Rather than looking at what is missing, what if you could give yourself a sense of progress by fine tuning your qualities? It is about your elegance and grace, a journey of refinement of character. Whatever you are doing or becoming, you can always be applying a finishing touch to your style for living life. A beautiful satin finish flows and shimmers, capturing the light and attractiveness of its surface and exuding a hidden quality and depth. This it about a continual sense of fine tuning you and who you can become.

We move in life from thinking about primarily ourselves to caring for others and then the larger community and planet we live on. Adding the satin finish to your life approach acknowledges that you have something of worth to offer and share with others. By continually refining ‘you’ and how you communicate your message will allow you to develop further and give yourself a much-needed sense of progress.

A silken response of refinement taps into a “quality” essence. You signal to yourself and the world that you are prepared to go that bit further. It is about a sustainable approach to life and a commitment to furthering your personal growth and spiritual maturity. It becomes a form of life celebration of your good fortune.

Satin finish appears more natural each time you do it. It is about taking something as far as you can go and improving each time by making small incremental changes and adjustments.

To enhance your character focus on what you want to achieve or experience and then add a quality lens to it. Ask yourself, “What edges of my character do I need to refine?”

How can you polish this a little more each time you experience it? The focus is not seeking to make something perfect, or become perfect, as this will only create an inner angst rather than flowing evolvement. Instead it is more about taking a personal pride in how you connect with others and what you freely contribute and give back. The qualities of character to offer and add a depth to your finishing touches are sharing a kindness, compassion or a caring thought and touch, by going out of your way to include.

Although it might sound shallow to a surface polish, it is not the case… view it more as layering another level of caring to an expansive world. To become sustainable, you’ll need to rethink, re-touch and resurface your values about how you care about life, others and self.

I have been learning Tai Chi and Qigong (Chinese Yoga) for six years. The tai chi way is about flow of energy, balance and strength. When I watch a master do her moves, there is an elegance and fluid gracefulness that is beautiful and captivating to watch. For my journey, it is about getting the refinements towards more flow.

Initially when I was learning the moves, transitioning between each move slowly and gently. My teacher, Meg suggested I imagine I have a butterfly resting on my collar and to move easefully so not to disturb it. Next refinement was adding in the breathing with each move, and later feeling the energy flow of each stroke, as though I had an elastic band between my hands.

The tai chi way isn’t about seeking perfection and focusing on what is not being done well. It is a journey of refinement. The more refinement, the more natural the moves become, and every now and then I experience a moment of shimmering grace.

From this unfolding experience, I’ve been able to take the moments of shimmering grace to others. On Sunday morning, a group of women come together and we do qigong in the park. It’s a way to connect and strengthen our collective energies, and get ready for the week’s flow ahead, with grace and ease.

Where can you add to your shimmering grace? What aspects of you are you able to offer to a wider community?

One way is to give back, add to a better world and round off our own edges. Perhaps explore local community groups as a starting place. There are groups and legions of silent volunteers who have a civic responsibility to care more about their larger surrounds. We all want and can give back to a worthy cause. Find your own way of participating in a larger consciousness.

Be the author of your own life fully lived. And then claim who you are in all of your potency now.

Rebecca Campbell, Spiritual teacher.