Self-Concept Thursday!

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. ~Hans Hofmann

While watching Lost the other day on Netflix, I thought to myself: if I was stranded on an island for months, I would look a hot mess! No tweezers, no razors, no makeup or nail polish, no HAIR PRODUCTS?!?! The visual is just too disturbing to contemplate.

This train of thought led me to realize a few things:

* I’m always worried about how I look
* I’m more high maintenance with my beauty routines than I admit to myself
* High maintenance routines are not necessary to look good
* I want to live more simply and require less stuff

Why is it that I am always distracted by thoughts of how I look? Key word: distracted. I love being a woman and expressing my femininity. Don’t you? We want to feel good about ourselves, and part of that is looking good. But often we, OK I’ll speak for myself, I take it too far and become obsessed with my appearance and allow it to affect my focus on other things.

My preoccupation with beauty can take up a lot of time, and I’m convinced that I could leverage some of this time to concentrate on other areas of my world. My life is a constant juggling act and there are still so many more things I want to do with myself. To create the capacity for more living and loving; I need to simplify – cut back – slow down. I realize that this will require a whole mind shift, but I’m ready to work at it.

Some ideas I’ve been considering lately:

* How much time do I spend per week on my hair versus how much time I spend writing? If you follow me on my personal blog, then you know that two of my passions are healthy, natural hair and writing. I am so full of ideas and words right now. All I want to do is write, but with a day job and a family, I have limited time. With the time I was spending on my hair everyday, I could be writing and creating.

* How many times am I late to work or a function because I can’t get my hair, clothes, makeup just right? Too often, I’m rushing, I’m distracted and I’m wishing I had more time. Shifting my philosophy to low maintenance beauty will allow me to savor my experiences more. For example, I’d rather have two pair of jeans that fit me perfectly, than 10 pair of jeans that just take up space in my drawer. See what I mean? Simplify.

* How do I define my ideal outward appearance? My current response would be healthy, big hair in perfect disarray, clear blemish free skin that doesn’t get oily, having the perfect outfit for every occasion….I could go on. With this wish list perpetually on my mind, no wonder I always find myself trying to improve something about how I look. Why not look in the mirror, be content and feel blessed? I’m a woman, a mother, a daughter, sister, friend and more, and when I see myself through their eyes, I know that I am beautiful just the way I am without a lot of frills and fuss.

Developing a “work smarter not harder” mentality about my beauty routines, is just another way to be true to my current reality and keep my priorities in check. By honoring my time and spending it wisely, I’m loving myself and creating the space for new experiences. I still want to feel beautiful on the outside, because this makes me feel more confident to express my inner beauty. So, my intention is to work towards that unique balance of inner and outer energy that attracts the life and opportunities that I desire.

In what small ways, whether related to self-image/beauty or otherwise, have you been able to simplify your life? Is the time you spend on your appearance or other external factors distracting you from simply enjoying life? What can you do about it? Do you disagree with this philosophy? Why?

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci