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How to Wear Wide Leg Pants

Work Wear Wednesday: Wide Leg Pants

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Spring Office Outfit Refresh

Spring Office Outfit Refresh

Spring Office Outfit Refresh

Spring Office Outfit Refresh

Spring Office Outfit Refresh

Spring Office Outfit Refresh

Spring Office Outfit Refresh

Sweater: LOFT | Pants: LOFT | Shoes: Similar | Bag: Amazon | Earrings: BaubleBar

Photos by: BanAvenue

Yesterday marked the first day of Spring which means that a Spring reset or refresh is in order. I personally am currently in the process of purging my closet, selling and donating old items, and making room for all the new goodies! I guess you could say Spring cleaning is in full effect. Instead of just buying new items for the new season I make myself purge the old first. Not only does this help declutter my overpacked closet, it reminds me what pieces I might have overlooked and bring those out of hiding.

  1. Purge the old– Obviously don’t get rid of everything but definitely purge items that are “so last season” or trendy items you don’t feel like are going to be around again this season.
  2. Keep the classics– Those pieces that you wear on repeat and sometimes even pull out of the dirty clothes hamper because they are just that good. Think solid color slacks, blouses and shoes.
  3. Add in new pieces– My motto is for every 3-4 pieces I get rid of, I can purchase 1 new item. The key with buying new items is to error on the side of classic rather than trendy as these pieces will last you longer. That being said, I do always treat myself to a couple trendy items for the season, I just tend to spend less on these since I know they will inevitably end up in the donate pile next season.

If you are looking to refresh your workwear wardrobe this season, now is the time to add in some color! Granted you don’t have to go full on Easter egg mode like I did, but you could easily wear these pink pants with a neutral colored top, or this striped sweater with navy slacks and accomplish a more Spring styled work outfit. Make sure to size down in the pants (I’m wearing a 00P) and since the sweater only comes in petite sizing, make sure to size up (I’m wearing a SP). If you get one thing from this post, I highly suggest my neutral suede pumps that I wear in almost every single Work Wear Wednesday post. They go with every single outfit you could imagine and are more comfortable than 99% of my flats.  See below for a few of my favorite Spring office outfit refresh picks that are all 40% off today!

CLASSIC


TRENDY


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Work Wear Wednesday: Stripe City

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Sweater: LOFT | Pants: LOFT | Shoes: DSW | Bag: Amazon | Sunglasses: Rayban

Photography by: BanAvenue

Keeping it short and sweet today on account that I am heading to Cabo in T minus 2 days and still have nothing to wear.. oops. Two of my favorite retailers for workwear are having BIG sales! LOFT is having 40% off with code NEWNOW and Ann Taylor is having 40% off + an additional 10% off with code 10FORYOU.

Both my sweater and top in today’s post are included in the LOFT sale and are great transitional pieces. If you don’t already own a pair of navy trousers, these cropped pants have the most darling ribbon detail down the sides and a rounded hem. In a world full of plain trousers, why not add a little something extra when you can?! If you have never owned LOFT pants, I alway suggest sizing down. I wear a 00P in this brand.

My striped sweater is a good transition piece as it is light weight enough to carry you into Spring so you don’t have to sweat on your walk from your car into the office. I sized up to a small for a looser fit but I would say it runs true to size. Mentionable features about this sweater include the two tone stripes and split side. In a world full of stripes, this sweater takes the cake for being different. It also comes in blue!

OTHER SALE FAVORITES


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Understanding What Motivates You

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Work Wear Wednesday

Blazer: Topshop | Top: Similar | Skirt: LOFT | Shoes: Nordstrom | Purse: Amazon

Photography by: Ban Avenue

I hadn’t planned on sharing this today but as are most of my blog posts, this one was spurred by an Instagram discussion. That Instagram discussion was spurred by my random thoughts while taking a walk around the neighborhood (something I’m trying to be better about doing).

Although I am a finance major and relatively business minded, I have never been motivated by money. Maybe that’s because I grew up surrounded by it and have had a fairly easy time in the financial department, but nonetheless money has just never been the driving source to motivate me. I think back to when my parents would grant us an allowance each month if we completed our chores. I almost never got an allowance- shocker!! But even a much younger, simpler minded Shelbi was more driven by the promise of TCBY or a gold star than money- imagine that!

So this made me think, if not money, then what drives me? How do I measure success? I had a good idea of what my drivers might be but I decided to hit up my good friend, Google, to see what other factors normally motivate people. And here is what she (yes, I’ve declared Google to be a wise woman) said.

1. Money and Rewards


Most people wake up each morning and head into work solely because of the reason they have bills to pay and work is an end to a means to pay those bills. Most people are simply working for the money and no other reason. A lot of people think that all they want is money, but what they do not realize is money is not usually the end product they are actually wanting. People want money to pay bills so that they can feel secure, to buy a nice car so that they can feel cool, to pay off their debts so that they can feel accomplished.

