I was thinking a lot about the word simplicity and contemplating my theme for this week’s newsletter and as I began to write, the word elegance popped into my head. This lead me on a little exploration which has been very enjoyable and enlightening.
Coco Chanel famously said “Elegance is when the inside is as beautiful as the outside.” I think the inside comes first. In fact if your inside is elegant, I believe that your outside is going to appear with elegance- elegant energy, elegant spirit. I doesn’t matter what you look like or what you are wearing.
I was reading the new copy of Bella Grace Magazine– which is one of my favorite publications- and reading about a woman who by putting on a pretty dress felt elegant and beautiful, so there’s an example of it also happening the other way around, though I suspect it only amplified the elegance she already had inside and she then created more of it. I love the story because she tells of collecting more beautiful dresses and actually wearing them on what we call ordinary days- no occasion necessary. She says that she then noticed her confidence blossoming and went on to make many positive changes in her life.
Elegance is authenticity, it is simple, unfussy. It is your energy and your spirit. Your elegant spirit. I love that!
One way to cultivate your elegance is to focus on gratitude- and especially before bed, I believe sets up your subconscious mind to create more and more of what you are grateful for while you sleep. Ardath Rodale shared this wonderful idea in an article for Prevention Magazine- pick a bouquet of beautiful thoughts before bed each night. I trust that taking the step to write them down, makes them even more powerful.
Go on your own exploration of elegance in the week ahead. When do you feel it? How will you cultivate it? What does it mean to and for you?
And at the very least, see how you can make this next week a more simple one for you and regain some energy and vibrance in your life!