When a new year begins, this is a wonderful time to think back on how things went last year, how you felt about yourself, and what you’d like to do differently this year. If you’ve had a year of not feeling great about your appearance, ask yourself why, and what can be done to improve your situation this new year — even if it’s only a 10% improvement! Oh, you think you can get a 50% improvement? That’s even better!

Let’s start by asking some questions. You may or may not have answers right now, but once you bring the questions to your conscious mind, the answers may be revealed when you go shopping, or decide it’s time to clean out your closet. In any case, these are big, tough, universal questions that may be at the heart of why you aren’t feeling great about your appearance.

Sit down, close your eyes, and ask yourself these questions:

1. Why do I dislike 80% of the clothes in my closet?

Do you open your closet, reach in and just throw on any old thing — without joy, or even an admiring glance? If this is true for you, it’s time to shake things up. You deserve to LOVE 80% (I’m being realistic — few of us will reach 100%) of the clothes in your closet. That’s right — you should love almost every single piece hanging in your closet. When you dislike most of the clothes you own, but you wear them anyway, how can that possibly be giving you self-confidence?

Maybe you’ve gained weight after menopause and you haven’t bought new clothes, so the clothes you used to LOVE just don’t fit anymore, so now you loathe looking at them. If that’s the case, then you have to move those clothes to another closet — even if it’s temporary while you lose some weight. You can’t put yourself through self-loathing every morning!

Perhaps you bought a bunch of inexpensive clothes because you’re on a tight budget after retirement, but you really don’t like the clothes because they’re not made well. My advice is to get rid of them and start over buying a few, high quality pieces that you LOVE. They’ll last so much longer, too. At the very least, you can find high end clothing in consignment and thrift stores without paying high end prices.

Whatever the reason you got here, I know there is a solution. There is a way to LOVE 80% of your clothes!

2. Why do i buy clothes I never wear?

This is why I LOVE shopping in consignment and thrift stores — because there’s a treasure trove of mistakes other women made just waiting to be discovered. Women buy clothes they never wear for many reasons. Maybe you mindlessly purchased something in a hurry because you needed an outfit for a special event and it was the best you could do. Or, you bought an outfit off the manikin because it looked so good on an inanimate dress form, but looked terrible on you when you got home. Perhaps the sales clerk told you it looked fantastic on you..but you knew she was lying.

Whatever the reasons, you have to stop buying clothes you never wear!

Here’s how you can stop buying the wrong clothes: You have to take the time (and investment) to understand and really know your color palette and your body shape, know what clothing flatters your body, and claim your personal style. Then, you’ll have a really good chance that you’ll wear the clothes you buy. It’s all about clarity, knowledge, and focus. Every purchase you make is important because it builds your self-esteem. When you make bad clothing purchases, not only does it damage your confidence, waste time and money, but it builds up frustration and depression over time. Buying the right clothes that fit you today, and work for your lifestyle is such a confidence booster!

3. How will i define my own beauty in the new year?

Beauty is something women strive for, and for good reason. It attracts people and opportunities to you. I believe beauty emanates from within, when your inside matches your outside. Part of defining your own beauty is establishing your personal style. When you find pieces that light you up inside, you will radiate beauty and vitality on the outside. When you believe you are beautiful, then you are!

This is the year to define your OWN BEAUTY — regardless of your age, size, or shape. You deserve to feel beautiful inside and out!

4. How will my life be better with less clothing and clutter?

So much is written about the benefits of removing clutter. Can you imagine your life would be better if you had less clutter? I certainly can…

My new years resolution is to begin getting rid of clutter in the following places:

  • My mind (with more quiet time, meditation, and walks on the beach)
  • My closet (yes, even stylists develop clutter, but we clean out our closets all the time!)
  • My home (continue to downsize everything in the house…our kids don’t want our stuff!)

How about you? Where do you see clutter showing up in your life? How does that affect the way you feel about yourself? I’m not an expert on mind or home clutter, but I do know how to get rid of closet clutter! I always tell my clients you don’t need a lot of clothes, just the RIGHT clothes. This year, focus on what’s right in your closet and get rid of all the things that make you feel badly about your appearance.

Here’s some steps you can take to get rid of the closet clutter:
Step #1: Really get serious about knowing what looks good on you (I can help you gain clarity on what looks good! Click here for my upcoming style workshop)
Step #2: Figure out what you love to wear
Step #3: Stick to a formula that works for your body shape, coloring, and personal style preferences
Step #4: Toss everything that didn’t make it through Steps 1-3!

If you’d like to get more clarity and focus around your wardrobe clutter and know what looks good on you, my Virtual Style Workshop is starting up again on February 1st. Get an Earlybird Registration Discount and read details here >> Style Your Way To Success In Your Second Act