Quick. What do you find beautiful? If you are like the hundreds of people that I have talked to over the years, you did not say tall, blond, and thin. If you were talking about a person, you probably said something about confidence. If you were talking about something that is a part of nature or life, you probably said something that revealed the uniqueness of a moment or a creature.
Here is what I find fascinating. When people talk about what draws them to others, they always talk about something magnetic in the person, one’s charisma and presence, in short, confidence. When people talk about draws them to something in life or in nature, there is often something unique, vulnerable, or singularly personal being expressed.
And, yet, when I ask a person whether or not she or he is beautiful or handsome and what standard is being used to define beautiful or handsome, it’s never confidence. It’s that media-driven standard we hear so much about: being tall enough, thin enough, muscular enough, tan enough, young enough. We are willing to judge others on their presence, but for ourselves, nothing but perfection- the media’s idea of perfection- will do. And if I ask that same person if he or she has a beautiful life, they further hem-and-haw, because their life doesn’t look like the lives we see in the media. Yet, every day, there is probably a moment of beauty so profound in their day that if they just noticed it, they might be moved to tears of gratitude. But it can’t be beautiful, we think, because it is just my little ole’ life.
Well, here’s the thing. You are beautiful. Your life is beautiful. And today is all about noticing that.
Start your day today, by defining what you find beautiful in people and in life. Next, go through the day and just notice everything you see that you find beautiful. It might be the more common things you find on such a list: your child’s smile, a sunset. But my guess is that, when you crack yourself open in a way to receive beauty everywhere, there will be some delightful surprises, too. By beginning a practice of claiming what is beautiful for you and then nothing beauty in your life, you instantly brighten your life experience.
1. What is your definition of beautiful?
2. What beautiful things did you notice today? How did these observations impact you?
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I think a smile and a quality of openness make a person beautiful. Often in nature it’s a difference that stands out as beautiful. I look forward to noticing beauty everywhere I go today.
I think the most beautiful thing in a person is the quality of what I call “tough-minded”…I am not even sure I am defining it right but I use it and define it like this: being able to push through and be real/authentic. The world will tell you one thing but your gut tells you another and you choose your gut. It plays out differently in everyone’s lives, but it is the most beautiful thing when practiced over and over….you become comfortable in your own skin!
As a counselor, I get to see beautiful people every day…and when they “get it” and practice being tough-minded, even in a small way, they get a sparkle to them. THIS is so beautiful!!!
1. What is your definition of beautiful?
What I find beautiful in people: simply, a friendly smile and kind eyes. No matter who wears such features, they are the simplest of things which can convey a million words and emotions. How somebody makes me feel overrides how they look. The most aesthetically attractive person can be ugly simply through showing a negative attitude.
What I find beautiful in life: nature. I’m not naturally an ‘outdoors’ girl and all too often my eyes may be open but I don’t see the natural environment around me. I’m fortunate enough to live in a house with a beautiful big garden ans when I take the time to stop, look and see the colours and shapes of the different plants and breathe their scent I’m reminded that I’m part of something much bigger than my little bubble. That something bigger is always there for the seeing.
2. What beautiful things did you notice today? How did these observations impact you?
I took time to notice the lily pads in a river and the ducks meandering their way along. It’s simple, I know, but it was beautiful.
I sat in a tea room alone with reading my book and watching the people around me. There were families, couples, friends all enjoying each other‘s company and their food. For me, particularly with my issues around food, this simplest of pleasures is something that I no longer take for granted and something in which I find beauty. It encompasses everything for me, the company of those we love and the nurturing of ourselves with food. I mustn’t forget that this is positive and not something to be afraid of, or think I don’t deserve to be part of.
1. What is your definition of beautiful?
I think tactile things are beautiful, and things that look like something else. Objects that are larger than they should be, like huge paper clips, or smaller. I love deep colours, and prints. I love round shapes, and symmetry, in bodies and faces. I think people are beautiful when I can see them combining vulnerability with strength, and allowing others to do the same. Being strong doesn’t mean you can’t be weak. There are yoga poses I think are beautiful. I love art for its beauty, and watching people do things they’re really good at. Confidence is beautiful too.
