Beauty is rather subjective, but channeling your unique beauty isn't. Every individual is beautiful in their own way, you just need to tap into it. Stop comparing yourself to others; it is a toxic habit that we should all quit. You will never look like that girl in the magazine, because you aren't her and you will never be her. Stop beating yourself up about it.

It is wearing you down and making you ugly. Learning how to be beautiful isn't about Photoshopping your face and body. Beauty is about so much more than that. There are some fundamental actions that you can take to show the world the best face that you have to offer, but what really makes you shine is your personality. The key to looking beautiful is developing a positive personality that everyone loves to be around while also taking care of your physical body.

Here are 15 ways to get you started in the right direction.

1. Clean up your eating habits. Throw out all the processed foods in your cupboards and switch up your grocery list with whole foods. This isn't necessarily about losing weight. You can be beautiful at any size. Ditching the preservatives and eating whole foods will improve your health. You will start to feel more energized, skin conditions may clear up, and your immune system will get an incredible boost. Nobody looks pretty during flu season with a Kleenex up their nose.

2. Get active. In addition to all the fantastic physical benefits, regular daily exercise has been proven to improve your mental health. It releases endorphins that help you deal with stress better. Having a sunnier outlook on life's challenges will make you a more enjoyable to be around. You will smile more naturally throughout the day, and a smile makes everyone shine.

3. Stand up straight. Slouching makes you look like you are trying to curl down into the fetal position and hug yourself. Insecurity doesn't look good on anyone. Standing up right will instantly improve how you look. You will look more confident and competent in what you are doing, and people will notice that and mirror those concepts back at you by treating you like they believe in you. This creates a feedback loop where you gain more confidence in yourself.

4. Trust your hairdresser. The next time you are due at the hairdressers, instead of instructing them on what you want, ask them to give you suggestions. Hairdressers are professionals who have the education to suggest hairstyles that will flatter your face while complimenting the level of commitment you are willing to put into styling each day. Usually when people are not satisfied with their haircut, they asked the hairdresser to give them one that doesn't actually flatter their face in the first place.

5. Clean out your closet. Only wear clothes that flatter your body and make you feel great when you put them on. Identify every single item in your closet that doesn't meet this standard and consider donating them to a local charity. When you wear clothes that make you feel good, it will show on the outside as well.

6. Make eye contact with people when you are talking to them. It will let them know that you are paying attention, and you will gain their confidence. When you dart your eyes away and look elsewhere, you appear inconsiderate and shifty.

7. Start using whitening tooth paste if you aren't already. This is particularly important for big coffee or red wine drinkers. These beverages stain your teeth over prolonged exposure.

8. Drink more water. You need to get at least 8 glasses of water a day. You should drink another cup of water for every caffeinated drink that you consume as well. Water is so fundamental to the health of your body, that just improving in this area alone will make you see results. Water detoxifies the body, and hydrates not only your skin, but your hair too.

9. Get your eight hours of sleep at night. You know those unsightly bags under your eyes that you keep piling concealer on? Those are there because you aren't sleeping enough. Your body heals when it is sleeping and you simply aren't giving it enough time to do its job. Put a few slices of cucumber on those bags to help cool the inflammation and try to get more Zs.

10. At the end of each day, make a note of something positive that happened. This will force you to start thinking more positively about your life on a daily basis. Making this practice a habit will condition you to pay attention to the good things that are happening to you while they are happening.

11. Exfoliate your skin at night. Wash away your makeup before going down for the night. Leaving it on overnight will clog your pores and lead to acne. Instead, give your face a fresh start every morning by preparing it properly at night. First wash your face with a gentle cleanser, and then exfoliate. You can make your very own homemade beauty products at home with some coconut oil, sea salt, and ground coffee beans.

12. Affirmations. Tell yourself that you are beautiful when you get ready in the morning. You may be a little unconvinced when you first show up in the bathroom with a rat's nest for hair and gunk in your eyes, but that's okay. Splash some water on your face, brush out your hair and tell yourself that you are great. We are bombarded in the media with notices that we aren't good enough. Sure there are places we can all improve, but you're pretty great just as you are.

13. Highlight your best feature. Draw attention to the things about yourself that you feel the most good about. This will improve your overall appearance.

14. Get professionally fitted for a bra. 80% of women wear the wrong bra size. Stop being one of them and get yourself fitted. Wearing the wrong size of bra will give you poor support and lead to back pain. The hunchback look isn't exactly “in” this season.

15. Be a nice person. Keep negative opinions to yourself and only say something if it's going to be positive. Avoid the temptation to gossip and try to give people the benefit of the doubt. All physical beauty will eventually fade away, but the glow of a good person lasts forever.