comparison
     A girl’s worst enemy is herself. She is the one who puts herself down. She is the one who tries to be someone else. She is the one who compares herself to other people and changes herself to fit their ‘criteria’. Comparison can be a dangerous thing. In fact, S.T.A.R. counselor Jen Lados says, “Comparison is the thief of all joys.” How can you be happy if you aren’t satisfied with being you?
     How is comparison a dangerous thing? Girls struggle to find their identity because of it. They try to change themselves, whether it be their appearance or personality. They always find the flaws in themselves and fail to see how beautiful they truly are. We are all beautiful in our own way, yet we fail to recognize this. In fact, we all go through a time where we wish we could be someone else. We may not realize it, but we are making life like a competition. A competition in which there is no winner.
     There is only one you. If you try to be someone else you are not only robbing yourself of happiness, but you are denying people the chance to see the real you. This leaves everyone unsatisfied. It leaves you vulnerable and negative. Once you start thinking that you’re not enough, you won’t stop thinking like this. You may, but it can be extremely hard to get back onto your path. The path that leads to you and your life. 
    If you want to be you and not be negative about it, you have to fight against the criticism that fills your mind. Look at yourself in a mirror and say that you’re beautiful. Stop trying to be someone else and embrace who you already are. Don’t let the thief known as comparison steal your joy. 
     

Identity
     Who are you? 
     We can all answer this simple question by filling in the blank with a name. But does your name define you? I don’t think so. Grace Nunn is my name, but that’s not who I am.
    We all have an identity. In fact, some people steal identities. Here’s my question: Are they truly becoming that person by taking their name? I don’t think so.
     If someone stole your identity, you would still be you. There is only one you. We are all different, all beautiful in our own way. We all have different passions, likes and dislikes. We all look different. 
     If someone stole your identity are they stealing you?
     Absolutely not.
     You are you! No one can take that away from you. You are who you are. 
     The problem in our society is that people aren’t satisfied with their identities. They try to be like someone else. By doing this you are robbing yourself of your own identity. There is only one you. Embrace this by being yourself. Find out how you want to make a difference. Choose the career that you love. Stop caring about what other people think and just be you! 
     If you stop being yourself and struggle to grab onto your identity, you are not only robbing yourself of happiness, you are robbing the world of getting the chance to see you for who you really are.
     Be bold. Be beautiful. Be you. By doing these things you will strengthen your identity. Don’t ever try to be someone else. You are needed. 

​Inner Beauty
Anxiety
     Are you one of those people who worries about every little thing? I kind of am. I get so caught up on worrying about the future that I don’t enjoy the present. That isn’t a great way to live, and I know this. There are ways to control the worry, ways that will make life so much more enjoyable. It takes a lot of determination, but it can be done. You just have to choose to overcome the fear.
     Worrying never helps any situation. It only adds to the stress. Anxiety accumulates until you feel like you’re going to choke from the pressure of it all. Here are some great tips to calm down:

• Pray about it – I do every time I start to worry, and it really helps!
• Take a deep breath and tell yourself to STOP IT! – If you tell yourself that you have nothing to worry about again and again, you will start to believe it.
• Find an activity that you enjoy and just get your mind of off whatever it is you’re worrying about. – If you focus on doing something that you enjoy, it helps you to focus on something positive rather than something negative. 

     There are so many ways to get rid of worry. You just have to find your knack. We all have something unique to us. Embrace your strengths and choose to get better at certain things instead of dreading doing certain things. Fear is never fun. It blinds you and, like I said earlier, chokes you. 
     Corrie ten Boom once said, “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength – carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”
     Doesn’t that make so much sense? Worrying really steals our strength away from us. I know that it’s super hard to get rid of fear, but it is doable. Just don’t let worry steal your joy. Living a joyless life can be a lonely place to be. 
 

Norfolk Pregnancy
​& Family Resource  Centre

 n'Courage Girls' Club
​
Encouragement. Fun. Laughter. Creativity. Conversation. n’Courage Girls Club!
This group is designed for girls ages 10-13 and it is a great after school program for girls who love to craft and have fun. Our goal is to have a place where girls can come after school and enjoy snacks, crafts, friendship and learn new skills while encouraging healthy self-esteem.
This is what one of the girls in the group thinks of our program:
“This group is perfect for young girls; we do tons of activities, pay a multitude of games and overall just have a great time. It’s a Christian organization with the main focus being on improving self-esteem in a fun environment. We come to the Norfolk Pregnancy and Resource Centre every Wednesday to encourage girls to be themselves and try to help them be confident about who they are.”
As a leader I want to create a space for girls to come and have fun! I like to be creative by bringing a new activity each week. We encourage the girls by talking about self-esteem issues like body positivity and embracing who we truly are.
Please come join us! There is always room for newcomers.