55 and Thriving: 55 Life and Style Lessons I’ve Learned

This month I turned 55, yes it’s hard to believe as I don’t look a day over 32! I hope that I’ve learned just a few things during my lifetime, some of them I’m sure you’ll already know, and others may be helpful to you. Here goes…

55 and Thriving: 55 Life and Style Lessons I've Learned

Life is short, spend time with people you enjoy their company, and people you love
Your working life is even shorter, so try and find something you love doing, that you’re passionate about, and that you feel makes a positive difference in some way.
Spend time creating. It may be in your garden, in the kitchen, at your sewing machine, with some knitting needles, with a hammer, and even in your wardrobe. Creativity improves mental health, you may not think you’re “artistic” creative, but there will be a way you can harness your creativity, I’m sure of it.
Dense prints are great for disguising lumps and bumps.
Be generous with your knowledge.
Perfection is the enemy of action
Perfection is a form of fear
There is no such thing as perfection, so stop trying to find or create it
Try things out, experiment. Research shows that the more you do and take action, the better you get and the more quickly it happens. This goes for creating outfits as well as everything else.
There is never a “right” or perfect time to do something, so you may as well stop putting things off and start now.
Make sure your work aligns with your values
Stop worrying about what someone else thinks of your outfit, dress to express your personality
Not everyone will like you, whether you try and “be” someone you’re not, or whether you just be yourself
It’s much less tiring just to be you.
Fashion is a hammer, it’s a tool to build your personal style home.
When something doesn’t work the way you want, it’s not failure, it’s a lesson.
You are never too old to learn.
Make sure you have your own personal style criteria before you ever go shopping for clothes, that way you won’t be tempted to buy things that sit in the wardrobe unworn (if you don’t know them, you can develop them with my online program 7 Steps to Style).
Being hard on yourself is more likely to make you stop trying rather than inspire you to improve
All emotions are transient, whether it’s anger, jealousy, joy or happiness, you can’t be happy every minute of every day.
The more you are you, the more the right people will love you
The more you learn the more you discover that there is so much more you could possibly know and that you’ll never really know much about anything, and that’s completely normal and OK
Your body will change, your colouring will change, your tastes will change and so your wardrobe should change with you in each season of your life
Use your values as a guide to your wardrobe, shopping and outfit choices
If you don’t know your values, figure them out as they serve as a great touchstone for every decision you make in your life.
Don’t throw out a garment just because it hasn’t been worn in the past 6 months or year. Let it go if it’s no longer you, if you can’t imagine wearing it again, it doesn’t fit you, you don’t feel good in it , if it doesn’t suit your current lifestyle, climate or location.
The colours that make you shine are those that are inherent in you. They exist already in your hair, skin, lips and eyes. These change through your lifetime as the pigments in your hair, skin, lips and eyes change.
There is no right answer. You are an individual, as are the other 8 billion people on this planet. There is no one right outfit, or right body shape, or right style. What’s right for you isn’t right for everyone.
Don’t buy off must-have lists. This refers back to you being an individual. Just because it’s right for the person who wrote the list, doesn’t mean it’s right for you.
Just because the salesperson has been very helpful doesn’t mean you should buy something you don’t absolutely love, that will work with multiple things you already own, and that fits your lifestyle and personal style criteria.
You are not a mind reader and neither am I, which is why I when I get emails and people ask me “What should I have in my wardrobe?” my answer is “I have no idea”. This is because I don’t know you, your preferences, body, colouring, lifestyle, location, culture, values, personal preferences…. and the list goes on
Be flexible, if you have a very set idea of what you want, you are more likely to be disappointed as it’s almost impossible to find that exact thing/person/look/fill-in-the-blank
Don’t buy anything that doesn’t go with at least 4 other items in your wardrobe, then you won’t have wardrobe orphans.
Look after your body. You are the one in charge of it, and you are the one who will reap the rewards (or feel the pain).
Find exercise you love (or can at least tolerate to do at least 3-4 times a week). Not everyone is sporty (I’m sure not), but exercise is not just good for your body, it’s good for your brain, your health, your longevity, your mental wellness.
The most time wasted is the time between making a decision and admitting to yourself you’ve made the decision, then acting on it.
Not sure what your decision is? Try heads and tails, choose one answer to be heads, the other to be tails, toss the coin in the air and notice which side you hope the coin comes down on. That’s your decision.
Be grateful for the small things, and notice the small things.
Your wardrobe is like a kitchen, it should be a practical place, where you can easily find the ingredients and tools you need to create delicious outfits.
Just because you love a garment in one colour, doesn’t mean you should buy it in every color it comes in.
See the good rather than focusing on the bad. What you focus on expands.
Don’t go shopping without a list of things that you actually need, that will fill your wardrobe gaps.
Let it go… in the famous words of the film Frozen. So much time, and energy is wasted when you don’t let it go.
Focus on improving what you’re great at rather than your weaknesses, as you’ll never be great at your weaknesses, but you can be a genius at what you’re naturally great at
Only buy what you can afford, don’t go into debt for the latest look.
Dress your portrait area first. Make that the focal point of your outfit rather than obsessing about camouflaging body parts.
Respect that other people think differently from you. That’s OK. You don’t have to be friends or be on the same page as everyone. Just respect that others may not hold the same views or values as you.
Being kind doesn’t mean being a doormat or letting others always have their way.
The size on the labels of your clothing is irrelevant and is not a sign of your worth.
Social media is a “highlights” real and not reality. Their life is not as glamorous or exciting as it may appear.
Never say “Never”, you don’t know if you’ll change your mind in the future, and it’s always OK to change your mind.
It’s OK to cry, it releases the stress hormone cortisol from your body.
Get to know your beautiful body and what creates harmony with it – the silhouettes, the fabrics, the styles of clothes (if you don’t have that kind of style education, I’m here to help with my 7 Steps to Style program which has all that – and more – inside)
If you don’t have control over something, stop worrying about it. If you do have control and don’t like it, change it.
Clothes are like milk, they go off over time, so wear your good clothes before they become dated.