2. What beautiful things did you notice today? How did these observations impact you?
I was looking at dresses, 50s style dresses that would really suit me (I have the round shapes too) that had photographic prints of nature scenes, and I remembered that I have a skirt with a print that looks like the ocean on a stormy day, which is beautiful, I decided to wear it. I have new pencils, I bought them because I want to take up drawing, but I enjoyed playing with them today – I thought they were beautiful and I am looking forward to using them. The joy on the guy at Starbucks’ face when we were discussing the gold medal Holland got at the Olympics was beautiful too.
There was a lot of beauty around, in small things, and they gave me a lot of joy – I didn’t know there was so much, until I started to note it actively. It was comforting to me, I wasn’t having a good day, and looking for beauty helped.
I think beauty is radiance, it’s an inner light peeking through, an echo of the divine. Now, to just remember that when I get dressed tomorrow morning. 🙂
Today, I saw beauty in my toddler squealing in delight on the slide, in swinging on our porch swing in the quiet during my kids’ naptime, in watching my old dog sleep on his bed totally at peace.
Beauty is anything that brings up a feeling of peace and quiet awe ….. & a desire to stop, look and experience just for a minute. Usually things in nature are what elicit these feelings in me.
My day was .. not beautiful to say the least. But coming home from work and being greeted by my beautiful mutty dog’s smiling eyes and wagging tail – beautiful.
Beauty, for myself, is found when I see ‘fullness’. It can be fullness of expression, i.e. a painting or a song sung from the heart- or a fullness of emotion… Like when Cyndi Lauper makes her full faces and opens her mouth as wide as it will go when she’s singing ‘good enough’. If it’s a happy hug, it’s beautiful when a person’s whole heart is in it and they don’t let go until it feels awkward.
Today I saw beauty when the deer got spooked and jumped as far as it could go in a safe direction. I saw beauty in the text messages from my dad that finally asked about more than the weather. A full heart.
So, in answering the prompts on my blog, I had a light bulb moment when I realized that I have a fair number of the traits I consider beautiful… fancy that! 😉 Thanks for the light bulb moment, Rosie. <3
I saw the beauty of a storm today as I drove home from work. It was all around me. In front of me I could actually see the rain going in its path…and crossing the road in front of me at one point. All the lightening and the wind blowing the clouds…it was beautiful. That beauty makes me stand in awe.
I think my definition of beautiful would include smiles and how they light up anyone’s face. A smile can make the whole room light up. I think it would also include self-confidence. I don’t have alot of self-confidence, so whenever I see someone who appears to, I always take notice.
Beautiful people have charisma, they obviously “feel good in their own skin”, and they have “something positive” toward others. Yesterday the 2 most beautiful persons I saw were my 3 years old daughter and the daughter of my neighbour – they both were spontaneous, authentic, they were not asking themselves what the world might think of them, they did not doubt that they are OK the way they are. We could learn a lot from young children!
Many of the things I saw were beautiful – amongst others: the hair of my daughter, white cream being slowly stired into a dark chocolate dough, my daughter’s teddys lovely sitting together (not only the aspect of the teddys, but also the intention of my daughter made it beautiful), blades of grass dancing in the wind, sparkling stars in the deep blue velvet sky. Also the gorgeous smell outside in the evening were beautiful to me, a mix of bramble, grass, trees, flowers…. hmmm…
Today when I thought of beauty the first thing I thought of was this dress I saw for sale it’s beautiful! Flows and graceful! So I think that I feel unimportant in my drab grey clothing right now maybe it’s time for a little color perk me up in my wardrobe? I do find beauty in lots of other things this was just what came to my mind today will keep looking!
1. What is your definition of beautiful?
Acceptance of self is a beautiful sight. You radiate from the inside out. This is something I work on in each present moment. Even the parts that shine, that feel like there not pretty they are – because there still me. An ongoing challenge!
These definitions are beautiful to me. Can you see how you fall into your definition? Can you see how the grace we give others is so much sweeter than the grace we give ourselves? Can you allow yourself to be defined by your own definition of beauty?