Former beauty queen Zahra Saldua shares guide to self-love and fulfillment
The world often associates beauty queens with superficiality. But beyond the glitz and glamour, these women carry their own journeys of self-discovery and personal growth.
Take it from Zahra Saldua, a former Palestinian-Filipino beauty queen turned motivational speaker, who highlighted the importance of loving oneself during the Celavive Beauty & Business Forum of USANA Philippines.
In an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, Saldua points out three important things to achieve self-love. For her, finding out what you love is one of the keys to attaining self-love, as it involves self-discovery, exploration, and reflection that can lead to greater fulfillment and joy in life.
"Go [out] and experience things so that you can understand what you are good at and what you love to do. Because when you find something you're good at, then you will be more confident [in] yourself [and] you [will] love yourself even more," she told L!fe.
Saldua emphasized that embracing failure is equally important as stepping outside one's comfort zone. Acknowledging imperfections and learning from setbacks are vital for personal growth and self-love.
She encouraged listeners to practice self-compassion, stating, "Embracing failure and understanding your humanity is a part of being human, part of self-love. It is part of understanding that 'I need to give myself grace and forgive myself for the things I can't do or [am] unable to do or I am used [to] doing.'"
Furthermore, she stressed the importance of independence, suggesting that not letting others dictate one's actions is crucial for building self-esteem.
"Self-love has to be also you gearing away from people in terms of their opinions," she said. Saldua, who is also a first lieutenant in the Philippine Army Reserve Command, pointed out that today's social media culture often promotes unrealistic beauty standards and fosters comparisons that can erode self-esteem.
"Living your life for others in a sense that they are controlling you is something that will hinder [you] from doing a lot of things," she said.
Social media can still be beneficial when used wisely. To combat the negative impacts of social media, Saldua suggests a mindful approach. This includes curating positive content and taking digital breaks when necessary. She emphasized that true beauty encompasses more than just physical appearance.
"Being pretty is being able to achieve the best version of yourself through health, fitness, appearance but also with personality, own personal branding and reputation," Saldua explained.
She continued, "Your well-being is no longer one thing anymore. This generation is very multi-faceted. The whole part of it is just to grow for all of your aspects of life—the holistic life as a whole, and not just that one part where you are putting your energy because you [are] gonna miss out on life if you're gonna do that."