How Are You Clothing Yourself Today?
The next time you open up your closet doors to pick out an outfit… take a moment and ask yourself “how do I want to clothe my MINDSET and EMOTIONS today?”
How Do You Clothe Yourself In The Morning?
Do you spend time looking at the clothes in your closet until something resonates with you? Do you try on 3 or 4 outfits before you put one on your body? We take time to pick out the right clothes we want to wear each day (and there is nothing wrong with that), but what if we put that much time and energy into how we want to clothe our mindset and emotions each day. I think there are many times, myself included, where we grab the shirt of anger, pants of unforgiveness, undergarments of insecurity and a coat of doubt. What if we consciously took the time to make sure we were clothing ourselves with a healthy mindset, clothing ourselves with peace, joy, self-confidence, “I can do this” attitude, gratitude and other healthy emotions?
I get up at 5:30 or earlier each day and the first thing I say to myself is “this is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” I say that each morning to set or reset my MINDSET and EMOTIONS. I face challenges each day: building my life-coaching business while working a full-time job, the challenges of being a single mom, waking up in a world where I feel invisible. But when the alarm goes off, I choose to switch my MINDSET from “ugh it’s another day” to “I choose to see the blessings and God “winks” as I go about my day.”
CREATE A NEW CLOTHING ROUTINE
Do you have a morning routine? I like morning routines. They provide security, boundaries, structure and predictability. I would encourage you to start a morning routine with your mindset and emotions. Do you subconsciously get dressed, but you are saying horrible things about yourself in the process? Do you see yourself as a failure showing up to work instead of as a person who is gifted and successful? Do you think about the wrongs that have been done to you and think life is unfair? Are you tired?
A changed mindset can change everything. You are one decision away from a better life. DO YOU BELIEVE IT?
3 SIMPLE WAYS TO CREATE A NEW CLOTHING ROUTINE
1. As you would lay out the clothes the night before, lay out your mindset. Go to bed on how you want to wake up mentally and emotionally.
2. When you go to bed, do a brain dump. What went well? What did not go well? What can be improved? What can you glean from today and bring it into your tomorrow?
3. List 3 things every day you are grateful for.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK AND FEEL
Studies show that the clothes we wear affects our attitude, mood and confidence. How do you feel when you put on a new outfit? It affects how you see and feel about yourself… just by putting on the new outfit. When you clothe yourself with the proper mindset and healthy emotions, you show up differently in the space you are creating. Your confidence rises, you physically walk differently, you smile more, and your health improves. I’ve been told to dress for the job you want. Well, clothe yourself at the start of your day in the mindset you want to walk in throughout your day.
Don’t put on someone else’s stinky clothes. There are times my daughter will grab a sweater of mine to wear. However, if my clothes were stinky, ripped up and gross, she would not put them on. When we clothe ourselves with other people’s unhealthy perception of us, their insecurities, negativity, toxicity and fear, it is like putting on their stinky clothes.
Sometimes we clothe our mindset with low self-esteem to protect us from disappointment. When life doesn’t turn out as planned, we immediately say “I knew it wouldn’t happen because I’m not smart enough.” Change that!
You are a traffic controller. Remember the battlefield is in your mind. As a traffic controller, you are managing all of the thoughts coming into your mind (positive, uplifting, negative and self-limiting). Direct them accordingly!!
I recently heard that the number of times you say “yea but,” it is showing you the level of your fear (false evidence appearing real). Wow! So clothe your mindset and emotions with faith and be aware of fear creeping in.
Do you clothe yourself consciously or subconsciously with: anger, perfectionism, workaholic, shame, past failures, guilt or fear? Consciously choose to replace them with joy, peace, thankfulness, gratitude of attitude and confidence.
Do you see yourself in the mirror? Are your self-limiting beliefs keeping you from liking yourself, loving yourself, seeing yourself and being all that you can be? Clothe yourself with love and self-love.
Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
If we are what we eat, then we are what we think, feel and speak about ourselves. I consciously have to clothe my mindset and emotions each day. I start my day in prayer and reading the Word of God. It doesn’t make me better than someone else, but it makes me a better person. Clothe yourself with majesty, prosperity, healing, kindness, unconditional love, faith and peace. Below is one passage in the bible that I pray over my family every day. It is just one more way I clothe myself.
Armor of God, Ephesians 6:13-17
Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger]…. So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
