This Wednesday I wanted to share an article that made it's way around Facebook yesterday - so you may have seen it already...
The article is called "How to Get Flat Abs, Have Amazing Sex and Rule the World in 8 Easy Steps". It's genius in that it talks about how magazines and ads promote and promise these things that we're always looking for to be happy - also meaning we're not happy until we've achieved these things. As the author Kate Bartolotta states: "We chase this idea of "I will be happy when... " - I will be happy when I have a new car. I will be happy when I get
married. I will be happy when I get a better job. I will be happy when I
lose five pounds. What if instead we choose to be happy -- right now?"
Her argument? By simply reading the article your life is good. You can see, you're likely in a sheltered area of sorts, you have access to the internet, etc etc.
The full article can be found here, or read on to see her 8 tips to embrace how awesome life is:
1. Stop believing your bullshit.
All that stuff you tell yourself about how you are a commitment phobe
or a coward or lazy or not creative or unlucky? Stop it. It's bullshit,
and deep down you know it. We are all insecure 14 year olds at heart.
We're all scared. We all have dreams inside of us that we've tucked away
because somewhere along the line we tacked on those ideas about who we
are that buried that essential brilliant, childlike sense of wonder. The
more we stick to these scripts about who we are, the longer we live a
fraction of the life we could be living. Let it go. Be who you are
beneath the bullshit.
2. Be happy now.
Not because The Secret says so. Not because of some shiny
happy Oprah crap. But because we can choose to appreciate what is in our
lives instead of being angry or regretful about what we lack. It's a
small, significant shift in perspective. It's easier to look at what's
wrong or missing in our lives and believe that is the big picture -- but
it isn't. We can choose to let the beautiful parts set the tone.
3. Look at the stars.
It won't fix the economy. It won't stop wars. It won't give you flat
abs, or better sex or even help you figure out your relationship and
what you want to do with your life. But it's important. It helps you
remember that you and your problems are both infinitesimally small and
conversely, that you are a piece of an amazing and vast universe. I do
it daily -- it helps.
4. Let people in.
Truly. Tell people that you trust when you need help, or you're
depressed -- or you're happy and you want to share it with them.
Acknowledge that you care about them and let yourself feel it. Instead
of doing that other thing we sometimes do, which is to play it cool and
pretend we only care as much as the other person has admitted to caring,
and only open up half way. Go all in -- it's worth it.
5. Stop with the crazy making.
I got to a friend's doorstep the other day, slightly breathless and
nearly in tears after getting a little lost, physically and
existentially. She asked what was wrong and I started to explain and
then stopped myself and admitted, "I'm being stupid and have decided to
invent lots of problems in my head." Life is full of obstacles; we don't
need to create extra ones. A great corollary to this one is from The Four Agreements,
by Don Miguel Ruiz: Don't take things personally. Most of the time,
other people's choices and attitudes have absolutely nothing to do with
you. Unless you've been behaving like a jerk, in which case...
6. Learn to apologize.
Not the ridiculous, self-deprecating apologizing for who you are and for
existing that some people seem to do (what's up with that, anyway?).
The ability to sincerely apologize -- without ever interjecting the word
"but" -- is an essential skill for living around other human beings. If
you are going to be around other people, eventually you will need to
apologize. It's an important practice.
7. Practice gratitude.
Practice it out loud to the people around you. Practice it silently
when you bless your food. Practice it often. Gratitude is not a first
world only virtue. I saw a photo recently, of a girl in abject poverty,
surrounded by filth and destruction. Her face was completely lit up with
joy and gratitude as she played with a hula hoop she'd been given.
Gratitude is what makes what we have enough. Gratitude is the most basic
way to connect with that sense of being an integral part of the
vastness of the universe; as I mentioned with looking up at the stars,
it's that sense of wonder and humility, contrasted with celebrating our
connection to all of life.
8. Be kind.
Kurt Vonnegut said it best (though admittedly, and somewhat ashamedly
-- I am not a Vonnegut fan): "There's only one rule that I know of,
babies -- 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'"
Kindness costs us nothing and pays exponential dividends. I can't
save the whole world. I can't bring peace to Syria. I can't fix the
environment or the health care system, and from the looks of it, I may
end up burning my dinner.
But I can be kind.
If the biggest thing we do in life is to extend love and kindness to
even one other human being, we have changed the world for the better.
And from me: love your life, because even when it's bad, life is good!
