I declared it with such confidence. “No new clothes. No new shoes. All year.”
My bold statement was made in November. It seemed like a good way for me to prove in 2014 that my self-esteem and confidence were not resting on something as ridiculous as new jeans or stilettos.
Now, five months later… I look longingly at new spring fashions… Cute shorts, platform sandals, sundresses long and short. I see trends I predicted in my love of fashion and yet I know that it was taking a place in my heart it doesn’t deserve.
I’ve had this internal struggle since I began earning my own money in high school. After putting aside money for charity (tithe) and a small part for savings, I would generally find a way to spend much of the rest on clothes and shoes. Somehow along the way I began to believe that looking good depended on having something new. And ever so slowly, values got confused.
It’s strange that what I talk with girls about – their value isn’t based on how they look – bites me in the backside.
So, to confront my thoughts, that became an action, that turned into belief, I issued myself a challenge: Nothing new. All Year. I will face whatever social and professional situations arise with old clothes and new attitude. The journey had better be better than the destination. The next 8 months is going to bring many lessons that I will share.
But what about you? What are you putting your confidence in? What thing or person do you need to believe you can overcome challenges that roll your way?
I wanna know. We can make this year, the year we depend on the right things. This can be the year our worth is in our humanity, not our vanity.