Truth be told the person sitting in her office writing this blog post today wearing a Breton stripe top, black denim skirt, white sneakers and layered gold shell necklaces is a very different person to the one that started 2018. Right now I am beaming from the inside / out because I just produced my first Style E-Guides now available for purchase on the site. It’s not something that was even on my radar 6-months ago.
The outfit I wore to write this here blog!
Yep. I know in my heart that 2018 is ending on a high-note, not because of more money, more status, more clothes or more success, but as a result of more happiness that has come as a direct result of what I like to call a “style-led mindset reset”.
You see at that start of 2018, now a mum of two and running my own business and some weeks mostly from my home office, I found myself feeling overly anxious and rehearsing an inner dialogue that switched between two tunes: “I have failed” and “I don’t want to fail”.
My normal positive tune had flipped a switch to a fear mentality and I felt stuck in a rut, wearing a uniform of stretchy lycra.
Don’t get me wrong I love my activewear - but to me it feels best at 6am when I am headed to the gym, or for wearing of a weekend when I am in “get shit done” errand/chores mode.
It’s during this time that it became clear to me that part of what I loved about getting up and going to an office during my career in magazines was getting dressed. Putting on an outfit that made me feel a certain way, experimenting with different style trends that I had pinned on my Pinterest boards or saved on my Instagram page.
Putting on some makeup. Doing my hair. All these things made me feel good, and acted like a shield on my bad days too.
Some of my recent outfit combinations
It’s during this time that I realised, style truly has the power to shape the way you feel but also the way you want to feel. It’s this first-hand understanding of the effect style can have on one’s confidence and sense of self that lead me to start My Virtual Stylist. And through the work I have done to date with my clients, I can tell you that a style-led mindset reset opens up your eyes to a whole new realm of possibility. You feel better, you act better, you do better.
In my personal experience, taking charge of my style empowered me to take charge of my day with confidence. It put me in a positive frame of mind, helped me be more productive and gave me the confidence to just take action on ideas like producing my first Style E-Guide that will hopefully guide you to do the same!
So if you’re feeling like you’re stuck in a life / style rut just like I was, just start taking small steps that will lead you back to your mojo, which is probably at this point somewhere in the wilderness! Start small, like swapping your “house clothes” for an outfit you love. Notice how it makes you feel. And take note of what effect how you feel has on your entire day.