The motto

This week a friend of mine wrote a post on her own blog entitled "What's your motto?". I hope you'll take the time to check out her home, life, and style blog but if you don't, I want you to see the piece that got my attention.

"I have always considered myself to be a strong and confident person, but it turns out that this is not always the case... especially when I am outside my comfort zone." 

I read that and thought to myself, that is so me, or it used to be me... Maybe on some level it still is...? Regardless, I could definitely understand and empathize with that statement. Back in the early days of this blog, I wrote a couple of posts (here and here) about my Zumba wardrobe that, while about clothing, were also about me finding my style. Or maybe it's more accurate to say, me finding the confidence to decide to even -have- a style. As you can see, the clothing on the left is very different than what's on the right and if you didn't know that both sets of tank tops belonged to me, you might think they belonged to two different people. In a way, I guess they did. The pile of tank tops on the right represent the voice of fear and insecurity, the voice that tells me, "You can't." and "You aren't good enough." and "Hide in the back row where no one can see you!". On the other side is the voice of strength that says, "Don't listen to that crap." and "You are better than you think you are!" and "You've earned your front row spot.". I've learned to recognize which voice is speaking to me and when it's the brown-clad drab voice, I do the opposite of whatever she says because she's full of it. Something about Zumba in general, if you stick with it long enough it builds your confidence. At least I know that's true for me. It also helped that I had Jae around to give me a little push in the right direction. Hey, credit where credit is due and all that...

Covington Women's Fashion Boot Anastasia in Red -- From Sears

I've realized that ever since I re-made my Zumba-style, my whole way of styling myself day to day has changed. Discovering a sense of style through Zumba has, at least to some extent, spilled over into my every-day clothes. let me give you a "for instance". For instance: I own a pair of red boots. Bright red boots. Bright red boots that are high-heeled. Bright red high-heeled boots that come up almost to my knees. Let me tell you something about tall red boots, they get noticed and they get commented on. My bright red boots are the every-day wear equivalent of my Z-Wear neon pink cargoes and I don't wear either one to blend in. Less than a year ago, I wouldn't have even owned, much less worn, either piece of clothing. Now though, I'll put them on (not together, heh) and I am completely unapologetic about it.

Feelin' It Cargo Pants by Zumba in Mulberry

So, getting back to my friend's blog post, mottos... In trying to answer the question "What's your motto?" I went through a few. These are the musings of my bright-clad rainbow voice by the way...

Single, single, double. Great for if you're teaching a class and you forget what comes next. When in doubt...

I am a Zumbaholic and I DON'T need help. A 12-step program for Zumba addicts would fail miserably, as the meetings would devolve into impromptu classes...

Yes I'm doing Zumba in my car. Yes I can see you watching. And no I don't care! I know I'm not the only one out there who does this. It's great fun if you're at a long light or moving through a construction zone at 3 mph...

Yes I am wearing neon AND tie-dye. So? This one is really a nonverbal statement. When I show up to class dressed that way, it translates to "I'm here, this is me. So be it.".

And finally...

Best advice: Find a motto if you don't already have one. If you do already have one, where does it come from? From the bright confident voice, or the drab insecure one?


I am neither affiliated with or endorsed by either Zumba, or Sears -- Simply a shopper with an opinion!