The Look:
Blue Taylor Tassel Crossbody Bucket from 88 Handbags ($45) // Coachella Rose Stainless Steel Watch from Escape Watches ($150) // English Factory Cranberry Dress from SerenDipity Boutique ($85) // Aldo Sandals // Styled by Christina Imberlina
The Lesson:
I want to write about saying no, but I believe in saying yes to as many experiences life can bring you.
I want to tell you everything happens for a reason, but sometimes it just doesn’t.
I want to show you how to balance life, but life itself is unbalanced.
I’ve been at this blogging and writing thing for some time now. Sometimes the words flow out a million miles an hour, ending up all over the place. Sometimes the words can’t be found, anywhere, no matter how many stones I turn over. I always write truth. Things I’m feeling. Things I’m going through, that I’ve gone through.
I often feel conflicted because sometimes I think my beliefs don’t stay firm. I’ll talk about why you should act like you know what you’re doing and fake it ’til you make it. But then I worry that disagrees with authenticity.
Or, there are plenty of posts here on wellness, self-care, and time management, but I don’t really believe in balance. Or when I encouraged your cluelessness, but I also stand for preparation and education.
I occasionally worry I send you mixed messages, but then I wonder, why do we feel this pressure to believe one end and uphold it always? Why do we put ourselves in this box where we’re only allotted one decision on our perspective of something?
I believe in dressing for success but also for not dressing up for anyone other than yourself.
I believe in taking new risks but also doing more of what works.
I believe you shouldn’t do anything for the money but that if you don’t do it for the money, you can’t make a living.
I believe that the easy way out can be strategic and productive, but also that there’s no substitute for hard work.
I believe making leaps outside of our comfort zone is the only form of survival but also that without comfort, without security, we can’t survive.
Do you ever feel like this?
That there is so much meaning to life and so many things to believe? So much integrity to build, but so many contradictions to fray?
Red is associated with fire and blood and war but also with love and compassion and desire.
We want to spend more time with our families but our ambitions keep growing.
We start businesses for freedom but we work more hours than there are in a day.
We want to help others so we practice selflessness, but selfishness is the only way we can build a structure strong enough to deliver help and compassion to those around us.
Time is the only thing we can’t afford to lose and yet we waste so much of it chasing after things we need to afford.
It can be overwhelming, right? To figure out which ends of the spectrums when need to lie on and when.
I was recently reminded of the term “meaning” and it’s multifaceted nature when I came across 88 – a collection of vegan, PETA approved, affordable, and environmentally friendly handbags. I love a quality product, but what truly makes for an impressive brand is when quality is paired with a captivating, creative framework to support it!
The number 88 stands for so many things. There are 88 constellations in the sky. In amateur radio, 88 is used as shorthand for “love and kisses”. It’s considered the luckiest number in Chinese culture as it sounds like the word for wealth. It’s how many keys are on a typical piano.
Carrying an 88 bag (this is the Blue Taylor Tassel Crossbody Bucket – $45) is a reminder that you too can have multiple meanings that don’t discourage from your credibility or influence. 88 is also proof that with strong, unwavering business principles, you can serve your consumers in exceeding ways. Maintaining their consumer centric vision, standing firm on its promise to sell directly to the customer without department story mark ups, has resulted in quality pieces equal to more than double what they cost. Every 88 handbag I’ve feature throughout my New York Fashion Week looks was UNDER $50.
Take hours to shape your beliefs, your meanings. To peel back the layers and decide what exceptions bound your own theories. It’s a challenge to dive deep into our thoughts. I’ve never really been one for watches. The thought of something on my wrist that kept reminding me of how fast things were going, when I needed to be at my next obligation, and how soon the day would end ticked at my anxiety more than it helped it. ESCAPE is the first timepiece brand that’s truly resonated with me. I found it so ironic for watches to be associated with the word “escape”. Isn’t that exactly what time isn’t? Time is a restriction, a deadline, a strike of reality.
But I’m learning it doesn’t have to be. Time is all we have. This ESCAPE (it’s the Two Hand Stainless Steel Watch Tan – $150) watch reminds me that time is the only means we have of tracking a life worth living. A life full of meaning and discovery. Instead of counting down the time left, it’s a dare to see how much living I can do in one day, to make space for adventures, and fully experience life for as many seconds as possible.
Time isn’t a sentence. It’s a meditation. It’s steadiness in a wavering world.
Belief is a rhythm. Establish your own philosophies that evolve, grow, and flow. It’s what creates this beautiful dynamic of movement and excitement. Belief is a rhythm – it dances, it shifts. It’s how you keep yourself on your toes.
It’s not that life has all kinds of meanings: you have all kinds of meanings that you bring to life. How many meanings can you make with the time that you have?
**This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content because we all have to pay our bills and I’d rather keep creating awesome content for you than get a real job. All opinions are my own.**
Photos: Alexandra Barone