Let me begin by sharing this quote with you:
"Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself." Coco Chanel
Let me ask you this question. What is beauty to you? Do you look all around you and see beauty in your children, in your pets, your spouse, your friends? Do you look at your home and see beauty that is created by YOU? When you look into your closet, do you see a wardrobe that you have curated into a beautiful selection that reflects your personal style?
Beauty can mean very different things to different people. It is always in your best interest to determine what beauty means to you. And once you've done that, it is also your responsibility to create that beauty in every area of your life. I'm not suggesting you do this in order to look better than anyone else, or to feel superior to anyone. I'm suggesting, no, insisting that you determine what is beautiful to you and surround yourself with it. Surrounding yourself with beauty will create a feeling of happiness and contentment that is only for YOU.
Where you find beauty in this life is most likely, completely different than where I find beauty. When I choose to add beauty that I into my life, it is only for me. For me, to create beauty is to create a feeling, an atmosphere, a way of being that reinforces who I want to become. I have spent a great deal of time seeking out and choosing what I find to be beautiful in the various areas of my life and then implementing those things into my daily life. By doing this, I wake up every day surrounded by beauty and embodying that beauty, just for me. When I live my life and go about each day enjoying the beautiful things in my life, I am living a life I've chosen for myself - not one that I've stumbled upon accidentally, or inherited from someone else's ideas.
By living on purpose, and allowing only the exquisite - suelement l'exquis - into my life, I am choosing the way I live my life. I am selecting what I allow into my life, and I am very particular about what that is. I am referring to food, people, things, ideas, clothes, shoes, decorative items, jewelry, all of it. Only the exquisite. And that's just me.
Once we are able to choose who we want to become, and surround ourselves with those things that represent the life we want to live, we will begin to feel that the life we want is already ours! And when we live this way, everything will begin to show up for us.
Please believe me, I am not suggesting that you run out and purchase things you cannot afford. What I am saying is slow down! Don't purchase things just because they are a "good deal." Curate what you allow into your life very carefully and begin to weed out what doesn't feel exquisite to you and doesn't represent who you are becoming.
Here are some things that have worked for me when adding beauty into my life. I think they may work for you as well.
1. Give yourself a little more time in the morning when you are getting ready to begin your day. Take a few extra minutes and put on some make up, fix your hair, make a conscious choice about what you're going to wear. Then ask yourself if what you've done represents who you would like to become. If not, make some changes. Try again tomorrow, and again and again until you feel exactly the way you want to feel as your begin your day.
2. Clean your house! That's right! I don't mean just dusting and vacuuming. I mean rid yourself of all of the excess that clutters up your home and your mind. Clean up the kitchen. Put things away. Declutter your brains out!!! Clarity is power and simplicity is freedom. Lighten up your load of "junk" so you can open yourself up to lightness and creativity.
3. Clean out your car! Seriously! Burger wrappers and stray fries in the backseat? Children's toys, I totally get that, but at least put them in a tote bag behind one of the seats! You can tell a lot about a person by looking into their car. What is your car saying about you? And I don't mean the Make/Model. I'm talking about the cleanliness. Your attention to detail! Give it some thought and get it cleaned out!
4. When is the last time you cleaned out your makeup drawer? Wash those brushes! Even if you are the only one using them, they need to be cleaned at least once each month. Baby shampoo works great, so does dish washing liquid. Are you hoarding makeup from 5 or 10 years ago because it was expensive? Say bye bye to that old, expired stuff! You don't need it, and anything you've held onto for that long, you haven't been using. Again! Bye bye!!!
5. Put some fresh flowers in your house. Flowers are Nature's Chanel. They create a beautiful mood and atmosphere wherever you put them. They don't need to be expensive! Costco has them, your local grocery store has them. Even your local gas station probably has them. Get yourself some flowers and put them where you can see them, them write a comment below and let me know how they make you feel.
6. Get yourself some beautiful candles! These don't have to be expensive either! TJMaxx HomeGoods has TONS of them! So does the Dollar Store! Create a beautiful mood with some candles in your bathroom, on your dining table, in your bedroom! If the flame freaks you out, get some flameless candles. You won't get a great scent from them, but the ambiance will be there!
7. Find some beautiful music to listen to! Just some pretty background music when nothing else is going on. This is another great way to create ambiance and beauty in your home.
8. Put a beautiful picture of someone you love on your bedside table. Use a beautiful frame. I also believe you should get yourself a beautiful water glass for your bedside table. The Red Solo Cup does not scream BEAUTY! Get something pretty that makes you feel special! I have a Baccarat Crystal Tumbler. Just one! It makes me feel like a queen!
9. Clean off your bathroom vanity! Is everything you own out on display? Let's get that stuff put away, my beautiful creature! Only keep what you use every day around, and put everything else in a cabinet or in a pretty box somewhere. Declutter, declutter, declutter! Put a pretty candle on your vanity! Clean it up even if no one but you sees it! This is not for anyone else. Just YOU.
10. When you have dinner, use your prettiest serving dishes, your prettiest china. Use real flatware and NOT plastic! Get yourself a few cloth napkins. Glam it up, baby! This will make mealtime much more elegant and enjoyable. Those cloth napkins will go nicely in your laundry when you're done! Light the candles, put on some music and create the feeling of elegance and beauty when you dine!
"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." Virginia Woolf
These are just a few of my ideas for adding beauty into your life, and I admit that they may take a bit of work to create. Some of them are quick fixes and others will take some thought. However, when it comes to creating beauty in your life, this is a wonderful place to start.
Please leave me a comment below and let me know what you think about this week's post!
Next week: BRAINS! my love! BRAINS!
Have a Beautifully Brilliant Day!!
Donna
Please visit my website. Here you will gain more inspiration and learn how you can work with me to create your most beautiful life!
www.BrillianceFactor.com
