Mirror, Mirror: Beautiful Imperfections

I can’t do it! I’m not good enough! Have you ever thought this about yourself? Does this thought, and similar thoughts to the questions asked above have stopped you from living a life that you feel is fulfilling and purposeful? 

If you answered yes to the questions, then you are familiar with the shame, guilt, and disappointment associated with these thoughts.  They will often times stop you in your tracks. Today, I want you to begin to become empowered with a new skill that will help you to begin living the life you have desired! So, let’s get going!

In western culture, we come to realize that perfection is what we should always strive towards. There is proof all around us - it’s in advertisements which exclaim buy this or you need that! Some of the ads informs us daily that we need to erase what makes us unique in order to achieve its view of a carbon copy perfection.  As a result of this, the constant need for perfection may whisper daily in your ear. These thoughts may manifest itself in the form of negative automatic thoughts, which I have nicknamed NAGS, because they can be so pesky. So, your question may be, how do I combat many of the fruitless thought bombardments that the western culture has created? This question can easily be answered by celebrating your Wabi Sabi!

Wabi Sabi is a Japanese art aesthetic rooted in Zen Buddhism in which Zen masters prize handmade and irregularly shaped bowls. The bowls are baked on low temperatures to avoid the glassy finished. When they are finished baking, the bowl is placed in cold water which results in it having crackles, warping, and distorted colors, which is simply beautiful in its deliberate imperfection.  According to a Wabi Sabi artist, items that have no blemishes, cracks, or broken pieces are undesirable because they are not unique, and cannot tell a story. 

Take a second and think about your “cracks,” which can now be molded and thought of as beautiful when you shape your thoughts, and break them up. What you look at in the mirror today, say that mole on your cheek, can be thought of differently later on in the day. You’re perceived imperfections can now be thought of as part of a beautiful work of art shaped in your image. 

The things that you may once believed to be a negative or weaknesses can be now sources which give you wisdom, strength, and power! What makes you unique? What trials or tribulations have shaped you into a beautiful Wabi Sabi masterpiece?