The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to have a sense of style. Whether it's through writing, our homes, cars or music, our styles precede our words, and tell our stories long before we get the chance to speak about ourselves. Though the term "style" is pretty broad in nature, I think it's really crucial to have a style that defines your personal brand, as corporate as this sounds. The way you dress, and your personal appearance, speaks volumes about who you are as a person and what you believe in.
I myself, have not done a very good job of defining my personal style. Growing up, I was very much a tomboy, and mostly stuck to jeans, t-shirts and tennis shoes. I went through a brief phase around 7 or 8 years old where I expressed an interest in wearing dresses, but this quickly faded when I realized people could see my underwear if I wasn't careful, and quickly decided this just didn't work with my rough-and-tumble lifestyle.
It would be almost 6 years until I would consider wearing a dress again, and only because I had a very important end-of-year chorus concert to attend in seventh grade and knew I had to look my sharpest.
Not to say this was a pivotal moment in my fashion life - I've always dressed pretty casual, and continued to do so up until my grad school years when I decided to start trying a little harder. After all, I wasn't going to be a college student forever (as much as I wanted to be) and knew at some point I'd have to step out of the jeans and into clothing a little more polished. This was a little difficult on a student's budget, but I made due the best I could with the resources I had.
Fast forward to present times, and you have an individual that is a bit overwhelmed by the fashion world and has a hard time making sense of things. I'll admit, I kind of gave up on fashion and style over the last couple of years out of my sheer inability to really put outfits together. I pretty much just stuck with the basics and tried to get by as best I could on what I knew.
My problem is, I know what looks nice, I'm just not very good at putting outfits together. There are so many different looks and styles of clothing out there, I tend to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of options available. Luckily, with the advent of Pinterest, I no longer have to worry about this! Pinterest has really saved my style life on many occassions. I love that I can just log on to Pinterest, surf the pages and save looks I like, and not only know that they look good but WHY they look good and HOW to put them together. Pure genius.
So I've made it my personal mission this year (really more of an ongoing initiative since this one didn't make the resolutions list) to up my style and establish a personal "look". I'm pushing thirty, and really need to make this happen! I realize it will take baby steps to really get the look I'm going for, but every little step is a move in the right direction, and I am ready for this!
Now, if I only I could get my house decorated and put together...but that is another blog post for another day:)
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
A Victim of My Own Passiveness and Other Musings
So the new year has started, and once again, I find myself in a place of reflection and new beginnings. I've been thinking a lot about what I'd like to accomplish in the new year, and have come up with the following list:
1. Time Management & Organization - like, for reals. If there's one thing I learned about myself in 2013, it's that I'm a HORRIBLE time manager. I'm not sure how I've even made it this far in my life having little to no organizational or planning skills. I guess by the sheer grace of God. I've always been a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type, and as much as I've accomplished in my life, I probably could've done so much more and would be so much further ahead if I'd just learned the art of proper planning and time management. But, I digress. This year, I've made it my goal to become more organized and efficient with my time! I just ordered my very first Erin Condren planner (which I've heard rave reviews about) and am researching and taking steps to be a better manager of my time. I really think this will help cut back on a lot of the stress in my life (much of which is self-induced).
2. Speaking Up & Out - Some people might find this hard to believe about me, but when I was young, I was very outspoken, opinionated, and some would even say bossy. Although I was shy, I learned at a young age to be assertive and stand up for what I believe in. Growing up with brothers will do that to you! Somewhere along the way, I lost my voice and stopped speaking up for myself. Life has a way of getting to you, and after my mom passed away, I stopped caring as much about the small things and tried to focus my attention on things that were worth investing my time and energy into. In a way, it was a survival technique of mine. I didn't time to sweat the small stuff, not when so many bigger, more important things were taking place in my life.
