In the pursuit to find our way in the world, we often listen to the shoulds instead of listening to our hearts. We let society’s, our families’, our friends’ rules dictate what we should do and stifle our own God given shine! There’s no cookie-cutter template for life and what you decide to wear, do for living and who you love is your choice!
Give yourself permission to wear that 40s pink taffeta skirt or to quit that stressful job you hate. Don’t worry about what people will think or whisper about you. Wear what you want and make a living doing something you love! Break the rules and live a life designed by you. In exploring the rules that have held me back I decided to come up with a list of 100 “rules” or things to challenge the status quo. Part One is all about fashion and career rules and shaking things up not only in your wardrobe but in your work life.
FASHION
1. Wearing white after Labor Day; wear White Everyday
2. Your bra and panties must match; says who?!
3. Ignore your body type and wear what you love
4. Buy wildly inappropriate clothes and wear them at inappropriate times
5. Dress in theme!
6. So what if your 40, if the miniskirt fits, wear it!
7. Mix & Match, throw away that copy of Emily Post and wear different color shoes and bags
8. Wear suede and leather ALL YEAR ROUND!
9. It’s OK to hate heels, yes they are beautiful and yes they hurt
10. Live in the Spotlight; Sequins are perfect day attire!
11. Go Monochrome! Wear one color from HEAD to TOE!
12. Don’t give a shit what celebrities are rocking
13. Those shoes that every blogger is wearing, you don’t have to have them
14. Black is not universal; try the little red dress instead
15. Be a Frock Star! Toss those slacks in favor a daily dress
16. Cover your tootsies! Socks with sandals are one trend I’m endorsing
17. The bigger the hair, the closer to God; Rock a Pompadour or Beehive
18. Tight and Short is in; so go Loose and Long instead!
19. Jeans aren’t for everybody; Ditch your Denim
20. Celebrate your Size! Plus size=Plus Style
21. Dye your hair purple, chop it off, weave it down your back
22. Pile all your accessories on! Multiple necklaces, cocktail rings and an armful of bangles
23. Wear 6 inch heels to work (and turn heads)
24. Find a signature lipstick shade and wear it everyday
25. No matter what the mags say, you DON’T have to own a white shirt
WORK
26. Work doesn’t have to stressful or miserable; no matter what your parents say
27. No matter how long you’ve been with the company, the door is always open: to leave
28. Having a career does not mean the same thing it meant 50 years ago
29. You can change your mind about being a doctor/lawyer/engineer to be a dancer/writer/shop owner
30. The Internet is a valid employer
31. Your job title doesn’t define you
32. It’s OK to LOVE what you do; I won’t tell anyone
33. College can be an enriching experience; so can working straight out of high school
34. 9 to 5 is the starting point; not the ultimate
35. Work-appropriate attire is subjective. Very subjective
36. You don’t have to ask for raise, if you want one go get it
37. Decline that 5pm Friday meeting; no one will miss you
38. Freedom isn’t only for the self-employed
39. Put a standing meeting on your calendar every day at noon and use it for lunch or me time
40. Stop complaining about your boss/coworkers/work and do something about it
41. Productivity comes in many forms
42. You’re allowed to have multiple passions: Be a DJ/writer/vintage store owner
43. Watching funny YouTube videos on company time is social media research
44. Part-time your passion, until it brings Full-time gain
45. A blog is one path to success; not the only path
46. You can actually like and respect the people you work with; it doesn’t have to be one or the other
47. Money is a perfectly acceptable motivator; so is love, happiness and fame
48. You don’t have to apologize for not liking your work, you do however have to do something about it
49. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t know what to do with your life
50. Over the span of your life you’ll change careers numerous times, don’t get so attached
This week’s rule to break: Having a No Makeup Sunday… 3 days this week…. It’s midterm exams week for me.
But whatevs, I’m sure I can still rock it at school by going the “study-all-night chic” look. lol
Lol, you can totally pull off No Makeup Sundays! Thanks for the comment
I’m a lifelong hater of that “crisp white shirt is an important basic” bullshizz.
Same here! White Shirt Haterz Unite!
I think today I’ll go monochrome
:):)
Looking forward to part2!
xx
Thanks, you would look dyno-mite in all red!
God, I love this post. I went through some rulebreaking when I hit 30 – and it def. paid off.
Thanks! I think every life can benefit from a little rule-breaking!
Hooray! Loved this post.
Thanks! Sequin Cat is such a cool blog name!
Nice of you to think so
[...] is about experimenting, breaking rules, making mistakes and living life on your own terms. In PART ONE we explored 50 fashion and work rules to break. But what about rules that enter the realm of [...]