‘The beauty you see around you is a reflection of the beauty inside you.’
Just think about that for a minute. What it says is that if there was no beauty inside of you, you would not recognise beauty around you…
That means, all you have to do to appreciate yourself and acknowledge the beauty inside you, is find something that is beautiful. Fortunately, this is not too difficult. For starters, nature is full of it.
The trick is to be open to beauty everywhere and in all places: Nature, artwork, architecture, great ideas, the use of language as it paints a picture, music, the elegant solution to a mathematical problem… the opportunities are endless. Even in areas or conditions we habitually regard as ugly, you can find beauty. Ever seen a rainbow in an oil slick?
Love and beauty is closely linked … that is my experience whenever I contemplate the thought
‘The beauty I see is a reflection of the beauty in me.’
I feel supported, loved, blessed, my burden feels lighter.
It’s something I strongly encourage. Find something of beauty every day. It may be a sunset, it may be the patter of raindrops on the roof, it may be a painting, it may be the smell of freshly ground coffee, it may be words that speak to you, it may be the way someone explains a complex concept in a simple way, easy to grasp and understand.
Become aware of the beauty around you and realise that it is a reflection of the beauty in you. And let that thought seep deeply into your conscious and subconscious mind.
If you’re not convinced, perhaps this question will help to explain: ‘Tell me this: How are you able to recognise an apple if you don’t know what an apple is?’
Similarly, ‘How are you able to recognise beauty if you don’t already know what beauty is?’
Here’s another perspective from the Hindu spiritual teacher, Shantananda_Saraswati: ‘The mere fact that beauty is seen proves that there is beauty already present in the being of the observer.’
Test it for yourself
Set up a little project for one week.
Every day for the next seven days
- Find something of beauty– make it something different each day.
- Simply notice.
- Remind yourself: ‘The beauty I see is a reflection of the beauty in me.’
- Stay with it for a moment
- Notice how you feel; how you experienced that.
At the end of the week, reflect on your experience. How was it for you? Did you find beauty in unexpected places? Where was that? How do you feel about beauty after this week? About yourself? Life? What if anything has changed for you?
Make it fun. Find a buddy to do it with.
Deepen the impact. Keep a journal to note your observations every day.
Create a habit. Why stop at seven days? Why not make it a habit to be on the lookout to find beauty and appreciate yourself in this way every single day?
Finally, do let Ms Nosey Parker here know how it was for you… I am most curious.
