Jan 20, 2012

#264: Grace (Friday, January 20)

Grace: 1. Elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion or action; 2. A pleasing or attractive quality or endowment.

Every day we are confronted with situations where a celebrity shows an apparent lack of grace: Etta James' criticism of Beyonce; Kanye West's infamous outburst; and more recently, Madonna's comments on Lady Gaga and her speech at the Golden Globes. I'm sure you can think of instances in your immediate circle. But on the flip side, there have been celebrities who have shown grace in uncomfortable situations. Mark Wahlberg's swift and sincere apology to his recent faux pas comes to mind. I also think Beyonce handled the Etta James incident elegantly.

I think many of these situations occur because people don't understand what it means to be gracious. Here are a few tips:

  • Be respectful. When you disrespect others, it is a reflection of you.
  • Do not publicly belittle or speak ill of others. It is ok to have an opinion, but being tactful and tasteful is essential. You can be honest without being mean.
  • Be humble. Pride and conceit are not bedfellows of grace.
  • Be sincere. Do not put on airs or be fake.
  • Acknowledge your mistakes. Everyone makes them, it's all in the recovery.
Your assignment: Think of one person in your life that embodies grace and strive to emulate the qualities that you think makes them so.

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