Embracing the good the bad and the flabby

I’m having a bit of a style reflection and evaluating the good, the bad and the flabby in my life as I’m about to embark on a juice challenge. It made me think about my 40 days 40 outfits challenge in 2017 and how I managed my way through that. Here is my first journal entry after the first week on the challenge

40 days 40 outfits

It’s funny how when we are challenged to do something, we somehow raise our game and stretch ourselves to do more or even be more. I am not sure what my expectations were when I signed up to the 40 days 40 outfits challenge, but it quickly became so much more than I dreamt I would experience and learn from my wardrobe.

This challenge and my navigation through it is not just about me, it’s about all of us. It’s about those thoughts, self-talk and experiences that threaten our value and self-esteem.

The lessons I learned (and the occasional conversations in my head) are numerous remind me, that we are living in a world where so much is made of our outward appearance, often to the detriment of who we really are. How many times have you dismissed (or embraced) an individual merely by the clothes they are wearing and whether or not you think it suits them?

They say never judge a book by its cover, but the truth is we only ever judge a book by its cover. Think about it, when have you ever bought a book without checking out the title, the image on the front and/or the blurb at the back. And you do all of this before you open and turn a page and lean in to read more. This probably only differs when the book is recommended, or you are already familiar with the author. Why then do we think we are any different when it comes to people?

Let’s be honest

People (and that includes you) judge people the moment they show up and all before a single word is uttered. This makes it even more important for us to show up as ourselves and not a version of who we think others may like or want. It’s time to wear the hell out of our clothes and give people a glimpse of what is really inside the package. This 40 days 40 outfits challenge has forced me to examine myself more closely, to look at the good, the bad and the flabby in more detail. It has encouraged me to be gentler with myself, and perhaps more importantly, to really love the girl in the mirror.

I now look at other people and wonder what their story is as opposed to judging what I think it is, without even turning the pages to find out. I still care what other people think about me (will we ever completely get away from that), but there opinion definitely does not define me. I can honestly say I am comfortable in my own skin and those flabby bits are things I am currently choosing to hang on to. Until such time as I am ready to let them go, I will simply dress them in colour.