From Sweatpants to Self Awareness: How Aligning My Wardrobe with My Values Transformed My Day

Getting dressed in the morning is hard. Or so it used to be. 

Up until recently, every morning was a struggle. Not because I had a lack of choices, but because my choices were no longer aligned with who I am.

After a decade plus of nannying, my every day clothes didn't exactly spark joy. I found myself in the trap that so many parents face. You know, the one where you tell yourself you can't own nice things because they'll eventually get ruined? That one. So you can say that getting dressed in the morning didn't exactly make me feel like a bad ass business owner on a mission to transform lives through the sacred space of home.

From there I quickly found myself caught up in the sneaky work from home trap; I did my hair and applied some light make-up for consultation calls, but primarily woke up and went to bed wearing the same thing. That also didn't make me feel like a bad ass business owner on a mission to transform lives. On top of that, the bulk of my lounge clothes were cotton polyester blends. Most of them were also old and worn. With a background in sustainability, I’ve long known that synthetic fibers are not only terrible for the planet, but they have dangerous health implications too. And yet, getting rid of them meant passing the responsibility onto someone else, trusting they'd do the right thing. So instead of just solving this problem and honoring myself with a wardrobe upgrade, I continued washing my clothes in a GUPPYFRIEND and told myself it was a problem to be solved another day. After all, I was quite cozy and comfortable.

Then one day I experienced a shocking realization while attempting to get dressed. I had created a lose-lose situation for myself. It dawned on me that in avoiding what mattered to me, owning and wearing conscious and sustainable clothing, I was not only living outside of my values, I was sending a subconscious message to my brain that I was somehow not capable or worthy of living in alignment with my most authentic self.

Let me repeat that in another way. When we avoid investing in what matters most to us because of stories we’ve made up i.e. we don’t have enough time, energy or resources, we not only choose to live out of alignment with our values, we send a subconscious message to our brains that we do not believe we are worthy or capable of living a life that feels authentic to who we are. 

Deep breath in, deep breath out. 

This realization felt like a gut punch and celebratory fireworks all at once. I can let go of freebies, Christmas gifts and knickknacks all day long. I know when I am avoiding my inbox or postponing an appointment. 

This time, I felt utterly blinded by my own self sabotage. I set myself up for failure. I had no way to win. I wasn’t honoring myself, my business or the environment because of a series of stories I had made up in my head; getting rid of the clothes would be harder and worse for the environment than continuing to wear them, finding natural based clothing in petite sizing would be exhausting, it didn’t matter if I didn’t get dressed every day because no one saw me IRL etc. 

But here’s the thing, I’ve been in the depths of self development and growth for some time now, and if I could shout one thing from the rooftops day in and day out, it would be that our only obligation in this world is to align with our authentic selves; to honor who we are, to act in alignment with what we believe, and to show up as the best and highest versions of ourselves each and every day. 

Anything outside of that is self sabotage. 

So I took myself to Circle Round, a consignment store I’ve been meaning to get to for months, and I bought some new to me pieces of clothing made of cotton and wool. I also ordered a pair of organic cotton sweatpants. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW GOOD I FEEL. My already small wardrobe is half the size it once was, but size and quantity are irrelevant when measured against alignment. I look forward to getting dressed each day. I open my inbox excited for whatever awaits me. I feel like a business owner committed to transforming lives through the sacred space of home. All because I’m wearing clothes aligned with my values and who I am. 

All because I chose to call out my own bullsh*t, knowing deep deep within that alignment is and will always be the only path forward. 

In case my story wasn't invitation enough, how and where are you currently self sabotaging?

With love and light,

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