How To Have the Glow-Up of Your Life
After watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, I’ve had a craving to write my own how-to guide. Maybe it will be a series, who the hell knows? All I can say is I’ve formulated a semi-specific, super attainable course of action as we approach the new year. Everyone loves to talk about New Year's resolutions, but in all honesty, they’re a load of BS. First of all, why wait until January 1st to start taking a hold of your life? Besides that, most people fail after a few weeks because the goals they set for themselves are unrealistic. Anyway, the focus of this is not to explain habits or motivate you to reflect on your resolutions. It is, however, to detail how you achieve the “glow-up of your life.” If you think it’s going to be unicorns and rainbows, I advise you to leave that belief behind. Here. We. Go.
The power of a haircut is unmatched. Wednesday night (last week) I was asking my friends for hair salon recs, and Thursday afternoon my ass was in the salon chair getting my hair dyed. Then it got me thinking: Maybe getting a haircut less about chopping your luscious locks and more about showing yourself some self-love and returning back to the person that you know you are. For women, it can be a pricey endeavor, but the feeling of leaving that salon, fresh cut and color, made me feel unstoppable. Maybe a haircut means new beginnings and starting fresh. Maybe it means cutting off the lifeless pieces that no longer serve you.
Now I’d argue that physical appearance only accounts for 10-20% of one’s attractiveness. So what makes up the other 80-90%, you ask? –– A healthy routine. A healthy mind. A clean environment. Maybe some confidence? Definitely some confidence. The root of all memorable glow-ups stem from self-love. Now this isn’t going to be the self-love you're familiar with. None of that spending all your money on clothes and makeup, getting a facial, getting your nails done crap. Sure, I’ll be the first to admit that those things are fun, but the effects are temporary. The nails grow out, the clothes lose hype, and you feel just as shallow and shitty as you did before you wasted your summer savings. If you want to have heads turn and jaws drop, show up for yourself. That means day-in and day-out, put in the work. If you’re still resisting, here are some things I did that might help kickstart your best transformation yet.
After weeks of feeling like a gloomy little rain cloud, I finally decided I was done feeling like crap. I started small, waking up 30 minutes earlier than I was used to. Thirty minutes turned into 60, and hopefully 90 soon. Second thing I prioritized was my morning routine. I make sure to pay myself first, because my mornings are sacred. The routine will look different for everyone, but allowing time alone to prep for your day is crucial for this process to work. Now for the exciting part of the morning routine: the workout. I will admit that some days escape me, and I’m left with no choice other than to run as the sunsets, or drive to the gym at 8pm. However, I’ve noticed that working out right after I wake up gives me no time to bail on myself. I don’t have enough time to lay in bed and contemplate my decision if I’m already laced up and out the door. Also, you know how gooooood it feels to sweat and release endorphins first thing in the morning.
The remainder of my guide will be numbered and you already know why. If you’re new here, I’ll explain real quick. First, it’s fun. Second, it’s fun. Third, it’s easy to follow. Fourth, did I mention it’s fun? Okay, moving on.
How to Have the Glow-up of Your Goddamn Life
The “I’m sorry” rule
Unless you deliberately hurt someone, in any way, shape, or form, stop f-ing apologizing. Stop apologizing for your laugh, or being “too much,” or whatever else you feel sorry for. You can’t own the room if you’re constantly at the mercy of someone else.
The fill your cup rule
Similar to the morning routine detailed above, doing at least 1 thing each day to fill your own cup does a few things. First, it allows you to give to others because your cup is no longer empty. You can’t expect to love if you don’t love yourself, right? Second, it proves to yourself that you are a priority. Yeah, you read that right. Start taking care of yourself. It shows.
Dress for success
On the off-chance your confidence slips away from you, reel that baby in with a cute outfit. There is unspoken power in an outfit you feel good in. If you wake up feeling like shit, at least you got up and put yourself together. Don't feed into your negative attitude by scrubbing around the house all day. Everyone needs a day to dress up and feel like they’re on America's Next Top Model
Find a mantra
I have a running list of them on my phone, and my current favorite has to be “Needing nothing attracts everything.” There’s truth to be found in this simple phrase, and that’s because when we let go of the past, and stop worrying so much about the future, we find abundance in the present.
Stop setting ceilings
The only time we should be setting a ceiling is in economics. Stop restricting yourself from your potential. Laugh and say it sounds cliche, but the most confident, influential people – the ones with everything to smile about and no regrets – don’t run and hide when opportunities present themselves. They dream big and work hard. You are the only person getting in the way of making it happen.
MBD rule
Short for “mute, block, delete.” – this one is a game changer. When you are in the process of reclaiming yourself, why the hell would you want to consume anything that holds you back?
Someone’s being needy? Mute their texts. You get anxious when you see their posts? Remove them. Do whatever it is you have to do to regain focus.
If it’s not a F%#$ YES, it’s a F%#$ NO!
We are only young once, and we have limited F%#$s to give, so why waste them? If you can’t make a confident decision, the answer is always “no.” Don’t waste your time or someone else’s by dancing around, oscillating between choices. To frame it differently, why would you want to participate in something, or entertain someone, if your heart isn’t fully committed?
Be mindful of what you consume
This last rule can be applied to every aspect of your life – food, media, words, etc. Our brains are highly sensitive organs. If you fill it with negative self-talk, eventually it’ll start to believe you. If you find yourself aimlessly scrolling, absorbing excessive posts, you’re bound to get lost in someone else. Start surrounding yourself with things and people that help you become the person you want to be.
Some of it is physical, most of it is mental. The process takes grit and perseverance. It takes accountability and self-discipline, but what better defines “self-love” than self-discipline? Keep saying “yes” to things that light you up and “no” to things that no longer serve you. Whatever it is you want to change, start small and stay consistent. Cheers to the best glow-up of your life! Happiness looks good on you ;)
Talk soon xx,
EC
