As we get ready to turn the pages of our calendars to welcome a new year, many of us will be setting goals and making resolutions so that 2014 will be a year of personal growth and improvement. Obviously setting a resolution takes introspection and self awareness and each person needs to decide on an individual level what is right for them. Nevertheless, I’d like to take a lesson from the quality factors of gemstones and apply them to a New Year’s Resolution. The Four C’s—Clarity, Cut, Color and Carat Weight—which are used to determine the value of precious gemstones, can also give us some insight into self improvement for the coming year.
1. Clarity
The gemstones with the most shine and sparkle are those with the fewest internal inclusions. Therefore, when it comes to gemstones the higher value stones will have a relative absence of blemishes and inclusions.
What are the inclusions in your life? Are there character traits or bad habits that you are holding onto that are preventing you from shining to your full potential? For some, refining their speech and using words for positivity will improve their relationships and bring more joy into their life. For other people, their focus might be letting go of unhealthy guilt or grudges that were creating ugly blockages. When we gain clarity as to what our inclusions are, we then can take proper steps to remove those obstacles and we will become more precious and brilliant, like a sparkling gem.
2. Cut
When we talk about gemstones, the Cut refers to the shape of the stone, be it round, oval, emerald, cushion or many other varieties. Cutting a gem properly takes a tremendous amount of skill, as the precision of the facets and their proportions will determine the gem’s appearance when light enters it. When a gemstone is cut in the proper shape and expert faceting, it will be truly dazzling.
So too, human beings are responsible for shaping themselves. Who are you, really? I’m not asking for your name or profession, but rather what is the essence of you? Some people might say that they are their intellect, their heart or maybe even that they are really a soul. Without discounting that a person has intellect, heart and soul, I would argue that a person is their choices. Whatever you are choosing to do right now, and the choices that led up to this moment, that is who you are.
To continue with our gemstone analogy, every choice we make will shape our lives and we can choose at every moment whether we are creating a facet that will let light shine through or not. New Year’s is a time to evaluate the choices that we have been making and to commit to bettering ourselves through better choices.
3. Color
The color range varies for each colored gemstone, but generally the more saturated, pure and vivid the color, the more valuable the gemstone. For example, the most sought after Ruby gemstones displays an intense “pigeon’s blood” red, and the most beautiful Blue Sapphire gems display a deep, velvety royal blue color.
Taking this into our lives we can ask ourselves, how rich, vivid and bright are our lives? Are we saturated with pleasure and happiness or are we dull and uninspired? Are we living with intensity and vitality or are our lives bland and colorless? Adding brightness and color into your life can come through investing in the relationships of the people closest to you and from an attitude of recognition and appreciation for what we have. Take a look at your life and see if there are areas that could be more vivid, rich and beautiful.
4. Carat Weight
The carat weight of a gemstone, quite simply refers to the size and as size increases, generally the price does as well.
No New Year’s resolution list would be complete without mention of the most common goal of all: weight loss. We prefer our gemstones to be heavy, not our bodies! Everyone knows of the benefits to our health, mood, appearance and quality of life when we put good foods into our bodies and exercise regularly. So opt for some carrots to keep the weight down!
Wishing everyone a happy 2014!
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