The sunflower is a wonderful teacher.  Even before it opens into all of its splendor, it teaches us that

• Beauty is not something that simply splashes out a people.
• It is something that must be developed.
• True beauty grows out of developing and maturing.
• It is based on experience and learning as much as colorful pedals.
• Before we can shine on the outside, we need to create a glow on the inside.

Age esteem is also like the sunflower.  It grows out of  that glow on the inside.

Bonnie Fatio

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Do you feel abundance surrounding you?  Do you think that it all belongs to someone else?  Or, are you sometimes overwhelmed with wonder at how fortunate you are?

Abundance is having all that you need and want.  Different people have varying perspectives.  Much depends on how we define what abundance includes.  Do you measure it by the number of things that you have acquired?  Do you feel blessed because you are healthy and have enough to eat?  Do you relish the abundance of beauty that surrounds you?

My Dad used to say that we were rich because we were healthy and happy.  We kept healthy habits, ate balanced meals and took dental hygiene seriously.  Our extra perks were picnics on the beach to watch a stunning sunset, or on a summer evening catching fire flies and giggling with friends as we pointed our elbow to a star and wished on it out loud.   We were giddy with abundance.  No one needed a second pair of shoes or a designer shirt to feel rich.  The coolest of the cool was to have pop bottle tops stuck onto your shirt, the more the better.

What is your abundance made up of?  Is it money, jewelry and designer clothes?  Do you count it as your friends and family?  Is it waking up in the morning knowing you have the gift of a new day to open and discover?  Do you consider the fragrance of the flowers and sounds of a bird chirping or water running in a stream as part of your treasures?  Is the simple fact that you have a job with a regular income or the skills to find such a job part of your fortune?

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Live your values: Does it surprise you to find values at the heart of beauty?  Our values are the basis of who we are, our inner essence.  Living in harmony with our values is crucial to freeing our inner beauty and enhancing our age-esteem.

• List 20 values that are important to you.  What couldn’t you live without? – honesty, money, love, adventure, family, harmony?  Prioritize the top 10.

• How are these values present in your life today?  Are some absent?  Are there conflicts between your job or relationships and your values?

• Plan how to build your values into your life more.

Your inner essence, and therefore your beauty, depends on living in harmony with your values.

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