the most valuable lesson i ever learned.

i didn't always want to be in the beauty industry. i grew up with very little, so beauty seemed like a fairy tale. but here i am at 27 years old laying smack dab in the middle of the industry. i take my state board exam to be a cosmetologist in 4 days and i work at the cosmetology school that i attended. i'm surrounded by it and, as happy as i am in the industry, i never quite felt like i truly belonged here. as if i were submersed in water but came out completely dry, untouched. still, it makes me happy.

a girl who currently goes to school there was also a classmate of mine. we weren't terribly close, but when we did hang out it was always a lot of fun. the first thing that drew me to here was the confidence she exuded. it was uncanny, unlike anything i've seen. i always admired her fashion, her makeup choices and her hair. everything seemed to compliment her.

and so time went by and i graduated and became an employee. we spoke even less though we still remained friendly. but one day she was walking in to school and i said to her "i really like your dress, you always look so precious!" and she turned to me and, before she even thanked me for the compliment, she told me the most valuable lesson i could have learned: "just wear what you want, that's what i do."

though i've heard that phrase many times, this was like the first time i've ever heard it. "just wear what you want!" i finally get it! she was so happy and confident because she was wearing what she wanted to. she wasn't trying to squeeze herself into something she didn't feel amazing in. in that moment, my entire wardrobe flashed before my eyes: all of the clothes that i bought because they were on sale or the clothes that i considered functional at best...i didn't own anything that made me feel beautiful. i hadn't been making any effort to find the pieces that spoke to me and fit my budget.

and so i learned that if i'm doing anything for any reason other than 'it really makes me happy,' then i shouldn't be doing it. life is too short to be anything but beautiful and confident and truly alive. and that is the lesson i learned from alex k-h.