Monday, March 30, 2015

Commitment

 Jacket: Denyl | Top: Macy's | Belt: J. Crew | Denim: American Eagle | Boots: Steve Madden 










Committing to something is huge-wheather it be having a dog, choosing what college to go to, buying a house, getting married or all those New Year resolutions we promised ourselves.
Three years ago, I started this blog with my main goal being to remember what I was wearing each day. Deep, right? But now it has transformed into a project of sorts where I am trying to figure out who I am and becoming a better person. I was not sure what would come from this blog, but I knew it would take commitment, something that scared me deeply. Sure, you can always drop what you commit when you want, but when you make a life altering choice (or perceive it to be a life altering choice) then the whole commitment thing gets elevated to a whole other level. The stakes are raised and so are you (that was an absolutely horrible version of me trying to sound like a TV host).
Anyway, how can you be sure that the decision you are making is a good one for you now and will lead you to future happiness and success with whatever you do? Honestly, I have no idea. But, you know that feeling you get where all you can do is smile when you the the said person, place, or thing? I think that should help you make you decision simpler when you are stressed. After all, you do know yourself the best and whatever choice you do make is the right one for you. Remember that.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Worthwhile


Intro (by Leah): This week I wanted to do a different and unique type of post, so I asked the incredibly wonderful Ellen, from the blog Elleosophy to write a post to inspire my readers (as she has done onto me). Ellen is an Aussie Uni student with an incredible outlook on life and the desire to pursue a career in fashion. Not only that, but she is a spectacular human, one of which I look up to. If you have ever read her blog, you know she is a sage and wise beyond her years. Ellen is a very deep, thoughtful, kind and is an inspiring woman whom I would hope can also give you some inspiration. If only we lived on the same continent... *sigh* 
Here is her post: 

Being positive isn’t something that happened overnight for me. In a melodramatic way, I had a series of negative moments that built up to a climax where I had this massive and genuine life-changing realisation. Oh, and those negative moments? They ranged from being simple and petty to serious and personal. I was 100% unbiased when it came to what I chose to be negative about. It was like a switch had been flicked and if I could be negative about it, I would. 
I was a negative person, surrounded by negative energy and people and it was horrible.
Before this moment, I never realized how appropriate the saying “misery loves company” or “you get out what you put in” was. When I found myself in a bad situation, I’d mellow in it to the point where nothing made me happy for longer than a few minutes. It was toxic. I also didn’t have someone to tell me I was being negative—because I kept it internal. It was my own little negative world, but on the outside, everything was positive and happy. 
I used to imagine that people who were positive had it in their DNA. That they were made this way, it was their destiny, and that they didn’t know any different. Firstly, I was quite ignorant and bitter, and secondly that is not the case. I woke up one day and decided I was sick of being negative and that I could (and as equally important, deserved) to treat myself better by getting rid of that negative energy and mindset. Being positive is something I work at every hour of the day. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. So I figured I’d share five things that help me start and have kept me going.
My Mission Statement
This is something I came up with in January. I use it as a foundation of my beliefs and values. Every day I strive to live this statement. I wrote it specifically aimed at what I struggle with in life and I read it often as a reminder for what I’m now striving towards.
Mission Statement

I shall be kind in both thoughts and words.
My kindness will not discriminate.
I shall be myself and be unapologetic about it.
Grief and regrets will be used to teach me wisdom, not to plague my heart or mind.
I will remember that there are always stars in the sky.
The value of food, love, and laughter is richer than what is in my wallet.
Silver Lining
Stuart Little takes all the credit for this one. I never paid much attention to the philosophy of it until much later in life (try nineteen years later), but it seriously works. When I find myself in a bad situation, I always try to look for something to be happy about. I made a mistake at work the other day by handing the phone to our big boss (who I had just met) when it was meant for someone else and was actually my co-workers mum. I freaked out. But you know what the silver lining was? It was no big deal. It was just a misunderstanding and our big boss didn’t even care about it two minutes after we’d solved the problem. Regardless, I spent the next two hours thinking “idiot”, but after those two hours were up I let it go and moved on.
Affirmations
I used affirmations every morning when I woke up to help get my mindset right for the rest of the day. I chose five cards out of a deck and repeated them to myself twice, ignoring and blocking out every other sound or distraction. Sort of like hypnosis or meditating, but all for good reasons!
Put the Phone Down
This is something I did without the intention of it attributing to my positive mindset, but I’ve found it works wonders. I’ve taken the habit of leaving my phone on the opposite side of the room when I go to bed and I only touch it in the morning to make sure nobody from work needs anything. The TV is off when I eat breakfast and I don’t touch any of it for at least the first hour of my morning. 
Eat Healthy and Workout
I got into health about two years ago when I first started university and found that small things like walking up a slope to my car with my textbooks made me more tired and sore than what it should. Since then, I’ve strived to keep my body health by eating well and working out and to be honest with you I’ve never felt better. 

It’s hard, it takes effort and sacrifice, and not everybody understands what it’s all about. But it is probably one of the only things in life that I think nobody will ever regret at the end of the day doing. 
I certainly don’t anyway.

Live well and fully,
Ellen. 

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Friday, March 6, 2015

Say It

 Top: Madewell | Denim: Hollister | Belt: Hollister | Shoes: Steve Madden | Socks: Puma | Bag: Marc Jacobs | Sunglasses: Loft






Grief and regrets will be used to teach me wisdom, not to plague my heart or mind.
That is one of the lines from my mission statement.
This past week I realized that I have finally had enough of being too kind to people and allowing them to walk all over me. It has been happening for a few years now, but after having a trip ruined because I was unable to speak up for myself,  I realized I need to do something about it. At first I tried keeping last week's resolution of not complaining...but that failed big time. I was consumed with being upset and how I wasted two days of my life. But now as I write this, I realize this is a great learning opportunity, and I hope my hurdle will also teach/inspire you to stand up for yourself. While I have yet to confront the individual for making me so sad, I plan to talk to them about it next time they want something from me. I also plan to find the strength in myself to say no even when my voice is trembling and my inside is in knots when I feel like what I am doing is mean. In reality, it is not mean. By not speaking up for myself, I hurt myself, and that is not fair. I need to put my feelings in front of everyone else's feelings, something that I have trouble doing. Hopefully now that I have recognized my problem, I  can fix it. If you have any suggestions on how, I would love to hear them!
More next week,
xox
Leah
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