Spring is such a beautiful time. I love watching the world turn from grey and brown to fresh shades of green. Flowers begin to bloom, the sun begins to shine more, and everyone and everything just seem more cheerful and exciting. It is truly the season of transformation.

Like butterflies, now is the time for us to come out of hiding, shed our cocoons and let the world see our brilliance. But just as it takes time for a butterfly to grow and change and spread its beautiful wings, it also takes time for us to stretch and grow and step into our brilliance. Sometimes our transformation stalls. We get stuck in the past, reliving an old story. Let go of the past! Allow yourself to really step into that place of authenticity and show up as the amazing woman that you are today.

To help you visualize and energize your transformation, Feng Shui expert Helen Whitehead of ivillage.com offers this suggestion: “Place an image of a butterfly in the energetic arena in which you’d like to find a sense of freedom.  Butterfly symbols are often placed inside the ‘Fame’ area, especially if you’re attempting to transform or transcend your current state of circumstances with optimism, ease and grace.” To help you find the “energetic arena” you want to focus on, you’ll want to use a bagua map. Here is a link to one that is very easy to use: http://www.tranquilspaces.com/the_bagua.php

Begin to make small, manageable changes — baby steps — in the direction of your vision for yourself and your business. A key element is your outward appearance. When you take steps to really show up authentically in your appearance, everything else falls into place. You will relax into your self, enabling you to speak from your heart with little or no effort. It all begins to really make sense, and from that place you are able to radiate your brilliance.  But transformation sometimes means that we need to step out of our comfort zone, step toward the woman you are today and away from who you were five or ten years ago.

Spring is the perfect time to start the journey to becoming the REAL you.  Start by paying attention to how you feel when you wear certain things — different fabrics, styles, colors. Start journaling about how these different things make you feel or affect you.  Jot down when someone compliments you — what color or style were you wearing? Start paying attention to the clothes in your closet and what you wear the most. Most women are wearing 20% of their clothes 80% of the time!  Start weeding out the clothes that don’t fit any longer, or don’t communicate the right message.

When you start dressing with authenticity and intention you will notice a difference.  Don’t ever settle for “just okay” when you can be FABULOUS!  Always strive to be your personal best.

©2010 Laurie Mandato

Did you watch the 2010 Winter games?  I find it fascinating to watch these accomplished athletes pushing the limit every single day to become the BEST at what they do.  It is admirable to see the dedication to their sport, and how that trickles down into all areas of their life.  They start with the passion that makes them want to get out there each and every day to practice.  They often have a grueling schedule to get their practice in very early in the morning before they head off to school and then when they get home they need to study and do homework, then they get up and do the same routine again day after day.  They start competing and with each step they move a little closer to their dream of becoming an Olympic athlete!  They often have to give up doing the things that most kids their age are doing and they do so because of their commitment to their goal.

My favorite event is figure skating — Men’s, Women’s, Pairs and Ice Dancing.  I love the costumes, the creativity and the amazing routines they are able to execute on the ice with such elegance and grace.  I would be lucky to stand on skates!  They also are often performing while overcoming injury or difficult circumstances as we saw this year for Canadian skater Joannie Rochette.  Her mom passed away just days before her performance and she decided to skate anyway, because she knew that her mom would have wanted her to. She won a bronze medal.

How does all this relate to what you do? What I’ve noticed is that many of us are doing work we love and are dedicated to.  We put in many years getting to the point of being known as an expert. That transformation does not happen overnight.  We take baby steps and keep moving in the direction of our dream.

This is the same process we use in perfecting your image.  First, we begin to shift your mindset, make small changes to start honoring who you’ve become.  Just like an athlete, it takes time to perfect.  We are always evolving and changing.  We are always a work in progress. Enjoy the journey in getting to know yourself!  Savor the experience of trying new colors or styles of clothing that might push you outside your comfort zone a bit to see how it feels.  As you take these steps you will notice that your mindset will shift and you will feel more confidence in trying new things.  You may begin to notice shifts and changes in other areas too – maybe the weight that was so hard to lose is all of a sudden coming off easier or that new book project you’ve struggled with seems to flow more easily. It’s all because you have started to care for yourself in a new way with new eyes – one little step at a time.

So what will your baby step be today?