Posts in category: Style Tips & Advice

Goals or Resolutions?

I believe In goals as it’s a more sustainable journey than a resolution. A goal has a plan of actionable steps in order to achieve the desired outcome. A resolution seems flippant. It’s a firm decision to do or not to do something. These decisions are often aborted shortly after the difficulty sets in. 

I believe in setting goals. I believe in personal goals. I believe if you work on yourself and become the best version of yourself that everything around you should fall in place. ‘Where focus goes, energy flows’ – Tony Robbins

If you prioritize developing the inside & outside of your physical body, your relationships change your work-life changes & the way you view yourself changes. Building your confidence helps you to believe you can conquer and achieve anything.

So let’s start with the end result in mind and then work backward.

What do YOU want in 2020?

”I want to be a successful confident man or woman.”

Happiness? Love? Success? Prosperity?

You cannot expect to be loved by others if you don’t love yourself. It all starts with YOU! Learn to love yourself.

How do YOU achieve this?

I believe that how you feel on the inside (ie. your emotions, your psyche, the way you feel about yourself, the food you eat) is reflected on the outside (through your dress, your clothing, your skin, and your body language). This works in the reverse. The way you look on the outside often reflects the person you are on the inside. Visual messages are sent through our clothing and our body language. 

Our world has become extremely visual with Instagram & other social media platforms. A picture literally says a thousand words. People are not as interested in content without visuals. That first impression is made within the first 7-17 seconds of meeting someone. Of these 17 seconds, 93% is based on your physical appearance (clothes, hair & skin) + body language. Only 7% is the words you say. 

7 Steps to achieving a fabulous YOU!

Listen more

Listen to others (to a point!) but more importantly listen to yourself. Self-talk can be the most positive or destructive conversation you will have. Start being kinder to yourself. Stop beating yourself up. If your friend spoke to you the way you speak to yourself would you be friends with her/him? I doubt it. It’s not an easy thing to do but we need to be more mindful of our dialogue.

Develop your Personal Style

Your friend next to you doesn’t always have all the answers. We tend to depend so much on other people’s opinions that we find ourselves lost. We lose our way as well as our personal style. Your friend’s style may not suit your figure shape or lifestyle. Take style inspiration from people you follow but never copy. This will mostly end in disappointment. Pinterest can be your best friend for style inspiration. Pinterest offers a larger pool of international inspiration rather than just looking in our home town. Understand your figure shape. Discover your assets, we all have assets. These are the parts of your body which you love. These are the areas you will enhance. Identify the areas you are less proud of and disguise those areas.

Heal from the inside

Focus on letting go. The festive season can bring about altercations with family members and friends. Somehow things always come to a head during this time. Year-end stress can result in unnecessary tension. Holding onto things can create damage internally and can manifest itself in the form of various illnesses. I know when I’m battling to verbalize a feeling or feel like I am being unheard, I end up getting a sore throat. You will know how your body responds. Heal yourself from the inside out.

Work on clearing the clutter. A Wardrobe Detox is a great way to lighten your load physically and emotionally. Let go of the past, keep sentimental and keep what is needed in the future. As Marie Kondo says ‘Keep what brings you joy’. I couldn’t agree more!

Discover Colour

An instant pop of color can really give you a bounce in your step. This is an easy way to transform a low mood into an upbeat ‘I’m going to rock today’ vibe. It could be a yellow handbag, a coral lip or your favorite nail color which uplifts your mood. Choosing a signature color is a little like choosing your ‘word’ or ‘mantra’ for the year. It’s a go-to when you feeling down or when you need a boost. I chose the word ‘calm’ as my word for 2020 which is ironic as it ties in beautifully with the new Pantone color of the year, ‘classic blue’ which is what we are calling ‘Anti-Anxiety Blue’. We need less stress, less anxiety & more calm in our lives. I will go into more detail in my next blog.

Become more mindful

The word ‘Sustainable’ is a word that is the golden thread to our future existence on this earth. We talking ‘sustainable fashion’, ‘sustainable food’ & a ‘sustainable lifestyle’. Become more mindful as to what you buy. Do you need 10 white T-shirts? How many times can one item be worn? Develop a capsule wardrobe and invest in good quality items. Consider where it is being manufactured. What is the carbon footprint? Are we being mindful as to what we are putting into our mouths? Maybe we need to address the quantity vs the quality. We only get one body. We are not going to get this 100% right but to make a start in the right direction is better than no start at all.

Work on posture

Shoulders back indicate confidence. Shoulders rolled forward can indicate a lack of confidence or protection of self. I remember when I was going through a rough time when we nearly lost my mom, my posture changed. I went into protection mode. It felt like my shoulders and arms were wings were covering me. I was in protection mode. It’s self-preservation.

This is where exercise plays a huge part. Exercise helps with posture, your core as well as breathing. When we are stressed our breathing is shallow which can result in numerous issues. This is an area in which I am actively working on improving.

Embrace the Journey

I often think that Rome was built in a day as I am an extremely ambitious go-getter type of girl and expect everything to happen now! I keep having to remind myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day. It took brick upon brick. One step at a time. I think consistency is a huge part of achieving success in whatever goal you set yourself. Embrace the journey and remember YOU. Without YOU none of this is possible. Remember self-care, sleep & downtime. This is a constant reminder to myself. Remember the special people in your life, spend quality time with them. Make a difference. Don’t be too hard on yourself and remember 2020 is your ‘Happy YOU year’!

And don’t forget to B R E A T H E.