What's Broken and Beautiful Too?

Have you ever heard of kintsugi?

I've been thinking about it as we complete the Yes You Can Speak February Cupid Gone Wild 'love note' celebration. It has been super cool to see all the smiling faces and hearts on my Instagram wall.

Cutout paper hearts! A key to bringing instant joy! Who knew -:?

A few years ago, I gave one to a guy when he walked off the stage after delivering a rousing presentation. Even for him, an accomplished speaker, the paper heart acknowledgment triggered a huge smile and teary eyes.

So what's 'kintsugi,' and what's it got to do with sharing 'love notes'?

Kintsugi is a style of Japanese pottery - an art form in which broken shards are glued back together with lacquer and gold, forming shimmering threads in the design where the pot or plate had once been broken.

Through kintsugi, I see how it is for us humans too, the incredible beauty that emerges in each one of us as we move through the life journey, falling, breaking, and putting ourselves back together again, each time with deeper wisdom, compassion, and recognition of the beauty in our imperfections.

In kintsugi, the places in the pottery with the golden filler are called 'scars,' each adding to the uniqueness of the art. Kin means golden; tsugi means repair.

As with Kintsugi, it is the 'fractures' in our lives that leave us with the scars that ultimately design the complex and unique beauty within us.

You might say, we repair ourselves after trauma with the gold of our inner spirit as we break down the need for a perfect exterior.

When you take a moment to really 'see' each person around you, it becomes clear that everyone's unique trials and challenging passages mysteriously converge into something far more beautiful than was there before. Somehow, deeper, richer beauty naturally shines through with the reconstruction of lives interrupted by hardship.

I see this all the time with my public speaking students as they bravely witness their broken parts through the CORE Repatterning process - only to claim the jewels from the painful past and step onto life's stage with a brand new, shiny presence. This is the success formula for amazing public speakers, who are compelling, authentic, and relatable.

Next time you look in the mirror, see yourself as kintsugi, and make it a loving practice when you lock eyes with your loved ones and strangers alike. And by the way, there's no reason why you can't let them know the goodness you see in them with 'love notes,' even after February.

#kintsugi #publicspeaking #CORERepatterning #lovenotes