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I’ve been noticing for quite some time how my style has changed over the years, yet in some ways stayed the same. I still love band tees and ripped jeans paired with my sneakers and a comfy hat. I sure do still find enjoyment in how comfy my flip flops are, and I’ll never pass up an opportunity to travel in my comfy Air Jordan’s paired with my ever-useful Cargo Shorts.
The straw on the camel’s back, the gust of wind that pushed me over the edge of the cliff and into a freefall of re-styling myself.
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But like any human, I have evolved over time. In the past couple of years, I’ve taken notice of how often I’ll look at a different style than my own and really dig it, imagining it on myself. But I never felt confident enough to take that step, and I never considered that it fit my personality. Shouldn’t the way I dress reflect my personality? A partially ripped “Mighty Mighty Bosstones” shirt that I cut into a tank-top is one of my all-time favorites. It’s comfy, it shows off my tattoos, but it doesn’t show too much of my chunky features.
A few pairs of Freebie jeans from a sponsor that were cut just right for my figure made a drastic change in how I took care of myself. I started being more conscious of my shoes/pants/shirts combination. So I started analyzing a bit, trying new things, getting in touch with my inner outfit coordinator, and slowly my closet started to grow.
For some reason though, the new editions of slacks and collared/button up shirts never really got put together. The end result was always saving it for date nights, or speaking events etc. Then the push came. The straw on the camel’s back, the gust of wind that pushed me over the edge of the cliff and into a freefall of re-styling myself.
I got a job. Now, the style that I’d been looking to put together for almost 6 years has manifested because it needed to. Challenge accepted, challenge met, and I feel great.
When I look at myself now I no longer see the slob representation of my depression nor the classic image that elder generations fit to the word “Millennial” that they use as an insult. I no longer see a weathered face on an aging body, trapped in the style of an early 2000’s teenager. Instead of shaving my hair short and having done with it, wearing hats all the time, I know sport a hair style that makes me feel comfortable with who I am.
Because those little voices are the sound of your inspiration peaking, your brain paying more attention to that one thing over anything else because THAT thing is what you truly desire and will make your soul happy.
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I now see me. I’m still the same person, but instilled with confidence and in that I carry myself much differently than before. No longer concerned with the burning judgmental eyes of the world. They shouldn’t have bothered me in the first place….and perhaps they didn’t….perhaps it wasn’t their eyes but my own, judging from the inside. The real me trying to escape.
What does this transformation do for you? Maybe to serve as an example. Try the things you want to try, even if it’s a little bit scary. Those small desires that are persistent in the back of your mind, seek them out and accomplish them as best you can. Because those little voices are the sound of your inspiration peaking, your brain paying more attention to that one thing over anything else because THAT thing is what you truly desire and will make your soul happy.
I recently had the pleasure of being in San Diego, and while I loved every second of it I was only truly determined to do one thing: put my feet in the ocean. So I borrowed a car (provided by the sponsor of the event) and traffic be damned, wonky navigation system be damned, I made it to the beach and I put my damn feet the Pacific. So many things can happen when you’re on your own in a city you don’t know, in a car that isn’t yours, surrounded by frustrated drivers. But it was worth every nerve racking second it took to get there, because at the same time that little voice in my head was cheering me along and happiness was drowning out the nerves.
Happiness was drowning out the nerves—drowning out the doubt and the fear. Perhaps that’s the whole point of this here post. If life is getting you down, take action on your inspirations. Happiness will overwhelm those things that bring you down and perhaps will open up a whole new era of life and personality for you.
Carpe diem.
Photo: Pixabay