If you’ve lost your sparkle, remember those words from spoken word poet Shane Koyczan. His piece, “Instructions for a Bad Day,” is read in the video above. The five-minute clip, created by Jon Goodgion from his own footage as well as pieces from Kevin Macdonald’s crowd-sourced documentary “Life In A Day,” makes for instant inspiration. – Huffington Post
Our job is to beautify. But we all know that a deeper beauty lies within and all the jewels in the world can’t compare with that. So here are some reminders of true beauty:
Whenever you are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul. ~Alice Walker
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our hearts are drunk with a beauty our eyes could never see. ~George W. Russell
I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful. ~Author Unknown
Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. ~Khalil Gibran
That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful. ~Ninon de L’Enclos
Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty — they merely move it from their faces into their hearts. ~Martin Buxbau
I don’t like standard beauty — there is no beauty without strangeness. ~Karl Lagerfeld
We’re in the business of making people sparkle with our custom designed jewelry and high-end retail jewelry. But how do you sparkle without the external adornments?
Here are some quick pointers so you can shine from the inside (we’ll work on the outside!):
* Rest, relax and eat well. Nothing makes you look better from the inside then simply taking good care of yourself. Think of how you look after a good night’s sleep. Your eyes shine, your face looks relaxed and you feel like you can take on the world. Or how about after a healthy meal? You feel more vibrant, balanced.
* Clean your spirit. Yes, the dreaded “m” word will be uttered: meditation. Even if the concept alludes you, take a mere 5 minutes before you start your day and simply focus on your breathing, nothing else. If thoughts pop up, let them come and go, without any judgement. At the end of the five minutes, go look in the mirror. You’ll be surprised at the glow that emanates from you. Our minds need to take breaks; they can’t be running madly all day long. If prayer works better for you, then do that.
* Laugh like you mean it. What is it about a good laugh that almost feel akin to a good cry? It purges the soul of mental “gunk” and helps you breathe easier, as if something heavy and dark has easily passed through you. Don’t feel like laughing? Fake it. Studies have concluded that even fake laughter has its benefits.
If you just feel like the sparkle in you has diminished, that’s alright too. Sit with it. Figure out what has been dulling your soul shine. Maybe it’s grief or old anger. Explore the causes in a kind and gentle way. Get to the root of it. Grieve, express, release.
Remember:
Many of us, especially women, are lured into believing the only way to feel good about ourselves is buying that new piece of clothing or losing X amount of weight or fixing something we perceive “broken” about our physical appearance. It’s a trap many can’t escape (because perfection is an illusive goal, remember!).
But it’s easy to break the chains of negative self-image as long as we’re willing to shift our focus a little. This article in Little Buddha by Jade Yap points out that simply focusing on the world around you (instead of the churning universe inside your head), you can get back on the path of true self-acceptance.
3. Recognize and limit external factors that spark feelings of negativity.
Know your triggers—the things that immediately leave you feeling bad about yourself. These may be certain celebrity magazines or social media websites like Facebook. Identify them and take steps to limit their role in your life.
4. Discover the root cause that makes you feel bad.
You may hate an aspect or more of your appearance, convincing yourself, “If only I had a thinner body, I would be happy/successful/fulfilled.” However, more than likely, the real reason for your unhappiness lies under the surface.
For example, your fixation on getting a better body may stem from an insecurity of never being “good enough.” If this is the case, you will always find an aspect of yourself to criticize, whether it’s your weight or your hair color.
Identify the root cause and acknowledge how it’s led you to feel this way. Then remind yourself that it is an irrational insecurity that makes you feel bad about yourself and how you look.
5. Focus outward.
While it’s always important to work within oneself, it can also be helpful to turn your attention to helping others. Let’s face it: there are far more important things in the world than looks.
Volunteering in your local community, for instance, is a great way to feel positive about doing something beautiful for others and increase your confidence. It can really help to put your hang-ups in perspective.
To finally be at peace with how you look is no easy feat, especially if you have suffered from low self-esteem in the past.
