Watching old re-runs of Sex and the City, I jotted down these amazing quotes that I’ve taken on as my daily mantra. They are great little reminders on how important it is to live for the day, feeling beautiful and fabulous everyday!
I remember the days that I just kept “waiting” my life away:
Oh, when I lose weight, I’ll buy that dress…
Actually, let me just buy that dress now in a smaller size so I can wear it when I do lose the weight…
And the list goes on! I realized, why am I waiting to feel beautiful? What’s with all the pressure about the future? Why can’t I enjoy and be myself, here and now???
“Why are we “shoulding” all over ourselves?”
Women really have a lot of challenges to live up to – from being successful at work, finding the perfect partner, being the Mrs.Brady housewife and mother, looking like a movie star, blah blah blah. Or even another challenge is to follow a different path, one that isn’t considered “normal.” As writer, Holly Sidell mentions in her Huffington Post article, “Shoulds” are really fear and a need for control. “Shoulds” actually act as barriers keeping everything that you want from coming to you. In fact, there IS no “should.” Every single person has their own path… There is no should when you’re on your path, because it’s just your path!
“I will never be the woman with the perfect hair, who can wear white and not spill on it.”
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And Halleluiah to that! The funniest women I know are those that don’t care about being a little dirty, a little crazy and sometimes a little scary. Yes, there will always be THAT woman out there that is smarter, funnier, prettier, skinnier, and never spills coffee or stains her white, silk blouse. But it seems all SO stressful trying to attain that level of god(dess)liness, while in the end, isn’t it just easier and more fun to be YOU?
“Are there some women put in the world just to make you feel bad about yourself?”
Yeah, there’s a multi-billion dollar industry in place designed to do exactly that! I think life is all about constant improvisation and improvements. Yes, maybe I can do yoga in the morning instead of eating the breakfast crepes with nutella; And yes, maybe a pedi is just what I need to show off those gorgeous strappy heels I bought last year that cost a pretty penny. And yeah, maybe I can consider dressing up a bit more for work instead of wearing black pants and that basic jersey top. But will there be a day that I’ll wake up to abs-of-steel or Madonna-like arms? Probably not, and you know what? I’m going to work on what I got here and now and feel good about myself no matter what!
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“Hello, my name is Fabulous.”
Damn straight. And everyday, you look in the mirror, remind yourself of that! As a plus size women’s clothing designer, I think it’s so important to feel TODAY. As the article “10 ways to feel confident, even when you aren’t” states, “Wearing clothes that fit well and flatter, no matter the shape of your body, provides an enormous boost to your self esteem. Don’t wait until you’ve arrived at a magical ideal to start dressing your best. Clothes never make the person, but it’s hard to feel confident inside when your outside sends signals of uncertainty. Turning on your inner confidence is like any other skill you choose to develop. Each day you keep reminding yourself on how fabulous you are, the sooner you believe it and the sooner you start feeling it on the inside.”
“The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you that you love, well, that’s just fabulous.”
With all the social and inner pressures, at the end of the day, the only person we can ever depend on is ourselves. Maybe it’s a good idea to give ourselves a bit of R&R by being a little nicer to ourselves. I think women really do need to move on with the whole, “woe is me, I’m just so utterly boring and have absolutely no redeeming qualities about myself and the world is against me” scenario. It’s time we put a lid on it and just love ourselves.
“Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens.”
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There were the days that I calculated every move I made to make precisely sure I was moving forward in my career. Then I met a beautiful man. Then we got pregnant. Then I moved to LA and we got pregnant again. Oh, and then somewhere between #1 and #2 we got married. Oh and there was this economic crisis that put additional craziness into the mix. And with every turn and detour away from my original plan, I’ve had the time of my life. I rolled with the punches and I got everything I wanted which was nothing I expected.
“I have low self-esteem, but I express it the healthy way… by eating a box of Double-Stuff Oreos.”
I loved reading this article from the website, The Adjusted Life, “…If you eat decently most of the time, you can occasionally cheat. Life will go on. Think of it as a day off — not a reason to give up.” These little indulgences just help us keep going. However, in my case, I’d have to go for the chocolate and cheese puff. Yum!
By Jacqueline Floro, Plus Size Designer
Shop Translated.com, Plus Sizes Clothing and Plus Size Blog
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