Moving away from, moving towards. This is an exercise I used to assign to my therapy patients: make two lists, one of the things you are moving away from, and the other of things you are moving towards. It helps us see where we are making progress in our lives, how far we have come already, and where we want our goals to take us.
I thought it would be helpful to apply this exercise to wardrobe and style. I don’t make New Year’s (or Thanksgiving) Resolutions! but this is more of a “taking stock” activity, right? : > And the end of a year is a convenient time for such things. So here are some of my moving ideas:
I am moving away from:
- being “too cheap” with myself. Without acting from greed, I deserve good things.
- buying disposable, fast-clothing pieces that support unfair labor. practices (I have pretty much completely moved away from this; I still buy Hanes underwear now and then).
- falling back on black and gray for my comfort zone.
- feeling bad about my aging face and neck. They’re the only ones I have.
- envy of others’ wardrobes/talents/blogs.
- predictability.
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
-Maya Angelou
I am moving toward:
- budgeting for a few higher-quality pieces to elevate my wardrobe.
- being more discerning when I thrift-shop (just because it’s $4, doesn’t mean I have to have it).
- growing more comfortable with my best colors, like sky blue and burgundy, as staples in my closet.
- accepting the changes in my face and body, while staying healthy and fit.
- appreciation of my own closet and my own gifts.
- creativity.
I am sure there are more, and I’ll probably add to this list as the months go on.
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
-Harriet Tubman
I would love to hear from you — what are you moving away from/towards? Or are you at a sweet spot right now?
Stay fabulous, xo
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Your article was the highlight of my reading list this week.
Lovely attitude and wise words!.
I’m working on my own attitude too, particularly telling myself that I deserve good things. And totally agree about being more discerning when I shop second hand, as I tend to buy things only because they’re such bargains (it’s really tempting!)
Thanks for your posts!
besos
Hello Sra and thanks for coming over! Your comments are spot-on with my own shopping experiences! Stay beautiful and well, xx.
I had my 60th birthday this past week so the idea of “moving away from” and “moving towards” resonate with me right now. I would like to move towards expressing my creativity more often, and accepting the changes that ageing is bringing to my face and body but also taking better care of it so that it continues to let me enjoy life going forward.
Happy Birthday dear Shelley, and I hope you enjoyed it. I love your “moving towards”, positive and inspiring. Thanks for coming by; stay warm and fabulous! xx
Happy Thanksgiving Patti! You mentioned closet and black in the same post. So I opened my closet up and mostly all that was staring at me was black. I lived and worked in Nassau County NY for most of my life. In that part of the world, with very close proximity to Manhattan, Black is a uniform. Dress it up for dinner, down for work. or Vice Versa. Maybe a colorful scarf. At 73, I decided if I continue to wear mostly black people may think I’m a little old Italian widow instead of a vivacious divorcee! Thank you for the reminder to clean out my closet.
Hi Louise and Happy Thanksgiving to you too. I enjoyed your comment about black clothing and NYC. Whenever I’m in black head to toe I feel like a NYC woman! A colorful scarf is always welcome. Thanks for coming by and stay fab, xx.
Hope you had a great thanksgiving. In that spirit, appreciating more what I have and less about acquiring more.
Good morning Darby and thanks for coming over. I enjoyed your comment! Have a lovely weekend, xx.
Oooh, I love this so much – particularly about appreciating our bodies and faces as they age. Aging is such a great privilege, and it doesn’t make sense to look the same as we age. Fine wine is better with age and so are we. Love it, thanks Patti. (also, you look great in blue!)
Good morning, Nicole and thanks for coming by. I agree aging is a privilege and not to be taken for granted! Have a wonderful weekend, xx.
Patti, This is my first comment to you. Thanks for the Thanksgiving Day lift! Great easy ways to make changes and chart progress. Simple is best! Cheers to you and your loved ones. Judy in Phoenix
Hello Judy and thanks so much for coming by. Happy Thanksgiving and yeah, simple is good. Stay well, xx.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and Sandy, Patti!
I love this exercise! I’m moving towards:
– a tightly curated closet of things I LOVE, not just “eh, they are there”
– being creative and mindful in my creativity (my new art projects – drawing on leather)
– accepting my face and body – they are what they are, and while I can control some of that, I can’t control it all
I’m moving away from:
– letting every little thing stress me. Let it go!
– caring what others thing about what I do/say/wear (I mean in a general way – I try to be kind, lol)
– the “I can’t” mindset
Thank you!
Oh hi Sheila, and thanks for coming by! It’s not your Thanksgiving day, but have a slice of pie and enjoy. Let it go! is one of my favorite sayings. Stay fab, xx.
Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for this posts and your many other posts and shares that add much joy and positive inspiration. I really like that concept of thinking about what to move toward to and what to move away from and plan to apply the concept to life as well as clothing. Thinking about your post I realize I need to move toward being more confident in my fashion choices and appearance and move away from self critical thoughts.
Happy Thanksgiving Joan, and thank you for coming by, and all your kind comments. Moving towards more confidence is a fantastic direction. All good thoughts to you, xx.
You always give me something to think about that enhances my life. Also, the sky blue color IS a great choice for you!
Hi Jane and Happy thanksgiving to you. And thank you for the lovely comments, they make my day, xx.
What an insightful exercise, Patti! I’m going to write out some away/toward ideas too. Thanks for helping me to focus my wardrobe!
Good morning Kerri Lee, and Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for your kind remarks, and stay fab, xx.