Adulting: A Mini Series, Part VII

Your LifeSTYLE

Tell me what your style is. Are you preppy? Boho? Classy? Funky? Grungy? Beachy? Sporty? How would you describe yourself? Chances are, you probably relate to a few of these categories. Style is fluid. One day I feel like the biggest prep in the world rocking my Sperries. The next day all I want to wear is flow-y dresses. My point in all of this is I know what styles make me me.

Knowing your personal style is just one part of knowing what your LIFE-style is.

The dictionary defines lifestyle as, “the way in which a person or group lives.”

Yeah, true. But I want to expand on that. We need to know more than just what way we want to live our life. We need to know what is required in order to love our lives.

Cue in our foundational work. Rachel Hollis, author of  “Girl, Wash Your Face,” and “Girl, Stop Apologizing,” has a whole chapter about how we need to build foundations for success. Now, I can’t tell you to go read a whole book, but I am going to ask that you read this paragraph of hers before we continue.

I spent years talking to women about how to reach for growth without realizing that many of them didn’t have a strong foundation to keep up with their goals even if they were motivated. The truth is, it doesn’t matter if you’re motivated to achieve a goal if your day-to-day life is going to sabotage you before you get very far. This lack of foundation wasn’t even something I put a name to until I started to dig into the reasons women would list for why they were having so much trouble. The things we need in place before we can pursue our dreams are not what we often think of it in relation to success. Typically, we just think of them as parts of life. But if we don’t have these foundational elements squared away on the front end, reaching for anything else can feel like too much of a long shot.

Ok, are you paying attention now? We have to have our foundation stable and strong in order to build anything.

But now, this is the fun and exciting part. This is where the style piece comes into play. You get to design, create, and master what this foundation looks like. You know you better than anyone else. You can probably think of the days where you felt like you were crushing it and were Wonder Woman herself and you can think of the days where you felt like a pile of poo and wanted to hide in your bed with the blankets over you.

I get it. We’ve all had both experiences. I want you to think of your Wonder Woman days. I want you to think of what you did for yourself that made you feel like you could go out and conquer the world.

I know that for me, that means I start my day with a workout and spend some time on my balcony before immersing myself into work.

I know that during the day I’m staying hydrated. I’m eating all the fresh fruits, veggies, and food that nourishes me and leaves me feeling light and energized.

I know that throughout the day, I’m feeling connected to my friends, family, and boyfriend—even if that only means via text or tagging each other on Instagram memes.

I know that I have something to look forward to. Whether it is a trip, dinner with a friend, or even just weekend plans, there is something I’m working towards, something I’m giddy about.

I am constantly assessing my why of what I’m doing and making sure things are staying in line in with long-term goals.

I know that I’m showing up 100% in my work—whatever that means for that day.

And, I know that at the end of the day, I will be able to relax and feel proud for all that I did.

And that is just in a DAY. Girl, I know that is a LOT to think about. BUT I will say, I don’t think about doing any of that now. All of it has become a habit. Granted, that wasn’t always the case. It’s been a game of trial and error, great days, and crappy days. But if I can stick closely to this formula, the good outweigh the bad.

The good days set me up for great weeks, fabulous months, and wonderful years. And in the midst of all of this, it’s also important to find the magic formula, the sweet spot, of self-care in other areas.

How do you spend your weekends? How much alone time do you need? How do you want to move your body? What re-charges you the most? How will you maintain this lifestyle?

Take some time to think about all these questions. Need more? I’ve got you covered on that too.

Now I know this is the last of the adulting series, geared at you lovelies in your twenties, but share this with everyone. We could all use a foundational tune-up now and again.

 And for those of you that are  in the thick of this decade, know that this IS the perfect time to build your foundations. Do it before life gets really real.  Do it so the future you will feel like Wonder Woman. Do it so your future partner and your people get the best version of you. Do it so your work is focused and on point. Do it so you can check things off your to-do list and be the goal getter you want to be.  Do it so you can be living and loving your life.