“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.”– Kahlil Gibran
Hello my beautiful friend. Today we are talking about beauty.
What does beauty mean to you? What do you use as a measure to determine what is beautiful to you or not?
I found myself contemplating this question last week on my way home from Phoenix. I was on the plane, and I looked out my window, and there was this gorgeous shade of electric pink lining the sky. It blew me away, because in that brief moment I recognized the miracle of color and the way our planet is painted with so many different shades of red, pink, blue, green, yellow, purple, and orange.
And it got me thinking…
How often do we REALLY see beauty in it’s truest form? What are we trained or conditioned to look for when we look in the mirror, around at our environment, or at the person standing in front of us? Are we looking for pure physical beauty, or are we recognising the deeper beauty that illuminates our planet and our fellow humans?
As a coach, I have an awareness about looking for my client’s “glimpse of genius.” So I have trained myself in the context of my work, to look for what is special, brilliant, and beautiful in the potential or current client on the other end of the phone or Skype call. When I really listen for this and look for it, I find it every single time. I become aware of my client’s unique gifts, strengths, and talents. I become one lucky receiver of the light in their heart.
“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller
As someone who as healed so much shame and self-doubt, low self-esteem, and self-judgment, I appreciate very much what it means to look for beauty in the heart, and to feel it with the heart.
For me, that feels liberating. It frees me up to experience a much more expansive form of beauty in myself and in others.
What about you? How do things shift or change when you begin to look for beauty in your own heart, and in the heart of others? How does that change the way you see yourself and those around you?
I still have to work on this daily. As we grow older, I think it is normal to be thrown off every now and then when we look in the mirror and see things changing. When we notice we are no longer the wrinkle free 20 year old that we may still feel like inside, it can ware on our self-image and confidence. Or maybe it’s that our body isn’t the exact size or shape we have been made to believe is “beautiful.”
Our physical youth and beauty is never a permanent thing. So why would it make sense to depend on finding beauty in something that is forever changing, or out of our control?
What if the impermanence of physical beauty is simply a call for us to look deeper, to find the glimpse of genius, to see the miracle of light and color, and to look for beauty with the heart rather than the eyes? And how does that feel to make that shift?
What if beauty is in the eye of the beholder who is trained to look for it in everything?
Here Are 5 ways to Experience More Beauty in Yourself and the World Around You:
1) When you look in the mirror, be committed to seeing the light in your eyes. Your eyes are windows into your Soul. Can you see that infinite being and presence of love looking back at you? Be determined to find this within yourself, and when you hear the voice of self-doubt and judgment, don’t listen. Instead, acknowledge the same miracle that paints the sky electric pink, inside of you. You are formless, you are colorful, you have gifts and talents, and there is magic in your heart.
2) When you look around in nature, see more than just trees, grass, and sky. Look for their breath and acknowledge their brightness of color. Imagine if you were looking at nature as if someone had painted that exact picture. Would you be in awe of their use of color or the way they placed things where they are? Our planet is gorgeous, our Universe is brilliant, and what is even more beautiful, is the miracle of life force underneath all the forms of color, and all the expressions of life.
3) Just notice when you are unable or unwilling to see beauty in someone or something, or in yourself. Just notice the resistance. Your awareness of the resistance is powerful enough to shift your experience. So just acknowledge, “There is resistance within me.” No judgment about this. Simply acknowledge.
4) Name 1-3 qualities you would like to experience in yourself each day. For example, “Today I would like to experience playfulness inside myself.” And throughout the day look for the ways you can be playful and innocent, childlike, and wide-eyed about life. Notice what’s fun and where there is an opportunity to make light of a situation or to bring an element of ease and play to a situation. Acknowledge yourself for the essence of playfulness that lives inside of you. Isn’t that beautiful?
5) Decide to look for what is good in you and others throughout the day. For example, “I notice how good I listened to my friend earlier.” Or “I acknowledge myself for being patient with my partner and loving him even-though he was having a moment of frustration with me.” Or, “I am noticing my partner is reacting strongly to this situation, and I am compassionate because I know this is painful for him on a deeper level than he is acknowledging for himself. So I will acknowledge and notice it for him, and love him through it. He is not his pain, he is a good man.”
As with anything, the more we practice applying these principles, the easier it gets and the more automatically the new way of being becomes our default program.
I truly believe that there is so much undiscovered beauty in you, in me, and in the world around us. May we use today and every day to find even more of it!
Let me know how this article was for you. You matter, you make a difference, and I love hearing from you! So please share your comments and questions with us here or on social media!
Thank you for your presence here! If there is anything you would like to request, or feedback you have for me, I would love to hear it.
Love,
Erin
P.S. As a coach I help my clients kick shame and self-doubt to the curb once and for all! Self-Love is the most powerful tool we can have. When we have it, miracles happen. My clients have done everything from finding their true love to starting their passion business that brings fame and fortune into their lives. Their is no limits to what is possible when we get shame and doubt out of the way and begin to operate from love! If you want this for yourself, let’s talk. Email me at [email protected] and ask me about my coaching programs.
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