Go Ahead, Mix It Up
Change can be such a pain, especially when it's your own change you're dealing with. Here's what happened to me several times just in the last few months, and it's so frustrating. I walk into my closet in the morning; time to get dressed for the day. And, the truth is, it happens when I'm dressing to see clients or even on just a random weekend day at home. I pull out my "favorite" jeans or my "go to" sweater. I put them on and walk to the full length mirror on the wall. My reaction? "Ugh."
Just like that it happens: change, but not the kind you can see and touch. No, this change is more allusive. It's dancing in the shadows of your room, almost snickering at the way you can't find a single thing to wear in your closet full of clothes. Why? Because when you bought them, even if it was only a few months ago, you were different. And, yeah, you can go ahead and wear them out and about. Truthfully, no one will notice but you. But, you will notice that without gaining a single pound (or losing one!), all your clothes seem just a tad too small or a bit too big. And you don't feel like yourself anymore.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
But here's the kicker, it happened not only in my closet, but online too. Every time I pulled up my website, "Ugh." The design was still beautiful, for someone else. The words were still well written, but for a different time. Something had to change, so I decided to mix it up.
But I also knew this, I didn't want to do a total revamp of my website (or my closet!) every two years, so how could I create a whole new strategy that could grow and change with me? I needed to reevaluate my tools and my process to make sure that they, like me, could change on a dime.
If you're feeling a little boxed in - with your wardrobe, your online persona, or in any area of your life, as yourself these two questions to simplify, re-imagine, and create anew.
- "How do you want to struggle?" On my favorite app of 2014, Umano, I heard an article by Mark Manson called The Most Important Question of Your Life. I recommend you give it a read, or a listen. It got me thinking about the things I was willing to truly suffer to achieve. There were only three things related to my career that made the list: writing, teaching, and coaching. What's missing from this list is selling my classes to millions online and landing a spot on the New York Times Bestsellers list. That's not to say I don't want those things, but I've recognized that the struggle it takes to achieve them is not the way I want to live my life. So, I simplified my business to focus on writing, teaching, and coaching.
- "What am I willing to delegate?" Once I had a personal style consultant come to my house, clean out my closet, and turn what was left into some amazing outfits. I'm sure they would have looked great on her, but to be honest, they weren't my style. The bottom line is, even if I would have looked better in the outfit she pulled together - I'm willing to sacrifice style to feel like myself. And I'm willing to sacrifice web design, to know I can create on a whim. So, I did some research and found some tools to enable me to go from inspiration to impact very easily, with a little less pizzazz. But I'm okay with that.
So, if you've made it this far, I welcome you to my new site. The one with a less sophisticated design, but more of my own creation. I can't say whether or not I truly like it better, I just know it feels more like home.