One of the reasons I make fashion videos is to share the things I've learned over the years that have helped me feel like the best version of myself. As a result, most of the tips I share deal with our outward appearances but in the grand scheme of things how we look on the outside is only one part of who we are, and in light of fashion month which admittedly focuses all of our attention on how we and others look, I want to share some of the easy things we can all do to make ourselves more well-rounded individuals that don't just look great, but also feel and act great too.
I also want this video to signal the start of a new initiative here on my channel which will occassionally highlight different charities that are doing wonderful work to better the world we live in. To kick things off, I asked you on Instagram and my community tab here on YouTube what your favorite charities are and I've rounded up a list of those that were recommended the most. There were so many amazing responses though and I'll he highlighting more in the future but for now, you can see the list in the description box of my video and below.
EASY THINGS WE CAN ALL DO TO BE MORE WELL-ROUNDED PEOPLE
Be present in the moment | It’s so easy to get caught up in life especially with our cellphones always within reach so I like to set aside at least an hour each day where I don’t look at my home. I usually leave it at home while going for a walk around the neighborhood and I try not to look at my phone when I first wake up. Also, I never bring my phone into bed with me and I find that it’s a wonderful way to refocus my attention on what’s happening in front of me rather than what may be happening in someone else’s life through the screen of my cellphone.
Engage kindly and compassionately with the world around us and genuinely interact with the people (and animals!) in our lives | This one is so important to always leaving a positive impact on the world around us. We never know what another person is going through so it’s always better to act kindly. Plus, in my experience this kindness is usually contagious and has a ripple affect that spreads outward to everyone else.
Be kind to ourselves | A key part of spreading kindness is to extend that same compassion to ourselves. Especially in the age of oversharing and comparing, it’s so easy to allow ourselves to slip and taking the time to reflect on the things you love about yourself is so important. If you have a hard time with this, it may be helpful to write down your proudest accomplishments and physical features and then recite them to yourself each morning like a mantra. In my experience, highlighting what I like about myself (physically, mentally and emotionally) has a tremendous impact on my overall well-being.
Focus on the good | This next one is something I like to do when I’m having a particularly tough day when nothing seems to be going my way. Rather than allow myself to feel completely defeated, I like to take a few minutes and reflect on the things that are going well. By shifting my attention off of what’s wrong and the things I don’t have onto the things that I do, I’m able to stop myself from dipping too far into negative town and level the playing field a bit. Now, depending on what’s going wrong this of course won’t be fail proof, but I find that most of the time it really makes a difference.
Have a sense of humor | For me, one of the key parts of being well-rounded is having a sense of humor. We all know that laughter is the best medicine and I try to laugh at least once everyday. Not only does laughing help reduce stress, but I also think it It makes you live longer and it’s such an important part of my day that I have a folder saved in my Instagram collections of videos, memes and images that make me chuckle. Whenever I need a laughter break I scroll through them for a few minutes and am left feeling lighter and brighter than I did before.
Cultivate interesting hobbies | Last but not least, cultivating interesting hobbies is so important to ensuring that we’re interesting people. Personally, I really want to work on this more in the coming years because most of my hobbies overlap with what I do professionally and I’d love to add more diversity to the topics I’m interested in. Not only does this help make us more exciting to talk to, but we also enrich our lives in new ways.
5 MOST RECOMMENDED CHARITIES
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital https://www.stjude.org/
Donate Here: https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?sc_icid=wtg-mm-btn-donate-now
School Fundraisers: https://www.stjude.org/get-involved/school-fundraising-ideas.html?sc_icid=gi-mm-school
Sports & Fitness Fundraisers: https://www.stjude.org/get-involved/fitness-fundraisers.html?sc_icid=gi-mm-sports-fitness
Workplace Giving: https://www.stjude.org/get-involved/workplace-giving.html?sc_icid=gi-mm-workplace
Volunteer Locally: https://www.stjude.org/about-st-jude/visit/locations.html?sc_icid=gi-mm-volunteer-locally#regions
The Humane Society: http://www.humanesociety.org/
Donate Here: http://www.humanesociety.org/donate/?credit=web_id93480558
Organizer A Fundraiser: http://www.myhumane.org/?credit=web_id93480558_web_hsus_rndonatepage
Workplace Giving: http://www.humanesociety.org/donate/workplace-giving.html
Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
Donate Here: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/support-us
School & University Chapters: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/take-action/schools-universities/join-student-chapter
Organize A Fundraiser: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/take-action/fundraise-us
Volunteer Opportunities: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/take-action/engage-us/volunteer
Dress For Success: https://dressforsuccess.org/
Donate Here: https://dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/donate/
Volunteer Here: https://dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Find Donation Drives Here: https://dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/donation-drives/
Corporate Partnerships: https://dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/corporate-partnerships/
Local Homeless Shelters, Soup Kitchens & Youth Shelters
