If you read my post after the new year, you saw that I have been struggling a bit to find my authentic voice as a blogger. I am in the process of doing that, and so I thought I would take the time to talk a little bit about why I am doing this. What is the mission statement of E and A Style and what does authentic mean to me?

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When I think about what makes me happy, it’s building others up. I freaking love that feeling of helping someone believe in him or herself. I don’t think I’m being too general when I say that we all struggle with self doubt and negative self talk. I haven’t met one person who didn’t doubt themselves as some point in his or her life. I would say that my #1 defect of character is self criticism. I never live up to my own expectations. I think that my strive for perfection is what has helped me be successful in many facets in life, but there is a point where a strength of character can also become a defect of character and for me, the desire to be perfect is that. That’s why it’s so nice when someone goes out of their way to compliment me on something I’ve done. I feel like it gives me that little boost of confidence, and maybe that boost of confidence is what will help push me forward in the face of doubt. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.” I cherish that sentiment very much and so if I want to continue to receive and attract support from others, I must be supportive OF others.

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As a woman who has faced a lot of adversity in my life, I feel a strong urge to build other women up. I consider myself to be a staunch feminist and while that seems to be a four letter word these days, I will stand by my idea that women are beautiful creatures who deserve to be free and deserve to be respected. Women are soft, gentle, soulful, creative, spiritual, passionate, and I want to celebrate those things. It may seem odd that makeup, hair, and a wardrobe would be how one would go about that, but I feel strongly that when one puts energy into something, that something will flourish. Looks are superficial for sure, BUT taking care of ourselves is not. Flowers are beautiful exactly as they are but they won’t bloom if you don’t water them. I want to be a part of the water that helps a woman bloom. I want that tired mom who never buys clothes for herself to enjoy feeling pretty again. I want that woman hitting menopause who feels like her femininity is slipping away from to feel pretty again. Each one of us has something special and we deserve to be appreciated for our beauty, a beauty that is inherently ours.

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Where does all of this come from? That’s a good question, but after a time of hardship where I struggled very hard to love myself, I understand that my purpose is to be of service to others and my “others” are people like me. People who struggle to see the beauty within themselves. People who have a gift to give but are afraid to be who they are. I’ll end this post with one of my favorite quotes from Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.”