Without a doubt, I see outside beauty as do most people.  However, outside beauty only keeps my interest when it is backed up with internal beauty.  

How you treat people:

I am most uncomfortable when I am in the presence of people who are not considerate to others.  I want to fade out of the environment I am in and escape to a place where others are treated as I would like to be treated.  

Sometimes it is as simple as being with people who are rude to those serving them, other times it is more long-term as in someone I interact with at work.  In all cases, the outside beauty of the person fades when the inside beauty is lacking.  

I have had moments when I knew I could have been nicer regarding a situation.  In that case, I always pray for forgiveness and understanding.  I work hard at appropriately apologizing for those times and pray that I don’t make the same mistake twice!  

I have had many great mentors who have provided positive interactions and solid examples of how to treat others.  I try to think of how I would want to be treated in the particular circumstances before I react to the issue at hand.  

It gives me great joy to be around respectful individuals.  People who think about how they are treating others and who go out of their way to make others feel special.  To me, this is inner beauty.

When you are there for people:

In my experience, one of the nicest things someone can do is be there for other individuals.  Being there for someone is harder than it appears.  It means scarfing what you may want to do for the benefit of someone else. It also means that you have to be able to understand what the person truly needs or wants.  

I try to set aside my thoughts on what I feel is the right thing to do and focus on listening to what the other person is communicating.  Often those two things are very different.  The logical thing is not always what the person needs, wants, or is ready to experience.  

When I am attempting to be there for someone, I pray that I identify what it is that would be helpful to the individual.    There is great beauty in listening to others.  

How you respond to people:

Beauty shines through when one treats people with respect.  It makes me smile when someone responds kindly.  Responding with a sincere gesture can make someone’s otherwise ordinary day a blessing.  It is funny how one can say the same words with different emphases and have drastically different outcomes.  I am always grateful when the response I receive is one of inner beauty.       

The things you do for people:

There is great beauty in service to others.  I try to be open to opportunities to help others.  Sometimes that means helping people I know other times it means helping strangers.  I have been very blessed by others who have been thoughtful to me; and in return, I try to be aware of opportunities when I can be helpful to others.  Service to others does not have to be planned.  We can serve others as we carry on with our daily routines.    

Beauty that grows from within and illuminates out is precious and something to cherish.  When you experience being around inner beauty it is life-changing and addicting.   I pray that my eyes and ears will be open to the abundance of inner beauty in this world.   

Click here to stay connected.