We've heard of a glow up, but honestly what about a grow up?

Let's talk about growth.

Have you ever given it much thought? Do you think about it constantly? Over this past year, I can honestly say I’ve grown more than I ever have before both personally and professionally. It is something that I try to do, even a little each day. How do I do this? Say less, I made a little list for you. As I was typing, it got a little lengthier than I thought it would when I started. SO I will be breaking it down into four points over the next four weeks. You can read one point each week and focus on each tip one at a time or read the full list on the blog. PS I started a blog on the website. I plan to bring more helpful tips and insights to you more regularly so we can get to know each other better as long as I can keep up this motivation to write. Full disclosure I am not an expert in any field really, these are just my thoughts and my journey toward growth and I hope my words can help you in some way. SO keep an eye out for a new tip each week. PSS Speaking of growth, I completely redid the Westware website. It is complete with better sorting features and filters to help you find exactly what you are looking for. I also added a bunch of new items to the Spring/Summer collection. Please check it out and if you have any feedback, I’d love to hear it.

1.  Think about your growth every day. Wake up, take a moment to yourself and open your mind to the idea of growth for the day. You don’t necessarily have to know how you are going to grow that day. We are not fortune tellers here (at least I’m not, you might be idk). You just have to be open to growing each day. Look for opportunities to change your mindset from old ways that you know are not the best. Sometimes it’s hard to catch yourself in the moment if you react to something the way your old self would have, but that’s okay. A lot of times growth can happen after the fact. Give yourself grace.
2. BE YOU. Admittedly, sometimes I kind of forget who I am. Even though I try really hard not to, I get caught up looking at everyone else. I’m not proud of it, but it’s true. I know, I know everyone says not to but it’s so hard! One thing that I have found liberating though is the art of the *unfollow*. If I am scrolling social media and I come across someone that I follow and their content doesn’t make me feel good, I just unfollow. It’s as simple as that. I don’t know why but that’s not my default if I’m not actively thinking about it. In addition, I DO only follow people that make me feel good. I am so thankful for the emerging body positive influencers that debunk all of the posing techniques that other influencers use. Nobody is “perfect”, even if they want you to think that they are.
3. Do things that you want to do. Obviously there are some exceptions to this one. I do not recommend stealing or committing arson, but I do recommend doing things that make you feel like yourself. I think a lot of times we get caught up in doing things other people want to do, especially with our significant others or friends. You might share some common interests with these people, and that’s great, but don’t forget about things that you like. Some people may think of these things as “guilty pleasures” but there should be no guilt in doing things that you enjoy. Full disclosure, I happen to like having a glass of wine and watching reality TV some evenings. I also happen to like dressing in cute, sometimes “weird” outfits and most of my friends aren’t really into clothes. But you know what? I will show up to brunch in whatever I please. I have had friends make comments on my outfit choices before. But so what? As long as you are doing something that makes you happy, who cares. I know sometimes it’s hard to ignore if someone makes a comment or tries to put you down for something you like. In my opinion, that is one of the biggest problems in our society. But remember, there should be no guilt in guilty pleasures.
4. This one seems pretty simple, huh? But if you’re like me, a lot of times you forget this one because it is so simple. My boyfriend actually taught me this. I have suffered from anxiety pretty much my whole life and never realized it. When I told him this he gave me advice he got from his therapist. It was this: breathe. At first I thought it was kind of dumb, like yeah I know I breathe all the time. That’s not what he meant though. You have to intentionally fill your lungs to their full capacity with air and let it out slowly. It helps if you close your eyes, but you don’t have to. Anxiety is directly tied to your breath. A lot of times when you are anxious or upset, your breathing gets shallow and it tells your body to get worked up causing the physical symptoms of anxiety. When you slow your breath, it tells your body to slow down and relax. I cannot tell you how many anxiety attacks or frustrations this has saved me from. One of my character flaws is that I cry when I am frustrated. I don’t know why I am the way that I am, but it’s true. I also get social anxiety sometimes. This has been a game changer for me honestly.

There you have it, my Growth List. I hope these tips help you in some way. If they did, please let me know. Thank you so much and I hope you all have a wonderful week!