Finally - At 30?

11 minutes ago

3 min read

Something I've always wanted is to be able to have a capsule wardrobe that I'm proud of. I've tried since my teens to come up with color combinations and outfit coordination that reflect my personality and make me feel confident. What's funny is that I NEVER once have been pleased with my wardrobe. It's always felt wrong. Like something is missing. I haven't felt good in my wardrobe. I've done so many things to try to figure out why this is the case.

Studied YouTube fashion influencers

Learned my color season

Explored proportions

Learned what hair styles complement my face the most

Nothing made me feel better, and nothing worked. I was about to give up. After all, I'm in my 30s. I've been trying for about fifteen years at this point. It's not going to happen. I just have to resign myself to my mediocre wardrobe.

Then, I decided to try one more time.

I knew how hard it was after I had my first child. I didn't feel like myself. I could hardly remember that I existed. Every waking moment I was worried about my girl, keeping her alive. This second pregnancy, I wanted to have a beautiful postpartum experience where I didn't just feel like I was barely surviving, but actually that I was thriving. What would that look like? Well, it would look like welcoming My Lord into every situation and relying heavily on Him for strength. It would involve praying for a ten-fold measure of His grace to sustain me. But it would also mean perhaps doing something special for myself. A little "mom glow up."

I decided to spend about $150 on some new clothes and cosmetics. First, I made a list of my ideal items for my body type, personality, lifestyle, and color palette. I minimized colors and maximized the practicality of each piece. Then I bought a few really simple items from Amazon.com to complement what I already had in my wardrobe.

Once I had my baby, I started wearing these new pieces. Suddenly, my wardrobe really was entirely transformed. And for the first time in my life, every single morning, I woke up feeling beautiful and confident of my appearance.

How did this happen after trying for fifteen years?

Honestly, I don't know. Maybe it had something to do with the extra motivation that came from feeling gross during pregnancy. I really felt HUGE during pregnancy and uncomfortable. The transformation almost instantly postpartum was a wonderful feeling. But also, I had done so much work for so long. Maybe I didn't realize how much I had gradually learned. Whatever the case, something finally moved the needle and led to success after fifteen years.

Why am I sharing all this with you? It's not really for the purpose of fashion. It's actually for the purpose of challenging a belief I started to develop, the belief that after a certain age or a certain number of tries, we can't change. Clearly, I proved that belief wrong.

We have the ability to change at any age and no matter how many times we've tried before.

You may be in your 30s, 40s, or 50s, or older; but if you put in just a little more umph or learn through one more class or make one specific purchase, or step into one new place, or introduce yourself to one more person...Who knows what may happen. History repeats itself sometimes, but sometimes a simple change