My Chic Awakening (A Must Read for those who Work from Home)

I believe that my clothes can give people a better image of themselves – that it can increase their feelings of confidence and happiness.
-Giorgio Armani

“I feel so frumpy at work,” Leanne said.  “I don’t take the time to dress up anymore.”

“Why don’t you take the time,” I asked.

At that moment, I looked down at my flannel pajamas, noticed my coffee breath and looked at the clock.

Noon.

That was my little epiphany.  My chic awakening.  My call to play bigger in my business.

My clue to take the time to look and feel my best regardless of whether I’m sitting at home on the phone coaching or walking the streets of Paris.

That was six months ago.

I’m not surprised that my coaching practice has grown tremendously since I stopped wearing my PJ’s to work.

Everything is energy.  Now, when I encourage women to look and feel fabulous, my energy is in alignment.  I feel authentic, not like the man behind the curtain with coffee breath and last night’s crust in  his eyes.

If you are a work-from-home entrepreneur or stay-at-home mom, and you love hanging out in your pajamas until dinner, and you feel fabulous doing it, I say, “Rock ON!”

However, I discovered that I was using it as an excuse to be lazy, to slack off.

I was hanging my head in shame when the UPS man would bust me at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, still wrapped up in my robe, looking like I had the flu.

Remember, the way you do one thing is the way you do everything.

Treat everything as if it matters, because it does.

It doesn’t matter if you are cleaning your toilets or talking to a boardroom of top executives, take the time to do it with pride and passion.

Personally, I want to rule my own little world with style and passion, and world rulers (think Obama, Queen Elizabeth, and Sarkozy) are probably not hanging out in their PJ’s until noon.

I wear cute skirts and floral tops.  I might wear my favorite scarf.  I spritz my favorite perfume.   I wear heels.  I pretend that Oprah might knock on my door at any moment, but it’s usually the UPS man with an Amazon delivery.

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When you take the time to look and feel your best, regardless of who’s watching, magical things begin to happen.

My clients lose weight.

Women begin attracting men.

Men begin attracting women.

Employees create opportunities.

My business grew.
So, here are some questions to ponder:

If you were running a million dollar company, would you wear your pajamas all day?

If you were going to run into Mr. Fabulous, would you be sporting your moo-moo?

Mais Non!

The moral of this story:  Whatever you do in life, DO it.  I mean, really do it.

Fully engage.

Shower.

Brush your teeth.

Dress.

And, in the famous words of Yves Saint Laurent, “Passion is the best makeup.”

I’m just sayin.