#positivethinking

I have noticed, that like me, many of you are having a hard time noticing beauty around you.  Some of you have responded to my affirmation posts and said, “what beauty?” or “there is no beauty in my life.”  I hear you.

I remember when I was at my darkest hour and I met a friend of mine, Ian, for coffee. I was depressed, I felt betrayed, I felt hopeless.  He said to me, “Don’t worry about all that stuff. Look outside, it’s a beautiful day!”  I honestly remember looking outside and I couldn’t see anything pretty about the day. It looked like it always had and it wasn’t helping me feel any better.  I was diving deeper and deeper into my emotional pit. I knew it, but I couldn’t stop it.

Have you ever felt this way?  If so, I can help you.

A few days later, I thought about what Ian had said and I decided that I was feeling so low, I had nothing to lose by trying to see beauty around me. Maybe he was right, maybe I could feel better. I didn’t cost me anything to try it, so I did.

I had nothing to lose by trying to see beauty around me

I walked outside of my apartment and I looked up. I tried to notice fully what was around me. A blue and white sky, the sun, a few birds and I took a deep breath of the air I was standing in.  I closed my eyes and felt the sun on my face. I listened for trees to move or a bird to make a sound.  I realized in that moment I was living in beauty.

I did not focus my attention on the cars driving by, the smell of exhaust, the noisy sound of the train not too far away, the neighbor’s dog barking.  Those where there too, but I didn’t look at those things or pay attention to those things. I let those things fade out and I only noticed the beauty.

Guess what?  I felt better. It was almost instant. I stayed in that place for as long as I needed to really soak in the goodness. It took me 15 minutes to feel better and to really appreciate what I was observing.

Take note that both “good” and “bad” conditions existed but I only focused on what was good.  Try this today, right now. You will feel better.