I recently asked a good friend and talented interior designer to help me start changing the look of my home after an “aha” moment in which I realized how much my home environment impacts my life and work. I work from my home, and on days that I am not meeting with clients I spend  a lot of time in my home office.  I have been saying for quite some time now that my home does not reflect my personality or my essence. It is stuck in the past, and it really bothers me. I kept waiting to invest in my surroundings until I had that “perfect” home. But what I have come to realize is this: make the best of where you are right now, and embrace what you have even if you aspire to have something different at some point.

I didn’t realize how much this parallels what I teach my clients about their personal image and appearance. I tell my clients to embrace who they are today and love themselves so they can share their brilliance and shine brightly in the world. Wow, another “aha” moment! I have been waiting and waiting for the perfect time, the perfect house, the perfect income — all the while feeling frustrated and disappointed that I was not living in an environment that fit, flattered and fulfilled me. I feel sad and frustrated just thinking it took this long for the light bulb to go on!

What I know for sure is that whether it’s your wardrobe or your personal space it’s a way for you to express yourself, your authenticity, your creativity. A way to celebrate you! No two women wear a scarf the same way. Each wears it with her own personal flair — her essence and unique style come through.

Start paying attention to what inspires and excites you. Is it color, art, fabrics, jewelry? Does it reflect the woman you are today — the amazing, creative, loving, kind, compassionate, powerful, intelligent woman that lives in that home or that wardrobe? Understand that it takes time to create an inspiring, nurturing, beautiful living space that you love. It also takes time to transform your look and wardrobe. Unlike the reality shows on TV these days, it takes time to make the shifts and changes that occur when you start to transform your look and life to better reflect who you have grown to be. We evolve and change constantly until we take our last breath.

To figure out what excites you, take some time to ponder and observe activities, events, circumstances and concepts that make up your life. What makes your pulse race? What motivates you to take action? Try to avoid getting stuck in all the details — the HOW. The Universe will take care of the how! You need only to discover what you love and want more of in your life.

Once you’ve created a good size list of what excites you, find ways to integrate those ideas into your wardrobe. If you know what your essence is through Fashion Feng Shui® it will help you to determine how to reflect a color, style or fabric into your wardrobe. Soon you will find yourself leaping out of bed each morning with excitement and energy that you didn’t think you had. You’ll be feeling a new sense of empowerment — a knowing that your life is in your hands to create all that you desire. The sky’s the limit — so have fun and enjoy every minute of the journey!

©2010 Laurie Mandato

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If you would like to use this article in your newsletter or blog, please feel free to do so as long as you include the following text and live URL: Written by Laurie Mandato, AICI FLC. A wardrobe and style consultant, Laurie is passionate about working with speakers, authors, executive leaders, coaches and consultants who are stepping into the speaking spotlight. Visit her website at http://www.lauriemandato.com

Tags: Empowerment, Inspration, Mindset

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 8th, 2010 at 6:00 am and is filed under Mindset. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.