Reflection - 30 days of fashion

As mentioned in the End of Activity 1 post I've really enjoyed this activity and the changes in my appearance and consumption will stay in my life now that it has finished. Actually I more than enjoyed this activity, I found it to be a very freeing experience; I feel like I've rediscovered a more playful part of myself that has been lost for a while now.

I think that was something that I knew, but just hadn’t acknowledged. It’s not like I’ve always been this boring with my clothes, I actually culled a fair amount of colour out of my wardrobe when we packed up to move down here. But the move interstate, to a whole new life and new job, rattled my self-confidence more than I had realised, and it had already taken a hit from my last job as well.

So right now, I feel more like myself than I have for a couple of years, but I can’t attribute that to just this one activity. I think that it has to do with the project as a whole, and the fact that I am actually doing it. There have been so many things in my life that I have thought about doing, even planned out but they’ve never come off. Not only have a started the Year of TED project, but I have completed Activity 1 and am onto Activity 3.

I think that 30 days of fashion was a very wise choice for the first activity. It helped move me into a different mindset, made me very externally aware that I was doing something different and making changes in my life. I think that it has also helped me feel a bit more connected to some of the people at work. Yes that has meant far more conversations about clothes than I have had - well probably forever, but it is a level of connection that I haven’t broadly felt since making the move to Tasmania almost 18 months ago.

For the few friends that I had made I think that it has strengthened that connection as well. I feel more comfortable with them, even though they know some of my flaws and failings a little better now.

Overall I think that I am feeling a lot more relaxed, much less like I need to be perfect and more accepted for the crazy/odd person that I am. I've even stopped some of my internal beatings for getting simple things wrong, something that I know I have been doing far too much prior to this.I realise that I am unlikely to have this level of growth with every activity, particularly since it is only partially attributed to Activity 1. But the positive feelings that have surrounded Activity 1 will really help me move onto some of the more challenging activities to come.

A note on Op Shopping

It's funny that going through this I remembered how I used to op shop at uni and how much I enjoyed doing it then. I'm not entirely sure why I ever stopped doing it, but I’m so grateful to Jessi for inspiring me to take it up again. It really was the price aspect of buying the clothes that let me take some "risks", because if I felt uncomfortable in something and wouldn’t wear it again, well it was generally around $5 so who cares – I’ll just donate those items back.

And overall I had a very small percentage of misses, and they cost me far less than some of the fashion disasters I've walked out of stores with in the past - after paying full price!

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Activity 4 - 30 days living the 3 A's

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Activity 3 - 30 days of better listening