I took massive delight in the big reveal.
That moment when I turned Sharon around in the mirror to have her meet her new reflection… her best colours, her body gift wrapped to perfection, and the smiles and tears would flow… “why didn’t I know this before?” was the cry… “I look so amazing!”
So why, when I clapped eyes on Sharon, 6 weeks later in Tesco, was she once again in her black leggings and grey hoodie? The answer? Mindset…. Her eyes loved her new look, but the mind, well that needed to catch up a bit.
Our brains are just sooooo programmed for comfort, that when they are challenged, stepping out from the norm, we struggle to keep our momentum. The red dress looked great on the day but the old habits die hard… and hard it was for our Sharon to shake the good old draw of her bog standard comfies, no matter how shit they made her feel.
Sharon wasn’t a one off, noooo, in fact over the years, I’ve lost count of women that I’ve seen come back to me time after time, having lost themselves once again in the abyss of an M&S high-waisted legging and the good old Next sweatshirt- it may well say HAPPY on the front, but these girls, were far from it.
One thing they don’t tell you in Style School is that actually the clothes are really the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what your job entails. I’d go as far as to say that it’s not about the clothes…. Its ALL about the way you feel.
This observation has led me down so many paths over the years, to broaden my understanding of our brains and how they work. I’ve tucked life coaching. psychology and colour therapy courses under my belt, along with hundreds of hours of research. Every day, is absolutely, a school day.
A more holistic approach to styling, starting with my own mindset shift. A five-step process that gets our head in the game before we even go near a new colour.
Why? Because we need to make peace with the past, the girl we used to be, forgive her, accept her, understand her and give her permission to move into a new chapter.
She’s gonna thank you for it, it’s going to feel easier and you might just start to make lasting changes that create a huge impact… its time to find some style joy, and this time, we can make it stick.
