Does This Speak To The Authentic Me?

image via Zappos

It's Friday again unbelievably! I was doing some research for future blog posts recently when I had an A-ha moment. It all had to do with these pretty shoes. I looked at them and thought, "Oh, I love those!"

But then the question came, "But do they speak for the authentic you?" I think I was inspired to this thought by recent readings in Simple Abundance by Sarah ban Breathnach. Many daily inspirations have been about investing in a well-edited wardrobe that really speaks to who you are.

When I asked myself the second question, there was hesitation and a major lack of clarity on the subject. Even now, I can't answer yes. These are the kind of shoes you could get totally sucked into buying on a whim in Springtime. They are like fresh bouquets after a long hard winter! I started thinking about other items in my wardrobe that I have never worn or rarely worn. I began to wonder if most of those items would fit into this category of "Oooh, those are nice!...but they don't speak to the most authentic me".

When I really take the time to sit in my authentic self and look at my world, it is quite easy for me to start editing out things that don't mean enough to me.  I know that the purchases I have made for my wardrobe and home that really speak to me are items I have loved and enjoyed until they absolutely fell apart.

But the BIG challenge is being in the right frame of mind to be authentic in the first place. It's far too easy to be overwhelmed, distracted and disjointed rather than calm, assured and focused. When I imagine the heartache, suffering and money I could save myself by being more authentically me in my decision making -- and everything I do--, I certainly feel inspired to take the time to live in a more "real me" state of mind.

What about you? Have you recently altered how you decide what you will purchase? How do you know when you know that something is "it" for you? How have you dealt with the "mistake" purchases of the past?

Hope you have a fantastic weekend. We are expecting rain, so it will be a low key couple of days I think. Maybe we'll make some homemade soup, do some crafts and have a popcorn-movie night.