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Does Your Style Routine Reflect Your Dream Life?

Posted by on Dec 14, 2014 in Blog, Following Your Passion, Personal Power, Shopping, Style | Comments Off on Does Your Style Routine Reflect Your Dream Life?




Originally published in The Huffington Post at this link – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-brailey/does-your-style-routine-c_b_6301548.html

Every weekday my father wore a suit to work. His clothing choices for after work and weekends were very ordinary and included jeans, a shirt and casual shoes. If it was colder, he would throw on a sweater.

When he hit his 40s he started taking a month out of his routine every year and would travel all over Great Britain. Each year on the day he returned home from his travels, he was a vision of happiness.

His style choice for his travel-home outfit completely deviated from his daily grind style routine and would include some of the purchases he made during his travels. He loved many English designers, fabric patterns and was a huge fan of English football, all of which he managed to pull together and reflect in one outfit. His style choice allowed for his authentic glow to shine.

The day after returning home, he would return to work and his style routine would go back to what I described in the first paragraph above. His glow faded.

One day he shared with me that if he was let go from his job, he would pursue his dream to open up a pub somewhere in the Lake District in Great Britain. This was quite a different path than the life he had been living up until this time — he had spent his whole adult life working in and up the corporate ladder in an office setting.

He never was let go from his job. He died at the age of 49.

It has since occurred to me that the style choices that my father made while he was happy during his trips to Great Britain were a reflection of his dream. Let’s translate this more generically — the style choices you make when you are happy just may very well reflect your dream.

Does your current daily style routine reflect your dream life? It’s quite simple to answer this by thinking through the questions below.

  • When you look in the mirror before heading out the door each day, do you get an immediate feeling of excitement and joy with your look and the day ahead?
  • Do people comment on your appearance in a positive way and indicate you have a vibrant energy about you?
  • Do you find you are naturally attracting a career, people, places, events and things that bring you a feeling of appreciation, excitement and joy?
  • Do you feel naturally comfortable in what you wear each day?

Are you happy with your responses to the above points? Good for you! Your style routine is most likely in alignment with your dream life. Either you are living your dream life or your style choices are contributing to attracting your dream life.

If you are not happy with your responses to the above points, this is where I strongly recommend that there is no time like the present to transition your style routine to be a reflection of your dream life. By doing so, your style choices will contribute to attracting a career, people, places, events and things that align with your dream life.

Have you ever heard the term “Fake it ’til you make it”? Well, this is exactly what you need to do with your style choices so they reflect your dream.

Here are two steps you can take to get your style routine into better alignment with your dream life. Depending on the environments where you spend your time these days, it may not be possible to wear styles that align with your dream due to expected dress codes. However, try to follow below as much as possible and where you can.

1. Find out and start wearing daily your seasonal color palette – If you are not wearing colors in your hair, makeup, clothing and accessories that are in alignment with the authentic you, it is likely you are looking and feeling dull, worn, outdated, odd, unbalanced and even older.

Here’s a great exercise to illustrate what you are doing energetically as well — put your arm out in front of you with a closed fist. Say the word ‘yes’. Now say the word ‘no’. Do you notice that your arm wants to pull down a bit when you say ‘no’? When you are not wearing your colors, your color choices are reflecting a ‘no’ vibration out to the universe.

I recommend you have a color analysis consultation and implement the color recommendations from the consult into your style routine.

2. Wear styles that give you an immediate sense of excitement and joy that feel in alignment with your dream life – When you wear things that make you feel uncomfortable, unbalanced and give you a lower energy, you feel out of sorts and not aligned with your core self. This is the feeling you are emitting out to the world around you. You are probably not at your optimal creative and productivity level as well.

Think back to a time when you felt really happy, true to your core self and your dreams. What were you wearing? Like my father, this may be while you were on vacation or perhaps you were at a particular event, visiting with a someone etc. It’s time to start wearing things that reflect your happy memories/state. This includes wearing styles that maximize your body silhouette, dream lifestyle and authentic personality.

My father for example at work could have worn English football cufflinks, a tie or pin to show off some personality and happy feelings that aligned with his dream.

If you feel like you need advice to implement your optimal style requirements, you could ask a close style-savvy friend or family member. Choose someone who naturally has high level and superb taste, knows you extremely well, and sees your best you when she/he looks at you OR you could seek out an image consultant who is trained to work with you to give off your best and most authentic self.

Now you have two steps to get your style routine into better alignment with your dream life.

Bottom line is you will always be chasing some sort of dream. Once you achieve what you want right now, there will be always be another want. It comes down to feeling you are living your dream in every moment by being excited, joyful and appreciative and inspiring others to feel the same way.

It’s time for your style routine to reflect the life of your dreams in this moment!

I hope this blog post inspires you to wear your authenticity!

Carol Brailey Image Consulting
Inspiring Individuals to Wear Their Authenticity