Why I Plan An Outfit and Put My Makeup On Everyday... And Why You Should Too

Good morning y'all!

I hope you've got your coffee or your tea or whatever you drink in the morning. I have a cup of coffee and a huge knock-off Yeti thing of water every morning, but more on that later.

I've been reading some really great books lately, and there is one main theme I'm noticing my life right now and what I think the Lord trying to teach me through His Word,  Nate, and my girlfriends (who by the way are also rockstars at this and it is so inspiring). I read about this in "TheBest Yes" by Lysa TerKeurst, and also in Uninvited , and now again in Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis (more on that book later). It's time to start showing up. Now obviously I'm showing up for stuff. I get to work on time, I to to my coffee dates, I get to rehearsal, and all this other stuff, I get there on time. I turn off the TV and get ready. I show up for STUFF.  I mean, let's not get crazy... I'm literally living the life of my dreams. However... when it comes to meeting personal goals, my health, and my personal relationship with Jesus, MY stuff. not work stuff, not even marriage stuff, my stuff. I don't show up. 

When it comes to taking care of my stuff, guess what I show up for? BBC on Netflix. I would NEVER do this to you. I would NEVER do this to my friends. I wouldn’t even do this to a stranger. “Oh, you know what (insert a name or event here), I’m really into this show (probably not), I’m just gonna stay here.” I would NEVER do that! It’s rude! People are expecting me, I have a job to do. So… when it comes to my dreams and goals, why do I ALWAYS do it to myself? The Holy Spirit hit me like a ton of bricks.

I am coming out of a season of depressingly crippling isolation, so the last person I wanted to face in the mirror was myself. That meant I had face my issues head on. So I avoided everything, people, my friends, my Bible, my budget…everything. Anything that would reflect my situation. But the Holy Spirit finally got through to me that if I didn’t do something soon I wouldn’t last. I was about to lose the fight. I didn’t hate my job but I wasn’t too far off. My marriage was in a good spot, but probably not for long (it sucks to be with someone who won’t do anything about their problems). It was time for me to Finally show up for my own life. So I have. If any of this sounds remotely familiar to you at all, go back up. Click on the links to those books and buy them or email me. Take a close and trusted friend for coffee and tell them what’s going on with you. OR pray for a friend to take you out for coffee and give you some tough love and be honest with you. That’s what happened to me.

Here are a few other things that have REALLY helped in the showing up:

1)    Tell yourself that you are worth it. (Seriously, look in the mirror right now and say it out loud to yourself)

a.     This is a hard one. This is NOT putting yourself before others. This is NOT being selfish. This is NOT self-glorification. This is understanding your GOD GIVEN value. This is understanding that in John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave us Jesus, and that Jesus died so that we could be made whole, and have relationship with Him. That world includes you. Jesus died for you. This makes you worthy of having  birthday presents bought for you. This makes you worthy of having nice things given to you. This makes you worthy of having sweet and caring friends. This makes you worthy of being shown up for. Not because of your own greatness, but because Jesus showed up for you. If Jesus shows up for you, so should you.

2)    Put on your makeup, do your hair, and put together an outfit

a.     This shows the world that you care about yourself, and that they should too. Yep. There I said it. If you look a mess, then people will treat you like one. “I don’t care what I look like!” Is a great way to hide behind the fact you really super do, actually. This was proven to me in my own life when I was a teacher, and then again when I was newly moved to Bakersfield. Talk about giving up! I would go for weeks without putting make up on for school or work. Only on Sunday’s would I actually put on make up and do my hair. I was the queen of the messy bun and no makeup. I looked tired all the time. “I don’t have time” was my mantra. THEN one day, I decided I was going to go shopping after school (seriously, so anti-climactic). I looked a tired mess, and I knew it “I don’t care what I look like” is what I fooled myself into believing. Well, when I got up to the counter and the shop girl was so. freaking. cute.  I felt like garbage. Not because she was cute, but because she was a reflection of what I should have been doing… taking care of myself. What I was buying and the way I was treating myself didn’t match. The same scenario happened when I moved to Bakersfield. I had legitimately let myself go. I wasn’t wearing make up and I wasn’t working out. I promised myself I was going to start making an effort, and that’s when I began Maskcara Beauty. The rest is history, and it has been very good to me.

3)    Wake up first, or go to bet last.

a.     Because I don’t like going to bed by myself, (in fact, when I go to bed sometimes I make Nate come with me even if he’s working on something) I wake up first. I also don’t have kids, so that also opens my options. But really it’s up to you. I wake up first because I need time to process my day. I need time to process what’s coming up, pray, read. I need quiet time. This also allows me to identify what I want to accomplish, not only for that day, but generally. I just write it out. Some of the things I want are far in the future. Some of what I write almost seems like a fantasy. Some of them are as easy as “send this person an email” or “look up a keto recipe” But I write it all out, and I write how I think I could get to those things. One of those things the first step is really “Give it to the Lord”, and that’s the most and all I can do. It keeps my goals in front of me in a tangible way. I’ve been making an effort wake up at 6am. Maybe for you that’s super cute because you go to crossfit at 3am, but for a 9am waker upper, 6 feels early. Nate wakes up about an hour after that, so I have an hour to myself with no TV, no nothing. Just me, Coffee, and Jesus. Sometimes I get tired, but actually do imagine myself saying to Jesus himself “You know Lord, I’m just too comfy lying here, I’m not going to show up” That gets me out of bed.

Wow. This became a really long post, but this is real right? We show up and we show up. Now, dear friends, and I’m preaching to myself.  Look in the mirror, or self-facing camera. I’m not joking. Say this with me “Turn off Midsomer Murders (my totally nerdy guilty pleasure… it’s just so BRITISH!), put on a face of makeup, DON’T WEAR YOUR BIRKENSTOCKS, wear the cute sandals, and show up for your own life!” The worlds needs you, and you have stuff to get done!