Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Each person’s definition will be different based on their life experiences, culture, and values. What you see as beautiful is unique to you.

When we seek beauty around us, we find pleasure. Seeing beauty around us lightens our heart and lifts our spirit.

This is a good way to live.

What does it mean to seek beauty?

The habit of seeking beauty starts with an intention. The motive to look for beauty will show you many things that normally would escape your attention.

Seeking is an attempt to find something. Like looking for a lost piece of priceless jewelry, you pursue it and focus your attention on finding it. When you find this expensive possession, you’re relieved to have it back. Finding beauty is the same. This valuable resource is priceless, and you’ll be glad when you find it.

Practicing this habit requires focusing on what is right in front of you. It’s being open to beauty in life’s everyday moments. It’s noticing flowers in the spring, the first snowflakes of winter, the innocence of a baby’s cry, and inspiration of a friend overcoming difficulty. Beauty is all around us, but we can miss it if we don’t pay attention.

This habit will alter your state of mind. It steers your observations towards the good and beautiful instead of the bad and ugly. For those of you who naturally see the glass as half empty, this discipline will change your focus towards seeing it half full.

Why is it a good Habit to seek beauty?

Seeking beauty will help you manage and get rid of stress. As you notice beautiful things, your attention is drawn away from your struggles and lands on something that delights your heart. This is no small thing! Like a positive affirmation for your spirit, seeking beauty is a stress reliever.

Finding beautiful things can also be inspiring. Years ago, I volunteered at a marathon and guided runners as they rounded a corner at mile 6. The breadth of runners surprised me; old, young, male, female, large, small, and a plethora of running strides. Never before had I seen beauty in resilience as each runner took on the challenge to run 26.2 miles that day.

Just think of how happy, content, and satisfied you are when you see something beautiful. And like a mirror reflecting an image, it compels you to somehow reflect the beauty you see. When you see beautiful things, you make the world a better place.

Seeking beauty takes you away from thinking solely about yourself. As your focus shifts outward, your perspective is enlarged, and you get beyond yourself. Interestingly, it also touches something inside of you as you will connect with what is valuable and beautiful to you. Beauty expands you both outwardly and inwardly.

Beauty brings awareness of pleasant things. It’s a good habit because it draws into your life that which is pleasing to your heart, good for your mind, and healing to your spirit. Without seeking beauty, we miss out on this very pleasant part of life.

How can you form the habit of seeking beauty?

Put down your phone. If there’s one thing that will distract you from the world around you, it’s a smart phone. I suggest working intentionally to carve out space for your phone and not have it continually grab your attention away from your life. Use your phone as a tool that you use when you need assistance, not as a burden that jumbles your thoughts with information from another place. Mindlessly scrolling through a phone has become a bad habit and it will keep you from seeking beauty.
Ask other people what is beautiful to them. This will both help you understand others better and may give you ideas on where to look for beauty.
Take the time to observe aka stop and smell the roses. I won’t harp on too much phone use again. When you are waiting in line, riding the subway, taking a walk, or attending a meeting, take time to look around. What do you hear, see, or smell? Let your body, mind, and spirit breathe. Find beauty in that moment.
Be open to new experiences. Recently I went on a Segway Tour. Not only was it fun and interesting but I also learned how it feels to be one of those funny 2-wheeled vehicles. I experienced a new kind of beauty not seen before.
Spend time in nature. Our world screams with beauty from the changing of leaves in autumn to the first buds of spring. Take note of dogs walking, bushes you regularly walk by, and the sky. There is beauty in all of them! This universe is infinitely beautiful, complex, and interesting.
One game I played with myself to learn this habit of seeking beauty was to walk down the street and look for something beautiful at every house. I practiced looking for the beautiful thing and then said each one out loud. You could also try looking for beauty in every person you see, every car that passes by, or whatever draws your attention.