Bravery
I find it interesting the things other people say to you that stay with you forever. I often wonder if they even remember saying it? Do they know how their words made an impact? A client once said to me, ‘I want to be brave. I see the things you wear, you are brave. I want to be brave.’ Until that moment, I had never thought of myself as brave. I simply wear what makes me happy and dress to my mood.
Being brave, or having courage (Wikipedia uses the words interchangeably) is a choice. You yourself hold the power to determine how you want to show up today. Do you choose to show up as your best self? Or is it a watered down version because something is holding you back? There is a famous quote from Rachel Zoe, “Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.” If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that this quote was on the home page of my first website. It is a huge statement. By not being brave about your wardrobe choices, by giving in to a ‘good enough’ mentality, your verbal and nonverbal communication is out of sync. Your personality may be killer and full of life, but what is your wardrobe saying about you?
So what do I mean when I say be brave? I’m not saying you should take fashion risks for the sake of taking them. This isn’t me saying, ‘invest in sequin pants, they’re brave’. While yes, they are brave for most, they’re also not practical or in line with most people’s personal style. Being brave with fashion means going with your gut, wearing the things that make you sparkle on the inside and the outside. It means not to let your inner voice take over and give in to the ‘what ifs’. ‘What if people stare? What if they don’t like it?’
Exactly. WHAT IF?
Being brave with your wardrobe choices I believe involves two things. The first is learning about the right styles, colors and fits for your body and personality. I do this with all of my clients and see how it boosts their confidence and gets them being brave about their outfit choices! It is truly inspirational. And honestly, it starts to feel more like second nature at that point- not bravery. The second part about being brave is working on your positive self image. This week I’ve teamed up with Suzanne Taylor, master certified life coach and business mentor to talk about the effects of positive psychology and personal development on one’s self image. She’s giving us actionable steps to shift our mindset to a more positive one… no mantras, I promise! Look out for further information on our talk!
I have personally worked with Suzanne and she is as authentic as they come! Her personality is truly infectious. Meet Suzanne…
Suzanne ignites ideas, conversation, and connection...her motivational talks and workshops are a combination of innate wisdom, modern tools, and humor to grow communication, connection, leadership, emotional intelligence, productivity, strength, positivity, grit, resilience and a life you love!
Suzanne has condensed 35 years of experience/study in exercise, nutrition, holistic living and delivers it in a 16 step process for living your best life. This practical approach to wellbeing can be delivered be within the containers of coaching, workshops or seminars for individuals and corporations.
Suzanne is described as an "authentic connector, hilarious inspirational thought leader" sharing personal stories, triumphs, struggles with science and research-backed content and the modern tools that you can implement in real life!!
Suzanne holds a BA in Applied Science, 25 years experience in dentistry, has certifications in Life Coaching, Corporate Wellness Coaching, Nutrition, Mind/Body Fitness, Stress Management, Mindfulness, Positive Psychology, Flourishing Skill Group Coaching, and is a Certified Optimized Living Coach with additional trainings in Energy Medicine, NLP, Hypnotherapy, Duality, Public Speaking, Marketing, Social Media and Leadership/Personal Development.
xo, Ashley
