In the approximately 72 hours that this site and blog have been in existence, I have been more than inspired by the friends and family around me, who have supported me while doing this. So many of them have reached out to me to tell me that they think I am doing something great. To hear that from people who have inspired me and really meant something to me is absolutely amazing.

I have never felt more blessed to be surrounded by the people I know and love. Even if they are the only people who see or read my blog, knowing that they love me enough, and want others to see the beauty in this world, has made me so grateful and proud of myself for starting this.

Because of the support I have received, I am more motivated to share what I think is beautiful and to hopefully help others to see the beauty in themselves as well.

And today especially I see the beauty in my friends. I have always tried to surround myself with positive and non-judgemental people, and after starting this blog, I realized just how successful I have been at that. To every single one of you who have helped me thus far, thank you so incredibly much.

I challenge you to look at the people in your life. Cherish the ones who have helped and supported you through the chapters that have really meant something to you. Thank them. Make sure they know that you appreciate them. I also challenge you to give back. Help and support a friend in their new adventure as well. You never know what you might learn by helping someone else follow their dreams.

You can share how someone has supported you by commenting on this post, contacting me on Twitter, or sending me an email.

As always, spread the beauty and spread the word.

Shannon

Watch this video. It is totally worth the three minutes.

Watching this video may have been the most inspiring three minutes of my life. Everything about this video is absolutely true. And not just for women, but for a lot of men as well.

We absolutely are our own worst critics. We look at ourselves and see our flaws. We decide that there is so much wrong with us. But we ARE beautiful. Every single one of us. There is something amazing about each of us. This video shows that the people we meet see the beauty in others. They look at us and see these great features, physical AND internal. So why can we still not see them ourselves? Stop picking out your flaws. Pick out something beautiful.

I hope after watching this video, you feel like I did: just a little more confident in yourself.  Others see our beauty. We should see our own beauty too.

Spread the word and, of course, spread the beauty.

Shannon

Each of us has so much beauty inside of us just because we think of others.

This morning I taught a class of three-year-olds. They're always precious, but today was special. One little girl that I know fairly well marched right on up to me and handed me a dandelion. "Here you go, Miss Shannon. I want to give this to you." I told her it was beautiful. And it is beautiful.

The dandelion in question, pictured above, is not only a beautiful creation, but it is beautiful because my little dancer gave it to me. She wanted to me to know that she was thinking of me. That I am important enough to her to warrant a gift. And not just any gift, but a very pretty flower that she hand-picked.

After I thanked her for the flower, she ran back to her mother and returned with a clear cup. Inside the cup was a dead grasshopper. My little dancer had named it Aurora, after her (and mine!) most favorite princess. She explained to me how when they walked to their car to drive to dance class the dead grasshopper was on their windshield. This little dancer thought the grasshopper was really pretty, which is why she named it Aurora.

And here is yet another reason I love kids. They see the beauty in more things than we do as adults. What adult takes the time to preserve a grasshopper and show it to the people around them? Look at this little guy who was once alive and enjoying life. Let's not forget about him. He is important too. Adults rarely do this sort of thing. But kids do. They care about everyone and everything. Even the dead grasshopper on their windshield.

I challenge you to acknowledge the beauty in something you don't normally notice. The way the grain in the wood is just a certain way, or the way the grass blows slightly just before a storm. Find something beautiful and out of the ordinary.

I want to hear about your stories of beauty. Comment, email, or tweet me your story or picture of something beautiful.

In the meantime, spread the word and spread the beauty.

Shannon

As a dance teacher, I spend most of my time looking at beautiful people. Beautiful children. Beautiful teachers. Beautiful parents. As a dance teacher, I spend a lot of my time looking at these beautiful people look at themselves in the mirror.

As a dancer, mirrors are often your worst enemy. The purpose of the mirror in the studio is so you can see your own faults. Your lack of turnout, your weak arm, your bent knees. But when I look at these dancers, I see great, intelligent kids, who work hard. And I want them to see it too.

The youngest group of kids I work with are three years old. They're three! They all think: "I am so wonderful!" all the time, right? Wrong. Every year we squat down to measure these little ones, who are barely past being a baby, for their bedazzled costumes. Step one: measure their bust. They giggle when you put the tape measure under their armpits. Step two: measure their waist. They suck in. Three year olds already have this reaction to suck in their tummy to look smaller. It makes my heart hurt to see these little ones think they there is something about them that could be more beautiful.

And that is why this site and Twitter page (http://www.twitter.com/seethebeauty3) are all about being beautiful in your own way. I intend to write about, and post some pictures, of why I think those around me are beautiful, why I am beautiful, and why you should think you are beautiful. Please spread the word! And please spread beauty.

Shannon