Although in many ways this really helped me take a step back and determine what things were important to me (some battles just aren't worth fighting), I feel as though the pendelum has swung completely in the other direction and I've become too passive and complacent, and this only proves to help me and not hurt me. I've always been a very laid back person, but I think I've been letting too many things slide because I just don't want to make a big deal out of nothing, and in many ways, I've become a doormat. Which I never thought would happen, not to me! I'm so mad at myself for letting go as much as I have - I've learned this only makes me resent myself more for not sticking up for myself and fighting for what I want and what is right. So this year, that comes to end. No more door-mat Kristen. The bitch will return (or at least part of her will...)!
3. Spend More Time Writing - I've had this on my list for a couple of years now, but this year I really mean it. I love writing. I love reading. I didn't major in Journalism for no reason. One day, I hope to be an accomplished author of some sort. But I won't get there if I don't get the pen to the pad. Or fingers to the keys. Or whatever. Instead of just making the vague resolution of "I need to write more", I've decided to start scheduling writing time in my day, at least once a week. I think this will be very theraputic to me in many ways, and will help sharpen my writing skills and get me back in the proverbial saddle!
4. Learn the Basics of Photoshop - I finally got a copy of Photoshop! Now, I just need to learn how to use it. I've made great progress so far in learning how to use my DSLR camera (which I hope to continue in 2014), and now I'd like to learn the art of Photoshop. I think this would be a great skill to learn not only personally, but professionally.
5. Improve Photography - As mentioned above, I've gotten much more familiar with my DSLR camera upon purchase late in 2012. I hope to continue my education and take even better pictures in 2014!
6. Make My Bed. Like Every Day. - Up until the age of about 17, I used to make my bed each and every day. It was ingrained into my soul to do this and I never would've even considered not making it. Then one day, at the peak of my teenage years, I got really lazy and realized I didn't have to make it and so I stopped. 10+ years later, I realized how much I missed the feel of getting into a freshly made bed, and decided I would start making it every morning. So that's just what I will do. My mother would be so proud.
7. Get My CHL - Like for real y'all, this has to happen. I've been putting it off for about 5 years because I didn't want to sit through an 8 hour class on a Saturday. But now the laws have changed, and obtaining a license only requires sitting through a 4 hour class. So I'm really out of excuses.
8. Spend More Time On My Hobbies - This is a pretty vague resolution, but ties back into my #1 resolution. If I plan time to actually spend on hobbies, I will do them.
9. Commit To Going To Church - I did a good job of this in 2013 until I slacked off towards the end of the year. Sam and I even started hosting a bi-weekly marriage small group, which was a first for us. With my work schedule, I just go overwhelmed and lost my drive to keep going, which really only hurt myself in the end. I always compare going to church to going to the gym - it's hard to find motivation to go sometimes, but you always feel better afterwards. It's time to get back into my spiritual workouts.
10. Change My Attitude. - I have had a really bad attitude lately. I don't know if I'm just frustrated with everything or fed up or what, but 2013 was a rough year for me and I developed a bad attitude because of it. I'm usually a pretty upbeat and positive person, and I'd really like to get back to that side of me in 2014.
11. Volunteer More - I've always enjoyed volunteering, and did a lot of it in high school in college. Naturally, spare time becomes more elusive as we grow older, and I haven't been volunteering as much as I'd like to. My goal in 2014 is to spend more time volunteering. How I will do that I don't know yet, but I'm going to make it a priority.
1. Time Management & Organization - like, for reals. If there's one thing I learned about myself in 2013, it's that I'm a HORRIBLE time manager. I'm not sure how I've even made it this far in my life having little to no organizational or planning skills. I guess by the sheer grace of God. I've always been a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type, and as much as I've accomplished in my life, I probably could've done so much more and would be so much further ahead if I'd just learned the art of proper planning and time management. But, I digress. This year, I've made it my goal to become more organized and efficient with my time! I just ordered my very first Erin Condren planner (which I've heard rave reviews about) and am researching and taking steps to be a better manager of my time. I really think this will help cut back on a lot of the stress in my life (much of which is self-induced).
