A Good Kind of Monday Blues+Style

 

Hat- Target | Top-Zara | Jean- Old Navy | Shoes- Nine West

A winning week starts with a winning mindset! When you encounter challenges during the week, remember that success stories are always proceeded by challenges. So don't let temporary setbacks stop you from achieving your goals. Whenever I find myself in a challenging situation, one thing that always helps is pausing to identify what I can control. Then I strategizing a plan of action, seek direction from God and help from any people in my corner to dive into solving the challenge. Pace yourself, and remember that small progress is still progress. You were built to handle whatever comes your way. Let's slay this week!

On a side note, the only blues I like dealing with relate to style and I had fun putting this look together. This top is sold out but if you follow me on liketoknowit, you'll see some similar tops. Have a great week!

Motivation Mindset: Corduroy Mini Dress Snakeskin Boots

Have you ever put on an outfit that gave you an instant confidence boots? Well this is it for me. Something about a mini dress and snakeskin boots just makes me feel powerful. The best part? This whole outfit was under $100. Like the dress is on sale for less than $20 right now and I found these boots on sale for under $60.

Dress-Missguided via Asos | Boots- Steve Madden similiar here | Sunglasses-Forever 21

Sometimes we have to give ourselves a motivational talk to pump ourselves up. So here is my message to you (and me) today:

You are powerful.

You are a blessing.

God is smiling on you.

You are equipped to handle every challenge that comes your way.

Now remember all the above as you walk through this week! 

Walking with a Renewed Mindset & Styling Leopard Print

Life: I woke up today feeling accomplished and grateful to have made it to see another day. This week definitely threw some curveballs, but I have a renewed mindset after reflecting on where I am after the conversation I had with my mom. You see, I was talking to my mom earlier in the week telling her how depleted I felt from juggling so many things at once. After listening to me for a few minutes she said, "okay, but what are you going to put down? You have to put something down! That conversation made me think about the pressure we place on ourselves to carry things we have no business carrying in the first place. So I just want to let you know that if you ever feel like you're sinking under the pressures of life, ask yourself "what can I put down." All burdens are not ours to carry!

Style: Now, let's talk about the fun park of this post, the style! You know I love a good print and leopard is one of my favorites because it can be styled so many ways. This Zara dress has been holding me down for nearly 2 years as it was the first dress I bought after giving birth to my son. While it's long sold out, I thought you would appreciate a few of my leopard print pieces from H&M. I just got the long sleeve top with the asymmetrical neckline and I can't wait to show you several ways to style it. Which piece is your favorite?

    

1. H&M long-sleeved top 

2. Turtleneck top

3. Calf length skirt

4. Draped Bodysuit

How to Style a Chunky Knit Sweater & Selfcare

Sweater-H&M | Jeans-Old Navy | Ankle Boots-Vionic

This H&M sweater is my favorite right now because it's everything a fall sweater should be. It's warm, stylish, and can be worn several ways. You can wear it with mom jeans like I did, or layer it over a slip dress to extend the life of your summer clothes. I think it's safe to say this might be the most popular H&M sweater of the season. I've seen it all over Instagram, YouTube hauls, and even on someone at work! Also, the price is so good that it's worth buying in multiple colors. I also have it in brown and have been trying to get my hands on the cream one in my size. 

I wore this look for a family trip to the Rutgers Gardens during October and it was perfect for the mild fall weather we experienced at the time. This sweater will definitely come in handy on cold winter days as well.

Now that we've discussed the style, let's talk about self care as rhe holidays approach. The holiday season is both an exciting but busy time for many of us. If you work in operations like me or retail, then your workload increases drastically around this time of year. In full transparency, I've been feeling burnt out alot lately from getting 4-5 hours of sleep on the days that I work and working 12-14 hour days. I started realizing a pattern weeks ago, I would go so hard during the work week between my job and planning my creative content snd then completely crash when I got home on my last day of the work week. So I decided to start taking more days off which has been so beneficial to my health. I don't know who needs to read this but use your pto and vacation time even if the only place you plan on going is your bed or living room! Don't be afraid to send the out of office message and not check your work messages when you are off. You cannot pour from an empty cup. So take the time to rest and recharge so that you can return to your responsibilities and give them your best effort!

