How To See The Beauty In Everything (5 Tips)
Given the harsh nature of life, it’s hard to see the beauty in everything. There will be times where it’s easy to have a rosy perspective on life — it’s easy to ride the wave of positive momentum when things are going well.
However, when nothing is going right and you’re constantly asking yourself, “why is life so unfair?”, seeing the beauty in everything is easier said than done.
In today’s article, we’ll discuss how to see the beauty in everything, even when life’s cruelty gives you every reason to do the opposite.
How Do I Start To See The Beauty In Life?
The answer to this question is fairly straightforward — it’s just practice.
If you want to learn how to see the beauty in everything, you have to teach your brain this mindset through purposeful practice.
You don’t get better at the piano by sitting around and saying, “I wish I could get better at playing the piano.” You get better by learning the sound profile of each key, watching videos of other people, and blocking out time every day to practice.
In that same respect, you don’t get better at seeing the beauty in everything by constantly saying, “I wish I could develop a more positive mindset.” You’re not gonna wake up one day and flip a switch, you’ve gotta rewire your brain by getting the reps in.
The cool part about life is that each moment is an opportunity to practice the skill of being more grateful, appreciate, and positive.
All you have to do is start seizing them by being aware of your negative thought patterns and then consciously flipping the script.
How To See The Beauty In Everything: 5 Ways
As mentioned above, seeing the beauty in everything is a skill. And just like any other skill, you can get better at it through practice.
So without further ado, here’s 5 different ways you can practice this skill and integrate a more positive worldview into your life.
#1: Appreciate The Small Things
If you’re wondering how to see the beauty in everything, one of the best places to start is appreciating the small stuff.
Happiness is a choice — it is possible to appreciate what you have while simultaneously wanting more out of your life.
So if you want to learn how to see the beauty in everything, adopt the habit of finding ways to appreciate the little things each day:
- If you walk outside and it’s sunny out, appreciate the fact that you get to enjoy good weather.
- If your friend texts you and wants to make plans, appreciate the fact that you have people close to you who care about you.
- If you pay bills and have money left over to live comfortably, pat yourself on the back for working hard enough to achieve that reality.
- If you have a friendly conversation with a stranger for a couple of minutes, appreciate the fact that the opportunity for social connection is abundant.
Every day, there are moments where you can see the beauty in life. So start ingraining this mindset by stopping yourself at least 3x per day to appreciate something small — food, clean water, social connection, financial safety, time with loved ones, etc.
The more you do this, the easier it will be for you to see the beauty in everything.
#2: Learn Lessons From Pain
Most people struggle with how to see the beauty in everything when they endure painful experiences.
However, you can turn pain into power by shifting the way you respond to it. If you have a habit of letting pain turn into an excuse to self-sabotage, then you’re letting one of life’s greatest teachers go to waste.
The truth is that we wouldn’t be able to see the beauty in everything without pain. We can’t appreciate joy without sadness. We can’t appreciate happiness without knowing what it feels like to be unhappy.
The opposite ends of the emotional spectrum are necessary. And in the case of pain, the best way to find beauty in it is to use it as a learning experience.
So when you find yourself experiencing struggles in life, treat them as opportunities to learn and grow.
- What can I do to avoid this pain in the future?
- Which negative habits have contributed to the situation I’m in now?
- Which positive habits will help me take back control of my life?
Tap into the pain you’re experiencing and you’ll get answers to these questions. If you treat pain as a learning experience, you’ll come out of it a stronger, better, and happier version of yourself.
#3: Attach Short Term Friction To Long Term Reward
Reaching your goals requires embracing short-term friction:
- Working out feels strenuous and painful, but it helps you get the body that you want
- Focused work feels difficult and challenging, but it’s what allows you to achieve the career goals you’ve set for yourself
- Attempting comfort zone challenges induces intense feelings of discomfort and anxiety, but it’s one of the best ways to boost your confidence and self-esteem.
Each of our truest aims require embracing short-term friction. Most people get so caught up in the friction part that they forget about the long-term rewards attached to that friction.
You can’t trick your brain into enjoying these moments. However, you can see the beauty in them recognizing that embracing friction is necessary to achieve your long-term vision.
When I find myself in these moments, I like to tell myself this:
What I’m doing right now doesn’t feel good, but it’s necessary. I need to find a way to embrace this resistance because it’s the struggle that will get me to where I want to go.
You’ll find that when you can talk to yourself while bumping up against resistance, powering through it becomes much easier.
And with enough consistency, you’ll start to see beauty in these moments of friction by associating them with what you really want out of life.
#4: Practice Mindfulness To See The Beauty In Life
One of the reasons why we fail to see the beauty in everything is because our brains are prone to getting distracted by anything. Most people spend so much time dreaming about the future or ruminating over the past that they forget one of the central keys to happiness — focusing on the present moment.
