We’ve all done it. We all have made bad choices when it comes to purchasing clothes, from tops, to dresses, to work out clothes and even accessories.
Have you ever looked at a picture of yourself and thought, “What was I thinking going out in that outfit?”
Nobody’s perfect and some times we make a mistake because we are rushed and have to find something to wear or we just make a bad judgement call. But for some us those mistakes tend to be repeated over and over. Soon, we have a wardrobe full of clothes that we hate and we begin to doubt our sense of style, or dread shopping because we think we just don’t know how to choose wisely.
When this happens we tend to stop shopping, settle for what’s in the closet and let that determine our outlook when it comes to our wardrobe. Hating the clothes we have purchased can lead to guilt. The guilt you experience when you look in on your closet full of clothes that you hate is blocking you from success in other areas of life.
In Feng Shui your closet represents your sub-conscious. Waking up and starting your day by opening a closet that reminds you of all your fashion mistakes sets the tone for a day.
Your gut reaction, might be to grab a big black trash bag and toss it all (or donate them so you can feel better about yourself). But that is not the answer. First, you must take a look inside yourself and discover the reason why you made those mistakes. If you don’t understand the “why” then you will never be able to fix the problem. The make-over you need is on your mind-set. As I said, in Feng Shui your closet represents your sub-conscious mind. What you buy and wear is a reflection of your inner thoughts about your self. We need to start from the inside out and begin thinking of ourselves (and our clothes) in a new way.
One way to tackle this is to go in your closet and select 3 articles of clothing that you feel are BIG mistakes. Ask yourself, what was I feeling when I made this purchase? What did I like about it? What did I feel when I first tried it on? Did the sales girl make you believe it was a good purchase but your gut said no? Did you know that you were settling because you couldn’t find anything better?
Once you gain some insight as to what drove you to the purchase you will begin to see how your belief system is sabotaging your wardrobe.
When you have your “aha” moment, you can release that article of clothing. Donate it or pass it along to a friend. Repeat this for all your clothes and see if you can notice a pattern in your answers.
Along this road of self-discovery, forgive yourself for the bad decisions. Don’t beat yourself up. Know that this is an exercise to grow wiser about yourself and correct your mistakes to become a better and wiser shopper.
While you are going through your closet, take this time to review what you have and ask yourself what do I need? Where do I spend most of my time? What clothes do I need more of, casual, work, social? Or where do you need an update?
Write it down and once you have greater self- awareness and answers to what you need in your closet, setup a shopping day! Make it fun. Call a friend or visit a mall you’ve never been to before. Pick out a place for lunch and treat yourself well. Resolve to visit your favorite stores but also stop in two new ones. Embrace your true style, remind yourself of the mistakes you’ve made in the past then ask yourself these 3 simple questions:
Do I love it?
Do I need it?
Is it in my budget?
If your answers are yes, then celebrate your success! You may only come home with one or two items, but you will be building a wardrobe of more of what you love and less of what you hate.
By exercising this process in your wardrobe, you begin to affirm that you are going to stop settling in life and that you are willing to receive more of what you want and what affirms your true self. When you open yourself up in this way, success just seems to find its way to you.
So, what are you waiting for? Stop feeling guilty! Liberate yourself from your closet! Get busy sorting through your pieces then call a friend and go shopping!