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