You’ll never learn how to see the beauty in everything if you can’t learn to manage your mind.
If you feel like you’re the type of person who is constantly distracted and disengaged from the present, one of the best ways to overcome this is practicing mindfulness.
I recognized this as a weakness of mine a long time ago. And though it’s a skill that I’m still trying to improve, there are two habits that have helped me significantly:
- Habit #1: Daily Meditation: Start your day with a minimum of five minutes of meditation. Focus on bringing your attention back to your breath each time your mind wanders. It will feel challenging at first, but over time you’ll get better at staying present.
- Habit #2: Mindfulness Walks: Take 10-15 minutes each day to walk outside and use the same framework as meditation. Focus on the nature/people/objects immediately around you and bring yourself back to the present when your mind wanders.
#5: Break Your Routine
It’s hard to see the beauty in everything when we’re trapped in a daily routine that leaves us feeling unfulfilled.
Here’s the awesome part about life though — when you wake up each day, you get to decide what kind of day you have.
Though your pre-ingrained habits will try to override your sense of adventure and steer you towards what’s comfortable, no one is forcing you to take that path. Instead, lean into the voice that’s telling you to switch things up.
- Lean into the voice that’s telling you to call a friend that you haven’t talked to awhile
- Lean into the voice telling you that you should do something fun after work instead of going home to watch Netflix
- Lean into the voice telling you that today is the day that you should start your workout routine
Breaking free from your routine helps you see the beauty in life because you realize how much power you have over your own choices.
Quick caveat here: there’s nothing wrong with routine. You do need a sense of routine in your life or else it will feel too chaotic and overwhelming.
However, routine becomes a problem when it’s not meaningful. That’s how people end up engaging in the same behaviors for decades and then wake up one day and think,“How the hell did I end up here? I had so many things I wanted to do with my life.”
So if you find yourself in that boat, take swift action. Commit to doing one thing tomorrow that represents a significant shift in your daily routine.
Be intentional with these changes too. Don’t do the stuff that people often recommend like ordering something different at a coffee shop or taking a new route home, this won’t do anything for your confidence/mood.
- Waking up at 6 a.m.
- Approaching a man/woman that you find attractive and introducing yourself
- Reading a book or trying to mediate for 10 minutes
- Going to the gym or going on a run
These are the types of shifts that actually move the needle because they often align with things you already want to be doing.
Keep the streak up for as long as you can and track your progress. If you really want this to stick, keep a self-improvement journal and write about your experience.
You’ll find it much easier to see the beauty in everything when you start embracing positive behaviors that feel unnatural.
What Is The Beauty Of Life?
This can be answered in a variety of ways depending on who you ask. In my opinion, the beauty of life is the fact that we decide our outcomes due to the marvelous power of the human brain.
Both humans and animals engage in goal-directed behavior to seek pleasure and avoid pain. However, we’re the only creatures that are sophisticated enough to seek meaning and purpose from our life.
We’re lucky enough to have an inner compass that steers us towards behaviors that align with our deepest values. It’s not always easy to take action in these moments, as you will bump up against resistance. Yet, the mere fact that it’s possible is what makes life so beautiful.
Where Do You See Beauty In Life?
You can see the beauty in almost anything in life if you can concentrate on the bright spots of any given situation.
If you lose a loved one, you can choose to see beauty in the fact that you still have friends and family to support you.
If you’re in your 20’s and still feeling lost in life, you can choose to see beauty in the fact that you have so much time left to turn things around.
If you fail miserably at something, you can choose to see beauty in the fact that failure means you’re one step closer to success.
It’s very rare that you’ll encounter a situation in life where nothing positive can be taken from the experience.
Why Is It Important To See Beauty In Others?
It’s important to see the beauty in others because this makes it easier to develop deep personal relationships that keep you fulfilled.
If you’re constantly judging others and assuming the worst in people, that internal worldview will manifest itself in your actions.
Additionally, misery loves company. So if this mindset drives your social interactions, you’ll likely form relationships with people who have the same toxic worldview.
Seeing the beauty in others also makes it easier to love yourself. Judgment of others usually comes from the fact that we’re insecure about our own shortcomings.
So if you start realizing that there’s beauty to be found in everyone (with obvious exceptions), you’ll find it easier to accept every part of your own character as well.
Final Thoughts On How To See The Beauty In Everything
The preacher and renowned author Charles Swindoll once said, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
The bottom line is that life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. You’re gonna experience happiness and joy, but you’re also going to experience an equal amount of pain and anxiety — the ups and downs simply come with the territory.
You can’t just ignore these emotions and pretend they don’t exist. However, we all have the power to see life through a more positive lens.
Seeing the beauty in everything turns the good things in your life even better, and makes the inevitable pain you will experience more manageable.
