It feels good to just say the word. It is described as an "elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion or action; a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment." I think of someone who has grace as having integrity as their foundation. It is someone who commands respect in a way that no others do. You can count on them! They give you their word and you know they will follow through. They will never let you down. And they honor the people around them. Now that's grace!
They are people who are successful on their own terms and never compromise, use or abuse their femininity or masculinity. Grace is a state of being when you open up to all wonders of the world. It is when you feel at peace with yourself, so much so, that you don't need to react to what is going on around you. The band U2 says it's a thought that changed the world, and that it finds goodness in everything. Grace makes people thoughtful in every way. Who wouldn't want to be thought of in this manner? When you are not needy or pushy, you will notice that people respond to you differently. You become their calm reference point. It is an atmosphere in which people want to be in.....a much more relaxed atmosphere. And when you have grace, everything is possible.
If you want to see how much more is possible in your life when you are graceful, here are four areas of your life to start with.
1. Manners:
Don’t just be polite for the sake of it. Please, say it with a genuine smile. Listen with your full attention to what the other person is saying, without putting your own story into the picture. The benchmark is "did I just make today more wonderful for that person?"
2. Morals:
Adapt the codes of conduct which give a moral backdrop to our lives. It is not a question of can I do this and not get caught, or how far can I push the boundary. The moral code is within you. The benchmark is "can I sleep peacefully tonight?"
3. Standards:
What do you stand for? What do you represent to the outside world? Standards create the structure of your life and standards are built on what you are committed to. Integrity is the foundation. The benchmark is: "how much can I be trusted?"
4. Style:
We each have our own way to express our identity in this world. Our style is a discreet language which impacts our surroundings subliminally. The beauty of your own style reflects how comfortable you are within yourself. How do you describe your style? Is your style noisy, untidy, trashy or crude? Straighten this up and start being graceful. Do you dress to display your sexuality and sensuality, or to radiate your grace? A quick test is ask yourself "what do people remember about me: what I was wearing or who I am?" The benchmark is "how much does my life flow with ease?"
-Francois de la Rochefoucauld
Partial text by Guru Kaur
