Be Yourself....

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” 

~Ralph Wado Emerson~

The defining of age has define my beauty, increased my confidence and help me embrace the beautiful woman that lies within. I am learning at this stage in my life to embrace my beauty in all forms, from my hair; short and chic, to my eyes, to the accent of my curves, to my soft brown hue, to my petite height. I am not ashamed to admit how beautiful I am, how smart I am, how brilliant God created me. Some may say this is pure conceit but I beg to differ, this my Darlings is what you call "CONFIDENCE". It took me a lifetime to accept me for who  I am now. I never got a chance to tap into the authentic woman I desperately wanted to become. The persona I created did not define the real me. Many people say be authentic, be real but we tend to live in a society where fabrication is accepted quicker than realness. Originality is described to be the state of having a freshness or newness that evokes a nontraditional persona. In 2011, I took time to examine myself and found out I was not the "Stylicia" I really wanted to be but just a fabrication of what others thought I should be for the sake of being polite. I am at a turning point in my life where I have decided to be true to myself and not allow anyone to define me. When I was in my 20s I was constantly trying to find out who I was so I went through different transformations in my hair, the way I dressed and much more. But when I turned thirty I realized I could not stay on this path I had to embrace the authentic me. When you begin to think of authenticity you think of realness, being bona fide and unadulterated. When you are authentic you are not a water down version of what others believe you should be for the sake of pleasing others. Authenticity has a class and charm that attracts other authentic people. It has been 9 months since I have been on this authentic journey and it has changed my life. There was a time I cared about what others thought of me and I spent time trying to explain myself. I finally got an "Aha" moment and realized  I do not need to explain or justify who I am to anyone. The things I need to improve God will help me improve overtime but until then the Lord will help refine those thorns to make them a beautiful flower. So instead of spending hours of imitating someone else look, style, and persona how about you be bold, daring enough to create your own edgy look through fashion and through life. Express who you are by being true to you...God has created us for His glory and He did not make us all to be clones of each other. The Lord is a God of variety and diversity from different shapes, sizes, skin tones and cultures. Embrace who you are and be the "authentic" you!

Be Yourself....

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” 

~Ralph Wado Emerson~

The defining of age has define my beauty, increased my confidence and help me embrace the beautiful woman that lies within. I am learning at this stage in my life to embrace my beauty in all forms, from my hair; short and chic, to my eyes, to the accent of my curves, to my soft brown hue, to my petite height. I am not ashamed to admit how beautiful I am, how smart I am, how brilliant God created me. Some may say this is pure conceit but I beg to differ, this my Darlings is what you call "CONFIDENCE". It took me a lifetime to accept me for who  I am now. I never got a chance to tap into the authentic woman I desperately wanted to become. The persona I created did not define the real me. Many people say be authentic, be real but we tend to live in a society where fabrication is accepted quicker than realness. Originality is described to be the state of having a freshness or newness that evokes a nontraditional persona. In 2011, I took time to examine myself and found out I was not the "Stylicia" I really wanted to be but just a fabrication of what others thought I should be for the sake of being polite. I am at a turning point in my life where I have decided to be true to myself and not allow anyone to define me. When I was in my 20s I was constantly trying to find out who I was so I went through different transformations in my hair, the way I dressed and much more. But when I turned thirty I realized I could not stay on this path I had to embrace the authentic me. When you begin to think of authenticity you think of realness, being bona fide and unadulterated. When you are authentic you are not a water down version of what others believe you should be for the sake of pleasing others. Authenticity has a class and charm that attracts other authentic people. It has been 9 months since I have been on this authentic journey and it has changed my life. There was a time I cared about what others thought of me and I spent time trying to explain myself. I finally got an "Aha" moment and realized  I do not need to explain or justify who I am to anyone. The things I need to improve God will help me improve overtime but until then the Lord will help refine those thorns to make them a beautiful flower. So instead of spending hours of imitating someone else look, style, and persona how about you be bold, daring enough to create your own edgy look through fashion and through life. Express who you are by being true to you...God has created us for His glory and He did not make us all to be clones of each other. The Lord is a God of variety and diversity from different shapes, sizes, skin tones and cultures. Embrace who you are and be the "authentic" you!

12 Months of Beautification

 

After reading Esther 2:12 I decided to do 12 months of beautification starting this January 1st-December 31st, 2012. This will pertain to understanding why it is important to embrace my womanhood, enjoy being a woman and nurture my femininity everyday. In Esther 2:12 the maidens pamper themselves for twelve months 6 months with oil of myrrh and 6 months with perfumes and cosmetics. I believe that when a woman get to know her self inside as well as outside then she will not allow anyone to treat her below her worth. Many women do not know their worth because they do not take the time to get to know who they are, what they want and what makes them happy. They constantly become who other people want them to be instead of who they truly are within. I decided in 2011 to get to know myself and be true to myself. When you make a choice to be authentic sometimes this may mean the people in your life will change. People who are intimidated by who you are will eventually rotate to the background of your life. It is important to be a thermostat not a thermometer. You should always be the lady setting the temperature and shifting the atmosphere. If you are ready take this 12 month journey with me then first print out the following schedule below:

12 Months of Beautification

• January - Beauty is only skin deep... Take this month to take care of your skin. Get your massage, facial and spa treatment appointments schedule for this month.
• February-Love Is...Do something special for yourself for the next 28 days. Take some time to rest. All women need their beauty rest.
• March - Get Well...Spend this month making some goals for your physical health and make changes in your eating habits. Join Weight Watchers or get a trainer or join a gym or even buy those fitness DVDs for Pilate's, Nintendo wii fitness, zumba etc.
• April- Spring into a new you...Take this month to focus on your emotional state and mental health. If you need someone to talk to schedule an appointment with a close friend, therapist, counselor or spiritual leader in your church. Give yourself time to slow down and put your emotions into perspective.
• May- Time to reconnect....plan a girlfriend's weekend no kids allowed! To build effective relationships and mutually beneficial relationships you have to connect with positive people who will keep you motivated in your goals.
• June- Vacation, Vacation, Vacation...Take time away from the hustle and bustle of your business or job every woman deserves a little R&R! This month is strictly for you so vacation alone and get some clarity for the next 6 months ahead. This will be your personal retreat.
• July- Fashion is your best friend...Find out what clothes really scream your personality. This month get to know the fashionista on the inside of you. Also reacquaint yourself with makeup tips. (A little makeup will not hurt you.)
• August- Spiritual Connection...Take this month to create and build a more intimate relationship with the Lord. Understand where you are spiritually and then reevaluate where you want to be with the Lord. Also remember the relationship you have with God is between you and Him only. Meditate on this quote for the month:

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”― Mother Teresa

• September - Try Something New..Think of one thing you would like to do that you have not done. Think about how this activity will add to your productivity and becoming well rounded. After you do that then it is time to actually step out the boat and immerse yourself in the new activity.
• October- Financial Health..Reanalyze where you went wrong in this year and make financial goals to do better before the year is out. Also review how much you have saved and top the dollar amount next year.
• November- Holidays are vastly approaching and you are going to be doing alot of holiday shopping how about you make yourself top priority this year.
• December- The last month of the year, time to make a new vision board and reposition yourself to a successful new year. Begin to write your congratulations letter for the next year to come.