On Dressing the Part

Dress like the person you want to become and bridge the gap between them and yourself every single day.

There is no reason why you can’t embody the highest version of yourself, the person you want to become, right now. Manifesting your best self isn’t about sitting around and waiting for a change, it’s about taking initiative, and one of the easiest ways to do that is through your clothes. 

THE FEELING

Whenever I feel stuck or unsure of myself, I have always found comfort in envisioning the person I want to become and choosing to take the action of what I think she would most likely do. When choosing to dress in the morning, sometimes it feels impossible to actually put yourself together, and that’s okay. No one is going to get it completely right one hundred percent of the time. Still, anything that you can do to align yourself with a version of you that you want to be and love and are proud of, you should do, right?

If anything, I’d rather overdo it. I’d rather walk out in knee high boots and a mini skirt than sweatpants and no makeup on. I know, it might sound ridiculous. But while I’m doing this, I’m passing absolutely no judgement at the girls who choose the latter, because I’m dressing up for myself, and my own conscience.

I’m dressing up because I’ve noticed that the more I feel put together, the more confident I feel, and the less I worry about the way I look. The less I worry about the way I look, the more productive I can be, and the more carefree I can feel.

THE METHOD

This may not apply to everyone, and that’s completely fine. But if you can relate to the feeling of wanting to go home and lie down when you feel “disheveled” or not wanting to be seen when you’re not wearing the best outfit, I want to suggest taking the extra few minutes in the morning to get ready everyday, because it will change your life. Not only will it help you feel more elevated on a daily basis, but dressing up is one small action to take to bridge the gap between you and the person you want to become, or rather who you decide you will become. 

Whether or not you believe deeply in the new age concept of manifestation, everyone does have the power to promote self growth, or even “manifest” a new self, which, in this case would relate to becoming the person they want to be. Vision boards and writing scripts are only one piece of the puzzle, but rather the most effective “method” that you can use to manifest your higher self is taking initiative, which now I am to convince you is dressing the part. Manifestation isn’t passive, it’s active, and acting now can start with a change of clothes.

Envision the person you want to become. Consider how they look and how they act, but most importantly how they feel. Not just the person who has everything you want, but the person who has all of those things and is how you want to be. What are they wearing? This may seem unnecessary to ask, after all, it’s just clothes and clothes don’t define who you are as a person. Clothes, however, along with accessories, shoes, makeup, hairstyles, personal grooming, et cetera, do all come together to make up your presentation and therefore form your external perception, whether we like it or not. So now, how does the person you want to become present themselves each day?

This presentation is what you should strive for, and it doesn’t necessarily mean getting an entirely new wardrobe. This means utilizing what you already have to create the presence of how you, as your new self, wants to be perceived. 

WHERE TO START

Start small. It’s okay to not be perfect every day, I know I’m most certainly not. And if you don’t relate to this, or necessarily feel the need to look a certain type of “presentable” way every day to embody your best self, don’t do this. But I’ve always been someone who needs to feel rather “put together,” and this is how I do it, by starting small. If a full face of makeup is too much, try just starting with mascara every day. If doing your hair takes too long, find a quick updo that you feel confident in.

When you move on to your clothes, you don’t need to replenish your entire closet (although I’ll always support somewhat of a shopping spree). Instead, think about the pieces in your closet that you love the most, and what they go the best with. Allow yourself to wear your best outfits to a random Tuesday lecture, as wearing something you feel confident in is a form of showing up, and the person you want to become shows up every day, and that starts today. 

When buying clothes, then, maybe focus on more flattering, timeless finds, rather than quick trends. Spend time finding pieces that suit you, and furthermore suit who you envision as yourself.

It’s all about what works for you.

So, all of this, the clothes, the hair, the makeup, the showing up, is how you become the person you’ve always wanted to become. It is this act of physical embodiment, of personal presentation, that bridges the gap between you and “them” every day. The more you do this, the more you “put yourself together,” the more you will realize that who you are is not a visualization, it’s a choice, and it’s only your choice to choose.

The person you want to become is not waiting for you to arrive. She’s waiting for you to get dressed.