Kiss and Tell

I just wanted to extend a big thank you (and cyber-kiss) to everyone who voted for me for the St. Louis Fashion Blog Awards.  I'm so honored to be nominated and am excited to hear the results tonight at the awards presentation!

Blouse:  The Limited (Available here)
Pants:  The Limited (Similar here)

Blazer:  The Limited (Similar here)
Clutch:  Vintage

My almost daily bombardment of requests for your vote is over.  Asking for your vote everyday was not always an easy thing to do.  Doing so felt obnoxious, self-serving, and needy, qualities I generally dislike, and I certainly hope no one was put off by my frequent reminders.

At the same time, I have learned some very important lessons over the last year or so:

1)  You don't usually get what you want unless you ask for it.

2)  People aren't inclined to believe in you and help you work towards your goals if you don't  first show that you believe in yourself.

3)  You have to be your biggest cheerleader.

Heels:  Target (Available in other colors here)

Bold, gutsy, self-assured people often get further in life.  It is not because those people have more education, are more attractive, or are smarter.  It's that those people create excitement in others.  They make people stand up and take notice. 

The daring to show your self to the world is not an innate quality.  While it may naturally come easier for some than others, I definitely believe it's possible to develop these characteristics through affirmative efforts.

I'm s.l...o....w....l.......y learning to become one of those people, but it is a daily conscious process for me to remember to put myself out there and to garner the courage to actually do it. 

Women are often socialized in this culture to not take up a lot of "space", to put others' needs and wants before their own, and to not ask for or demand too much from others.  

Through a lot of reflection on my life, I realize that I was taught these lessons in many ways, lessons that cripple many women from realizing their full personal and social potential.

Asking for what you want, saying "Hey, I'm out here, and I'm fabulous...Notice me" feels "ballsy" because it IS.  So many of us, women particularly, have been taught that doing this is arrogant, selfish, and needy.  

It is not.  

Bracelet:  The Limited

We all have something unique to contribute, and it's in recognizing our own potential and uniqueness that we make ourselves useful to others.  Asking others to take notice of us in a direct way shows confidence.  It shows that we believe in ourselves and the skills, talents, and ideas that we can contribute.  It makes people remember your name and makes them WANT to take a chance on you!

Do you ask for what you want?  Do you like kiss/lip prints?