Confidence Shift

 “My Jeans Don’t Fit!” There was a time this would have sent me into a body-hate tailspin after a vacation.

There was a time I would have let the number on the tag define how I loved or loathed my body.

There was a time I would have punished myself with joyless exercise and deprivation-style eating to “get back into” my jeans.

Those times no longer exist for me. Those times and the depression that followed are what led me to what I do for women.

No woman needs to go through life with that kind of short ups and low downs about her body. After I healed and learned to see and accept my body for every stage, age, ability and through any vacation or regular life, I developed the part of my Hue and Style® process that helps my clients start a new relationship with their body (in heart, mindset and practical body dressing knowledge deeper than simple “fruit shapes”) even before I teach them all about how to curate their authentic style...

It's a sacred time for me - the journal swap day. It's the time when one finished, and another begins.

Mike Posner's song "Move On," said it best, I think:

"Beginnings always hide themselves in ends."

Positive shifts in any part of your confidence come as a beginning from an end. The value in the change - the joy or pain in it - rests in perspective you create around it.

I like to attach positivity to an end is with a new journal.

The one I am retiring today has about 40 empty sheets left. I never let that bother me. When that book's season is done, I'm done.

I also like to make my last entry very intentional.

I take the time to thank the journal for carrying me through the season of the book, and then I let it go.

My new journal pretty much nails where I am in my head and heart as I start my new "personal year" that begins on July 1. (I'm not a January 1, kinda girl - too much pressure.)

Do you mark your beginnings with ends? Do you celebrate it or move through kicking and...

Mother Nature has seasons. You have seasons to your life. Flowing with them can feel like a crazy transition but look on the bright side, firstly, you’re not alone, and secondly, you can learn to navigate them when you know how to use them in your favor and define what is the most important time of your year - for you.

It took me a long time to learn this gem of a lesson.  For most of my life, I was an achieve-at-all-costs-type-A barreling through every season of life.  It wrecked me and sent me straight to depression.   When I saw that my life, work, business, relationship - everything - had seasons, I felt freer.  

Here’s what I learned:  

Your definition of success determines your seasons.

There are six definitions of success I work with my confidence mindset mentorship clients, and I’ll tell you, only one is money. I’ll also tell you that most women don’t care about a pile of money, they want it for different...

I believe in Personal Alchemy.

Alchemy is the ability to turn something “basic” into something more “precious.” The idea is usually reserved for the turning of metals into gold but for me, it’s helping my people turn a self-doubt-laden, obligation-driven life into a personal growth-powered, purpose-filled journey. To me, that’s Personal Alchemy.

You see, you’ve got your own “periodic table of elements” - your talents, your gifts, your message, your voice - that when combined with rock solid, authentic sureness-of-self can make your life joyful, happy and successful exactly as you define it for those you serve.

When you know how to use your personal alchemy - rooted in a growing, evolving confidence - you can create anything, touch more and change more lives. It all starts with how you see yourself, Gal. I don’t believe in “faking it til you make it.” The magic of who you are gets lost in that notion....

In the Season 1 finale, Michele dives in deep into two things you need to create any change that moves you to your next level of success.  They are elements you probably haven’t considered and may be actually holding you back from more if you don’t know how to use them in your favour. Tune in as all the lesson of the season collide to help you see why your purpose, image, identity, mindset and actions need to collide in the right way to fill your life with success and joy as you define it.

Using your voice can be scary. “What if I’m judged. What if they don’t understand me. What if what I say isn’t important.” Are all thoughts that race anytime you want to put yourself “out there.” I know.

I remember the day opened my small-business marketing services store in my local community. I was 22. I was a tiny fish, a young pup, among what felt like giants. I stayed true to my marketing consulting services and excellence in it - offering results to my customers.

I remember the day I started my image consulting business and accepting new clients. I was scared ish-less to do a color draping and get her season wrong. I focused on honing a skill that I would come to see is a gift, not simply a talent.

I remember the day I flung the virtual doors open to my business and began offering my #HueandStyle magic globally. Talk about being scared. I was talking to the world, live about who I was, what I do and about why it’s far more than...

I do some of my best thinking on Sundays.  This time of year combined with a Sunday and I get to share a few things with you to help to relieve some of the stress of this time of year.

Here, I'm sharing this latte recipe (below) and my new year advice. 
Cozy up, click through and see if you can define a brand new year!

 

 

 

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A post shared by Image-Confidence-Success x MCG (@michelecharlesgustafson) on Dec 16, 2018 at 8:36am PST

MICHELE'S PUMPKIN-SPICED BRAIN FOOD LATTE

• 1 standard brew of your favorite Nespresso coffee (Original or Vertuo), a double espresso press or substitute with 5 oz. strongly brewed French Press coffee.
• 2 Tbsp. MCT Oil
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk Beverage (I like Silk Coconut-Almond blend)
• 2 Squirts liquid Stevia sweetener
• A dash of B's Pumpkin Spice Blend (recipe below)
  • 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

    2 teaspoons ground ginger

    2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

    1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice...

Sometimes you have to let go of the old. Old beliefs about yourself, who you think you should be, who you think you want to be, who you think you serve, who you think you are supposed to be to serve them, who you see is supporting you who and who you are to everyone around you.

Sometimes you have to let go to let more in.

I did just that this year - Detachment. And while the word sounds cold or lonely, it really isn’t. It’s self-loving-kindness at its core and it’s Faith in action because to practice true Detachment, you have to believe that “it’s all working for your good” no matter what you see with your eyes.

Detachment will show your true gifts. It will whisper how to use them. It allows you to go within and find a value you didn’t know you had. It let you be vulnerable with yourself and reveals those who are safety nets for your vulnerable state too. It helps you to grow courage - to practice bravery in the face of fear - because you...