The Beauty Within

“But beauty itself is not given to us by anyone; it is a power we have within us from the gate, a radiance inside us.”----Marianne Williamson


I attended a writer’s workshop today, listening to wonderful personal stories of both disappointment and triumph, as only a writer can present it. I sat back and soaked in as much as I could.

I’ve heard it said that “if it was easy everyone would be doing it.” I agree with this statement and it can be applied to so many areas of life, and listening for a couple of hours reinforced this.

Getting published the traditional way is very difficult. Today’s economy doesn’t help either; major publishing houses are in difficult times financially. The industry is changing with digital publishing becoming more prominent, and it’s tougher than ever for a new author with an undeveloped platform to break in. Agents routinely receive 100 or more queries from authors each day, all hoping to stand out from the rest and have their manuscript chosen for further consideration.

Despite the odds, the room was full.

Having a passion for something defies logic sometimes. Webster’s defines it like this:
a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept; intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction

Having a passion involves feeling an emotion for something. It’s something that you have experienced. My passion for photography came over time, the process of learning to take what I see in my head and reproduce it on film (and now on digital media.) I did not have a passion for it before stepping into the waters and trying it out. Same story with my writing. What I have found is you can create amazing results when you have a genuine passion for something, whether it’s a career, hobby, social or religious beliefs, or anything else you deem as worthwhile.

This beauty within us is powerful; We can achieve amazing things when we’re driven from within to not only achieve, but excel.

We can also touch other’s lives in such a way that their own experiences are enriched. Inspiring to achieve. And inspiring them to not lose sight of their own dreams.


The following is from an article by Dr. Jim Vargo, University of Alberta:

I believe that the smallest act or word of kindness is seldom given in vain. On a number of occasions former students have thanked me for something I had long forgotten. Little things do mean a lot to the recipients of our actions, so it is probably best if we try to make those little things positive ones. This sentiment is captured in the following verse, which appeared in the December 1991 issue of a
magazine called Leadership.

You never know when someone may catch a dream from you.
You never know when a little word or something you may do
May open up the windows of a mind that seeks the light...
The way you lived may not matter at all,
But you never know, it might.
Published Winter 1994/95.