 

Happy November & How to Style a Knit Dress for Fall

May November bring you many reasons to smile, more blessings, make you wiser, and make you rich in experiences.

Dress- H&M | Shoes-Vionic 

May November bring you many reasons to smile, more blessings, make you wiser, and make you rich in experiences. Things to remember as you walk through this month: 

1. If you feel stuck, you don't have to stay there. If you don't like who you were yesterday, choose to be better today. 
2. Abundance starts with your mindset. Speaking of abundance, I'm committed committed to saving a few thousand dollars by the end of the year by being disciplined, making smarting shopping choices like shopping in my closet more often and saving money as soon as I get paid!
3. Limit activities that do not bring you peace. Many of people suffer from seasonal depression during the colder months. So be mindful of the things that make you feel less than your best. Go outside and try your best to stay active. Even if it's taking a quick walk. I went outside for a walk on Saturday in the 40 something degree weather and it felt so good to be in nature counting my blessings, setting my intentions for the week and talking to god without distractions!

This dress is one of my old favorites from H&M! I've had it for years and I love to wear it during the cooler months. It fits me right and keeps me warm! The Vionic ankle boots are new and have instantly become a staple in my wardrobe!

Puff Sleeve Dress & Pouring into Yourself

Treat yourself like a garden, you have to pour into you and nurture yourself in order to grow and flourish! So I challenge you to do at least one thing each day that brings you joy and nurtures you.

Pouring into yourself can be as simple or elaborate as you like. For me sometimes it looks like being still, reading something uplifting or journaling my thoughts. Other times pouring into myself is spending time in nature enjoying beautiful scenery. Remember to treat yourself like a garden, you have to nurture yourself to flourish and grow!

One positive that has come out of this pandemic is that it has motivated me to do more local and domestic traveling until I'm ready to catch international flights again. These photos were taken in the Colonial Park Rose Garden which is about 20 minutes away from my apartment in New Jersey.  I can't believe I only discovered this Garden a few months ago, but I am glad I did! Also glad that it was actually warm enough to wear this outfit a few weeks ago when it was in the 70s because it's officially getting cold in New Jersey at 50 degrees this week!

For my look I decided to be simple with puff sleeve dress from Target and Bronze Crocodile ankle boots from Vionic. See more of this look and inspirational reminders on my Instagram post here.

Dress- Target | Ankle Boots- Vionic

Career & Personal Style: Make the Room Work for You

One thing I learned in the months and weeks leading up to my promotion earlier in the year is that when you make room for God, He makes room for you. He literally places you in positions and spaces that you prayed for to show you the magnitude of greatness that is only possible with Him. Sometimes insecurity creeps up on me and I find myself striving to prove to others why I deserve to be in the rooms God placed me in. 

As I was journaling yesterday, God reminded me of something I sometimes forget: You deserve to be in every room you find yourself in. You don't need to prove why you deserve to be in the position(s) you're in to anyone. All you need to do is make your position work for you and serve whoever you have been called you to serve. When you cross paths with people in those spaces who try to tear you down with their negative energy, rise above them. Don't concern yourself with matching their energy, just exude your best energy at all times. 

You are a boss woman! You are deserving of goodness and grace. You are powerful, your ideas are powerful, and your voice deserves to be heard! Walk confidently on your journey knowing that you are exactly where you need to be. Make every moment work for you!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I mentioned that I talked about the importance of shopping your closet in this post. I also said I was going to show you how I style older items in my closet so this outfit is the perfect example. I got this dress 3 years ago from the Tracee Ellis Ross collection for JC Penny and styled them with my favorite nude Nine West Caged booties that have been elevating my looks for years.