mariakoropecky by Maria Koropecky, Storytelling Coach
If you’re looking for something to write about, here’s a journal prompt: write about a piece of clothing!
The clothes we wear have their own stories and I’m sure you can go right back in time at the mere mention of your favorite shirt, hat, jacket or shoes from any era of your life.
When I was a kid, my great aunt gave me a pink, polyester pant suit and I loved it so much, I had to wear it for my class photo!
Many clothes, sizes and fashion styles have come and gone through my wardrobe since I was 6 but as an adult, I haven’t been so good at letting go of clothes that don’t suit me anymore.
They say we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time and most of my clothes were just hanging in my closet, year in and year out without any action, and I barely knew what was in there.
And then all of a sudden, after receiving some new clothes last week, I was inspired and motivated to go into my closet and say good bye to the old stuff and make room for the new.
It was a daunting proposition.
As I stood in front of my closet and stared at the vast sea of colours, patterns and textures that mixed, mingled and settled together like people on a crowded bus, I put on some tunes, took a few deep breaths and dove in.
They were a “no” or “donate” if I:
• Never wore them and probably never will, some tags still on
• Was just keeping them “just in case” or because someone gave them to me
• Don’t have an occasion to wear them
• Don’t do the job I bought them for anymore
• They don’t suit the climate I’m living in
• They don’t fit or are uncomfortable
• They’re out of style
• They aren’t “me” anymore
To my surprise, in just over 3 hours, I managed to clear out at least 2 full suitcases! It felt really good!
But you know what feels really good aside from being able to donate clothes to charity or make some money from selling my clothes on consignment…
After going through this process, I realized – and this is really big in light of Valentine’s Day – that it doesn’t matter what size I am or how old I am or if I’m wearing trendy clothes or if I’m still single…
What matters is my heart and my energy and how I feel about myself. I’ve finally come to a place where I love myself first. That’s the story my clothes are telling now.
Reach out to me if this is the story you want to tell as well!
#selflove #storytelling #fashion #clothing #charity
