Know Who You Are

I have attended two formal events the past two weekends, a wedding and my husband’s high school reunion. At neither of these celebrations did I know very many people. This would have caused me great anxiety in the days before understanding the “Beauty Battle” that I now teach about. Instead I had a blast making new friends and seldom thought about how I looked.

Getting dressed up is so much easier when you know who you are and what your image identity (Img.ID) is. When your closet isn’t full of choices that you feel awkward wearing, you can’t say, “I have nothing to wear.” I teach my clients to only buy things that work for their Img.ID that way any choice is a good one, even if there are only a few options.

As I watched the various interactions at these two occasions, I couldn’t help but wonder how many ladies had been stressed out in deciding how they would dress that night? I began to analyze the various Img.IDs and what their confidence level seemed to be. One thing became very apparent to me: age didn’t matter; if the woman was dressed within her Img.ID guidelines, she seemed comfortable; if she wasn’t, she appeared self-conscious. This is what I noticed:

The Naturals dress very casual – and act a bit giddy as they laughed off their inappropriate attire- or they were dress up formally, but not with the simple beauty that defines them best.

The Dramatics love to get decked out and they liven it up the party, but those around them tend to be uncomfortable.

The Romantics don’t mind getting dressed up – it’s the way people look at them that makes them feel awkward.

The Ingénue’s tend to dress like in business attire and feel out of place because that is not who they are, their image should reflect their sweet personality.

The Gamins are the life of the party, and a blast to be around, but they tend to rebel against dressing up and the casual attire they tend to choose drains the energy out of their image.

The Classics tend to dress professionally, like they do for work – and they seem to talk business all night.

I am not a Classic, and I did not talk business at either event, but my mind sure was on my profession. Helping women discover their ideal image profile has been one of the most rewarding adventures of my life because there is nothing more beautiful than a woman who walks with the confidence of knowing who she is.

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Catrina Welch is an image- and life-coach whose message is not as much “what not to wear” as it is, “Know Who You Are,” which is the title of her book of guidelines for your personal image identity. Catrina has also written a Bible study to help women overcome their image issues. It is titled Supreme MakeOver: a Rich and Refreshing Devotional Experience. Her other books include Footprints Through the Sand: a Consolidation of Life-altering stories about Loving and Loosing a Trisomy-18 Baby and Confident Beauty: Reflecting the One Who Made You with the Images in Your Mirror and Your Soul, which will be available soon.

If you are interested in getting these books or having Catrina come speak at your event, you can contact her at www.CatrinaWelch.com or on facebook.