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Regarding the Strength of Appreciation of beauty and Excellence
Appreciation of beauty and excellence is one of the five character strengths that comprise the Virtue of Transcendence.
Transcendence describes strengths that help you connect to the larger universe and provide meaning.
What is appreciation of beauty and excellence?
Those who express an appreciation of beauty & excellence notice and appreciate beauty, excellence and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.
People high in Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence are responsive to these three types of goodness:
- Physical beauty: this may include auditory, tactile or abstract. This type of goodness produces awe and wonder in the person experiencing it.
- Skill or talent: This is often energising and compels a person to pursue their own goals. It inspires admiration.
- Virtue or moral goodness: This makes someone want to be better, more loving and creates feelings of elevation.
Why is appreciation of beauty and excellence of value?
- The expression of this strength leads immediately to a positive emotional experience that can be identified as awe, admiration or elevation all of which contribute to feelings of wellbeing.
- Appreciation of beauty and excellence is a strength that may help people in coping with emotional challenges or other difficulties.
- Appreciation of beauty and excellence can inspire you to want to improve yourself and be kinder to others.
A couple of questions to consider
- How does appreciation of beauty and excellence affect your work, relationships, use of leisure time and community involvement?
- How might you notice more moral beauty in your life, where you attend more closely to the goodness and virtuous behaviour of others?
Some things that you can do to practise appreciation of beauty and excellence
- Keep a weekly log of moments in any of your relationships in which you feel inspired by the good acts that you witness.
- Arrange your work environment in a way that you find aesthetically pleasing and make changes periodically.
- Pause to appreciate your inner beauty. One way to do this is to see your character strengths and recall how you have used them to bring benefit to others.
For more information on the strength of appreciation of beauty and excellence, go to https://www.viacharacter.org/…/appreciation-of-beauty…
If you are interested in exploring how the practice of Character Strengths might be of benefit to your business and culture, contact Peter Maguire on 0438 533 311 or at info@poswork.com.au.
Acknowledgement: the primary reference for this post is “The Power of Character Strengths: Appreciate And Ignite Your Positive Personality” by Ryan M. Niemiec & Robert E. McGrath (An Official Guide From The VIA Institute on Character)
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