Source: The Huffington Post
I came across this list of 15 things you should give up to be happy. I thought it was a really great list and agreed with everything on it! I think most of these things are things that we already know, but a reminder never hurts.
I definitely know people who hold on to too many of these things. All that does is bring you down and also has the potential to bring down the people around you.
I feel like I could dive into each and everyone of these individually, and I might do exactly that in some future posts. It's not only important to recognize whether or not you are holding on to these things, but important to recognize who around you or in your life does. Acknowledging it in yourself can help you deal with it and then move on, or figure out what to do to move on - they say the first step is admitting you have a problem! :) In recognizing it in other people it can help you either realize you need to distance yourself from that person, or become more resistant against the negativity.
Let's all let go a little bit and move forward into a happier and more positive mindset!
What do you think of this list? Anything missing? Anything stick out to you?
It's (kind of) the end of an era. After 10 seasons of lost (fashion) souls, of the worst clothes we've seen, of the best clothes we've seen, of laughs, of tears, of transformations - TLC's What Not to Wear has announced the show is coming to an end. This summer the final episodes of the series will be aired. I absolutely love watching this show and am definitely sad to see it come to an end.
I have loved watching the people get transformed and gain confidence with their new styles. Some of the stories on this show are super heart warming and actually bring tears to my eyes - when people are super kind, really deserve it, and give so much, it's nice to see this show give them something back. Aside from that there is also the overall entertainment - some of these people are hilarious (in good but sometimes bad ways) and seem to be able to justify all their fashion crimes! It's ridiculous what some people try to pull off. Also hilarious: Stacy and Clinton. THESE TWO CRACK ME UP. I'm not sure if it's just me but in the past few years they have gotten funnies and funnier! They play off each other SO well and just lighten every situation. And if a situation arises that they can't lighten up - like a difficult participant - then they go have a drink! It's the best.
We can't forget Ted Gibson and Carmindy! I love Ted Gibson. He is so sweet to these women and is truly an artist when it comes to his work on them. I am always amazed at the final result he produces. Sometimes I think HE is the one that gives them this new lease on their lives. He is also incredibly respectful of any reservations they might have and really walks them through the process. There is a reason he's a renowned stylist! And Carmindy - I do like Carmindy and think she's definitely great at what she does, but I've never felt she's tried to bond with the participants as much as everyone else. I do also enjoy seeing what she's wearing every episode! I like her bohemian style.
When watching the show I of course love watching the fashion. Not just the participants' transforming fashion, but also Stacy's fashion. She (of course) has great style! My favourite style moments though? Her outfits during the "rules"/360 room segements and at the end of the show during the big reveal. It's at these parts that she always tends to wear really great dresses, and I love dresses! They always inspire me for work-wear fashion (the ones that aren't on the shorter side anyway). They also always make me think that I should get some more dresses for how effortlessly chic they are! New fashion resolution perhaps?
To conclude my ode to What Not To Wear, I've compiled a few of my favourite Stacy looks:
P.S. Has anyone been watching as long as me and not only remember Nick Arrojo (the hair stylist they had for several years) and Wayne Lukas (the first male stylist they had that Clinton replaced)? I did NOT like either of them but felt the need to bring them up as there were a part of it all! :)
I've already featured Lauren Conrad as one of my style icons, and with her own fashion line and style book, I think we can say the girl does know her stuff. I came across a snippet of an interview she recently did with Redbook magazine and she had what I thought was really great advice when it comes to shopping! It's advice that I think could help with the whole "shopping your own closet" idea, but if shopping in a store/online, it will help ensure you make wise decisions when it comes to your purchases.
When it comes to shopping her advice is to pull out your 10 favourite pieces or most worn pieces and lay them out. This will help you "figure out what you gravitate toward, what makes you feel good". Two perks of this: that you have a clear view of what you actually wear, and what you WILL actually wear; also that with these pieces in mind, you can build a wardrobe around them which will keep them in rotation! She also mentions the usefulness of this practice when thinking about accessories - you won't be as likely to buy things on a whim and realize that it doesn't go with anything you wear!
To try out this advice I decided to scour my closet for my favourite/most-worn pieces. In order to get a well rounded and most accurate view, I made sure to include work attire as well. These are the pieces I came up with:
Will it help? Time will tell. What do you think of this advice? Do you have any tricks or tips yourself to make sure you get the most bang for your buck?
This Wednesday I wanted to share an article that made it's way around Facebook yesterday - so you may have seen it already... 
