It seems like every time I sit down to write one of these notes to you, it turns into a personal essay, I feel a little bit exposed when I hit send, and a lot of people unsubscribe who probably just want more straightforward style adivce. So this morning I thought, "ok Laurel, just be concise for once in your life!' ...but then I got to thinking about the book I'm reading, Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach, and I'm pretty sure this is going to turn into a personal essay again, but I promise it's style related & I also promise I'm coming to Austin to work with you soon in real life!
Radical Acceptance
Laurel Kinney
Radical Acceptance & Your Style
Radical acceptance is this idea that if we can "accept the waves of thought and feeling that arise and pass away, we realize our deepest nature, or original nature, as a boundless sea of wakefulness & love." Ok wow. I've been lucky enough over the past let's see...entire pandemic to have the space to dig into the origins of my anxiety (since my old stay-extremely-busy method wasn't executable anymore) and got real curious about the limiting thoughts which still assert power over me in certain situations.
This concept of returning to our "deepest nature" is confusing, since so much of what we consider to be our personality is tied up in our daily thoughts and feelings. Accepting ourselves as we are is super uncomfortable, but I'm delighted to see that a lot of you are doing this work too. What I'm noticing is that this desire for self-acceptance can expose the misalignment between your inner self and your ability to self-express. Like when you tried to get dressed for your first trip back into public after quarantine and realized not only do your clothes from 2019 no longer fit, you don't even really like them anymore, as if maybe they belong to a different person.
Radically Ending Misalignment
While many of you are noticing this misalignment playing out in your wardrobes, feeling as though the clothes you're wearing aren't supporting you or making you feel like YOU anymore, it's coupled with this new desire to be seen for who you actually are, not to simply "fix" the problem & just cover your body in clothes.
But our inner voices get in the way of us figuring out how to do this. We tell ourselves we shouldn't invest in something that our beloved grandma once said was superficial, that our bodies don't deserve to be committed to as they are now, that we should wait to lose 10 pounds before we shop, that we should delay our own happiness by not wearing the thing we actually love on a boring old Wednesday, we should save that good feeling for a better, more important occasion. The way we think about our outsides is a direct reflection of what's going on inside, and after many months of hibernation, y'all seem to be ready to accept where you're at, warts and all, and actually take the steps to FEEL GOOD.
And I'm here for it.
So what's next?
I'm here to help you radically accept where you're at with your life, body, budget, and current wardrobe. I've adjusted my offerings to hold space for us to explore what makes you most happy and comfortable and pumped up about life, and to find some excitement about expressing yourself to the world again. I will help you see your particular style personality and how you can stay grounded in your style through each area of life you have to dress for, so you'll know how to express your "approachable polished" self whether you're at work or in the grocery store.
We can work together virtually, or in person in Austin (0r a combo of the two), but my time in Austin is SUPER LIMITED so snag a session soon if you know you're ready.