Tag Archives: beauty

“Open your eyes to the beauty around you. Open your mind to the wonders of life. Open your heart to those who love you, and always be true to yourself.”

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“Open your eyes to the beauty around you. Open your mind to the wonders of life. Open your heart to those who love you, and always be true to yourself.”

—Maya Angelou, late American poet, memoirist, civil rights activist

Only four presidents — John F. Kennedy in 1961, Bill Clinton in 1993 and 1997, Barack Obama in 2009 and 2013, and Joe Biden in 2021 — have included poets in their inaugurations. Maya Angelou was one of those six poets. I hope her nuggets of wisdom in today’s quote resonates for you.

EXERCISE:

Please take a look and explore the work of these six poets, and the messages for their time in history:

2021: Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb”
2013: Richard Blanco, “One Today”
2009: Elizabeth Alexander, “Praise Song for the Day”
1997: Miller Williams, “Of History and Hope”
1993: Maya Angelou, “On the Pulse of Morning”
1961: Robert Frost, “The Gift Outright”

“Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”

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“Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”

—Franz Kafka, 20th Century German-speaking Bohemian novelist

Image from Unsplash by Mitchell Maglio

The phrase Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder can only take us so far in life. Given the increasing pace of our lives, many of us struggle with even taking the time to perceive and fully appreciate the beauty around and within our world.

Considering beauty as a fountain of youth may cause all of us to take a far more comprehensive look at this skill, much like our current efforts to eat better, exercise more, and get the rest we need to be our best, for ourselves and those we love.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can and will you more fully experience and delight in all the miraculous beauty around and within you?

Hopefully, just the anticipation of doing so will put a lot more youthful pep in your step!

Friday Review of Posts about Beauty

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FRIDAY REVIEW: BEAUTY

How do you define beauty? Here are a few beauty-related posts you may have missed. Click the link to read the full message.

 

“Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty – they merely move it from their faces into their hearts.”

 

 

 

“Create a life that feels good on the inside, not one that just looks good on the outside.”

 

 

 

“There is nothing that makes its way more directly to the soul than beauty.”

 

 

 

“Some people look for a beautiful place, while other people make a place beautiful.”

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“Some people look for a beautiful place, while other people make a place beautiful.”

—Hazrat Inayat Khan, 19th Century Founder of the Sufi Order

Image of paint brushes and bright colors

Image from Unsplash by Anna Kolosyuk

We have all heard the quote, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

If this is true, how much beauty have you beheld today? Many people believe they must visit special places like new cities, national parks, or other bucket list destinations to see such beauty.

Those more tuned into the power of beauty to inspire and enliven our worlds discover and see beauty in the more familiar people, places and things right in their own yards.

Today’s quote challenges us to take a step further to see and become a proactive creator of beauty instead of just a consumer of it.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can you bring – or better yet, create – a more beautiful world to inspire yourself and others in your communities?

There is just as much beauty visible to us

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“There is just as much beauty visible to us in the landscape as we are prepared to appreciate – not a grain more.”

—Henry David Thoreau, 19th Century American essayist, poet, and philosopher

Image of a zebra on the African tundra

Image from Unsplash by Ron Dauphin

We have all heard the saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” For whatever reason, I and perhaps many of you simply glance at this phrase and give only a passing nod of acknowledgement.

In August, my wife Wendy and I took the trip of a lifetime to Africa, Iceland, and Ireland with two good friends. Three weeks and thousands of mouth-gaping experiences and photographs gave us a new and expanded appreciation of the beauty of our planet and its people.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you enhance your capacity to see and appreciate the beauty all around you by looking more deeply into your own communities – and of course, booking your next bucket list adventure?

These are the things our souls metabolize

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“These are the things that our souls metabolize to be healthy: we need beauty, we need truth, and we need goodness.”

—John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market

Image of sunrise over a mountain, with today's quote
Did you know that the human body can go for more than three weeks without food? The maximum time we can go without water is about a week.

Protein, carbohydrates, and fats make up our food and nourish our bodies for optimal health.

Today’s quote suggests that feeding our souls requires beauty, truth, and goodness if we are to flourish and thrive.

EXERCISE:

What is it that you hunger for? What do your body and soul need most for optimal health? How would incorporating greater beauty, truth, and goodness in each day enrich and improve your life?

“Create a life that feels good on the inside…”

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“Create a life that feels good on the inside, not one that just looks good on the outside.”

-Author Unknown

image from positivelyaging.org

image from positivelyaging.org

Many years ago, when Saturday Night Live was in its first years, there was a funny series of skits portrayed by Billy Crystal, titled “Fernando’s Hideaway.” His signature line was “You Look Mah-velous!”

With not a hair out of place, Fernando always says “I would rather look good than feel good, you know?” In our society today, we can observe this “looking good” approach to life success through the material, or status trappings many people pursue.

Alternatively, there has been a very significant journey inward for many people, where greater health, wisdom, and spiritual growth are increasingly valued and pursued.

EXERCISE:

Explore and take one action today that would enhance your mental, emotional, or spiritual worlds. Consider making this exercise a daily habit, and don’t be surprised if this inner work makes you look better on the outside, because you will be wearing considerably more smiles.

#83: “The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions…”

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“…Our inner balance, and even our very existence, depends on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to our lives.”

– Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist

Watching the Olympic Games over the past couple of weeks has been a highlight of my summer. Beyond the gold medals and extraordinary human achievement, we all got to see some special human moments of great beauty and dignity.

Did you see them too?

  • Athletes showing tears of joy in respect and honor of their country’s national anthem
  • Athletes thanking a higher power for their gifts and achievements
  • Athletes honoring their team-mates and competitors
  • The world coming together in peace to celebrate the human spirit

Exercise:

How can you bring your highest moral values and actions to each day and to those people around you, to experience greater beauty, balance and dignity in your life?

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