How to Be Graceful

Style, poise and elegance are all part of gracefulness.

Being graceful implies being able to cope with whatever life throws at you with a certain resilience and a dash of style. You can express your gracefulness in the way you speak and things you say, through to the things you buy and how you use them. However, being graceful is more an attitude to life than a set of mannerisms you can just adopt. Being graceful is intricately associated with a person's journey through life, according to health advisor Dr. Andrew Weil.

Instructions

1. Be stylish. Note that stylishness refers not just to the way you dress, but to the way you act and treat other people. Realize the difference between stylish and flashy. Appreciate there is such a thing as graceful simplicity, which is without opulence, according to Jerome M. Segal, senior researcher scholar, University of Maryland.

2. Be polished. Find out more about whatever subjects you are interested in so you can have a sophisticated view of them, rather than a simplistic one. Endeavor to become an expert so people regard you as a distinguished and experienced authority.

3. Be poised. Act with dignity whatever the situation. Congratulate the winner, even in a situation where you are the loser, appreciating her superior performance. Respond appropriately in a crisis, taking positive steps to do the things that need doing. Have a firm sense of your obligations to others.

4. Be charming. Realize you charm people by being sincere in a witty or otherwise appealing way. Treat people with respect and take the time to listen to what they have to say.

References

• Weil: The Benefits of Graceful Aging and Well-Being
• "Graceful Simplicity: The Philosophy and Politics of The Alternative American Dream"; Jerome M. Segal; 2003