We’ve all heard sayings, such as, “You are what you eat,” or “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” The latter typically refers to the fact that no two people look at the same object in exactly the same way. This is part of what makes art so interesting.
There’s another way to interpret that saying, however. “Beauty is in the mind of the beholder,” meaning the types of thoughts we allow to take up space in our minds creates (or destroys) beauty in our lives.
Do you ever notice that certain things make you feel more beautiful or can make something or someone appear more beautiful to you? It could be something as simple as getting dressed up to go out for an evening or having your hair done at a salon. In my own life, I often felt beautiful when I was pregnant. Maybe when you see flowers growing, you feel beautiful inside. In much the same way, just as things we see or experience can make us feel beautiful or appreciate beauty, the thoughts we carry in our own minds can add or detract from beauty in our lives as well.
Another way to put it is that ugly thoughts breed ugliness. The Bible tells us to hold our own thoughts captive. Just as our bodies become living results of the types of food we eat, our lives are also culminations of our thoughts. Much evidence exists to show that positive thinking actually promotes faster healing in the body.
How then, might our thoughts influence beauty in our lives? By making a concentrated effort to think beautiful thoughts and ponder beautiful ideas, we increase our life encounters with beauty.
It’s easy to understand the importance of a healthy diet and regular physical activity and exercise. Many people neglect their thoughts, however. By changing your thought patterns from those that function more like uncontrolled onslaughts of random ideas to focused, intentional, purposeful thinking, you strengthen your mind and body and can add beauty to your life because “Beauty is in the mind of the beholder.”
Why not challenge yourself to add more beauty to your life by starting a beauty journal? Resolve to spend time putting beautiful thoughts in writing, including single words, phrases, ideas, or descriptive anecdotes that evoke images of beauty in your life. Reread the passages you enter in your journal at various times, especially on days when beauty or positivity seem distant.
*Having trouble knowing how to start? Take a look at the following beautiful thoughts:
*The glimmer of sunlight as it shines down on the surface of the ocean at daybreak
*Daffodils and crocuses bursting into bloom in early spring
*A new father holding his tiny infant in his arms
*An elderly couple holding hands as they walk
*A young boy sitting quietly as he waits for fish to bite his bait
Spend some time slowly and thoroughly pondering these mental images in your mind. You can create a similar list of general ‘beauty’ ideas by allowing yourself to meditate on beauty and writing down the thoughts that come to mind or by adding more specific thoughts by regarding actual incidents that took place or things you have seen or experienced that you considered, beautiful.
Think of the boost you can give your creative self with this project! You could even create a digital beauty journal that includes photos you snap on-the-go when you’re blessed with a ‘beauty’ moment in your day. If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at blogging, you can create a beautiful thoughts/beautiful life blog.
When times are tough and life’s trials are heavy, beauty still exists and is often a mere thought away! What brings beauty to your mind?
Writer Bio: Judy Dudich
Judy Dudich resides in the beautiful woods of Pennsylvania, where 24 acres of land and a home-office provide the perfect setting for her children’s home-education and her own homesteading and business ventures. Life is full of blessings (and challenges!) for Judy, as a wife, mother of 10 and Grammy to six. She is a published author, whose book, “I Surrender/A Study Guide for Women” continues to encourage and support others in Christian family lifestyles throughout the world. Judy has also previously worked in the online speaking circuit. Her passion for permaculture, re-purposing, foraging and organic gardening fills her days with learning and adventure that she loves to share.