2. Speaking Up & Out - Some people might find this hard to believe about me, but when I was young, I was very outspoken, opinionated, and some would even say bossy. Although I was shy, I learned at a young age to be assertive and stand up for what I believe in. Growing up with brothers will do that to you! Somewhere along the way, I lost my voice and stopped speaking up for myself. Life has a way of getting to you, and after my mom passed away, I stopped caring as much about the small things and tried to focus my attention on things that were worth investing my time and energy into. In a way, it was a survival technique of mine. I didn't time to sweat the small stuff, not when so many bigger, more important things were taking place in my life.
Although in many ways this really helped me take a step back and determine what things were important to me (some battles just aren't worth fighting), I feel as though the pendelum has swung completely in the other direction and I've become too passive and complacent, and this only proves to help me and not hurt me. I've always been a very laid back person, but I think I've been letting too many things slide because I just don't want to make a big deal out of nothing, and in many ways, I've become a doormat. Which I never thought would happen, not to me! I'm so mad at myself for letting go as much as I have - I've learned this only makes me resent myself more for not sticking up for myself and fighting for what I want and what is right. So this year, that comes to end. No more door-mat Kristen. The bitch will return (or at least part of her will...)!
3. Spend More Time Writing - I've had this on my list for a couple of years now, but this year I really mean it. I love writing. I love reading. I didn't major in Journalism for no reason. One day, I hope to be an accomplished author of some sort. But I won't get there if I don't get the pen to the pad. Or fingers to the keys. Or whatever. Instead of just making the vague resolution of "I need to write more", I've decided to start scheduling writing time in my day, at least once a week. I think this will be very theraputic to me in many ways, and will help sharpen my writing skills and get me back in the proverbial saddle!
4. Learn the Basics of Photoshop - I finally got a copy of Photoshop! Now, I just need to learn how to use it. I've made great progress so far in learning how to use my DSLR camera (which I hope to continue in 2014), and now I'd like to learn the art of Photoshop. I think this would be a great skill to learn not only personally, but professionally.
5. Improve Photography - As mentioned above, I've gotten much more familiar with my DSLR camera upon purchase late in 2012. I hope to continue my education and take even better pictures in 2014!
6. Make My Bed. Like Every Day. - Up until the age of about 17, I used to make my bed each and every day. It was ingrained into my soul to do this and I never would've even considered not making it. Then one day, at the peak of my teenage years, I got really lazy and realized I didn't have to make it and so I stopped. 10+ years later, I realized how much I missed the feel of getting into a freshly made bed, and decided I would start making it every morning. So that's just what I will do. My mother would be so proud.
7. Get My CHL - Like for real y'all, this has to happen. I've been putting it off for about 5 years because I didn't want to sit through an 8 hour class on a Saturday. But now the laws have changed, and obtaining a license only requires sitting through a 4 hour class. So I'm really out of excuses.
8. Spend More Time On My Hobbies - This is a pretty vague resolution, but ties back into my #1 resolution. If I plan time to actually spend on hobbies, I will do them.
9. Commit To Going To Church - I did a good job of this in 2013 until I slacked off towards the end of the year. Sam and I even started hosting a bi-weekly marriage small group, which was a first for us. With my work schedule, I just go overwhelmed and lost my drive to keep going, which really only hurt myself in the end. I always compare going to church to going to the gym - it's hard to find motivation to go sometimes, but you always feel better afterwards. It's time to get back into my spiritual workouts.
10. Change My Attitude. - I have had a really bad attitude lately. I don't know if I'm just frustrated with everything or fed up or what, but 2013 was a rough year for me and I developed a bad attitude because of it. I'm usually a pretty upbeat and positive person, and I'd really like to get back to that side of me in 2014.
11. Volunteer More - I've always enjoyed volunteering, and did a lot of it in high school in college. Naturally, spare time becomes more elusive as we grow older, and I haven't been volunteering as much as I'd like to. My goal in 2014 is to spend more time volunteering. How I will do that I don't know yet, but I'm going to make it a priority.
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