2. Desire to be the Best


Some people cannot stand being second best. Whether it is pride or hating to lose, these people push themselves the hardest when they know they are competing for that number one spot. Even if that “number one spot” is something they have created in their mind and isn’t actually something physically attainable. These people usually have no problem sacrificing weekends, skipping out on family dinners, or waking up at 5 to get ahead of the game.

3. Helping Others


And then some are motivated by helping others because they want to bring about change, motivation or inspiration into others’ lives. They care about making the world a better place.They feel happiest when they feel like they are making a difference a bringing about a greater good in someone’s life beside their own.

4. Power and Fame


This is a common motivator right behind money and normally go hand in hand because most people associate power and fame with how much money you have. People that are driven by power and fame usually are craving attention and acceptance of some kind. In this day and age of celebrities, Youtube sensations, and social influencers, there is more interest than ever to put ourselves out there to attract a large following and revel in the attention from complete strangers. Normally those whose number one motivator in life is fame, are normally met with disappointment because they always seem to want more.

5. Recognition


Know somebody that always has to be right? Or makes sure that everyone else knows that they accomplished their goal? Some people feel most accomplished or proud of themselves when they are recognized publicly. This can be as small as a simple thank you, just something to show that somebody recognizes and appreciates that you are doing a good job. It has been proven that recognition in any shape or form tends to increase a person’s sense of worth which in turn produces an increased sense of pride and satisfaction in their work. This is why a lot of companies do Employee of the Month.

6. The Passion


Passion is the strongest motivator out there. It is what can make us sacrifice sleep or leisure time in order to do something we love. The power of passion spreads through all parts of life, whether it be a sport, hobby, family, friends, etc. Passion can make us do some crazy things that money can’t. Sadly, most people do not find passion in their jobs. They become zombies just going through the motion of their job. But those that are passionate about their jobs, feel as though they have never had to work a day in their life!


So what does all of this mean? Once you understand what drives and motivates you, you can better your work ethic and turn your work into a passionate career. By identifying what it is that motivates us, we can enhance the factor used to obtain success. Because without motivation, you will never have the drive to fulfill your hopes and dreams.

Most of us are a mixture of several of these. My number one motivator is most definitely helping others. While I can get caught up in the power and fame craze of social media, at the end of the day I find myself most concerned with thoughts like, “Did I make a difference in anyone’s life today?”, “Am I making a positive impact?”, “Am I using my God given gifts to help make a difference?”. And even if I dropped followers or didn’t get very many likes on my Instagram photo that day, as long as I received one message or comment throughout the day from one of you that said you can relate to what I am sharing or that something I shared inspired or made you feel good about yourself, well then I can go to sleep with a happy heart and wake up the next morning ready to do it all again!

What motivates you? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

 

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Life Update: To Work or Not to Work

Bodycon Work Dress

Bodycon Work Dress

Bodycon Work Dress

Bodycon Work Dress

Bodycon Work Dress

Bodycon Work Dress

Bodycon Work Dress

Dress: Topshop | Shoes: Similar | Bag: Amazon | Sunglasses: Rayban

Photography by: Ban Avenue

If I had a dollar for every time I got asked “So, have you started looking for jobs yet?” I would have enough money to put into a retirement fund so that I’d never have to work another day again in my life. Me dramatic? Never. But I know it’s a question that I have not addressed publicly yet, so here it goes. The simple answer: no.

Why? Well after not having a desk job for the past 6 months (holy cow time flies), I cannot say that I miss it one bit. While I don’t see myself blogging full time forever, I am taking my sweet time before rushing back into the corporate world. One reason why it’s taking awhile is that I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching and thinking about what I want to do next. I know that I want to change industries. While the energy industry is a lucrative one, it’s not something I am passionate about. I’m hoping to find something within the fashion/beauty, press relations, or digital marketing realm next. I’ve been doing a little research on types of jobs that I might like to venture into but nothing too serious.

I am being picky because I can be and in the meantime I’m soaking up every minute of freedom that I have to blog my little heart out, travel as much as I please, and spend time with friends and family. If there is one thing that I keep hearing over and over from family, friends and all of you is to take this time while I am not tied down to focus on myself, be selfish, and take every opportunity that I can. So this is my way of trying to do just that.

The next question that usually follows after I tell people this is, “So why don’t you just blog full time?”. Well because the income is not predictable enough and I enjoy the finer things in life. I like to travel, I like to attend happy hours, I like fancy shoes, and I like to have enough money left over after all of those things to put into my savings. I tend to blow and go which means I have to have an income source that can support that and then some. I’ll deep dive into blogging income another day but in summary, some months are better than others. You don’t have a set paycheck with a set amount. It’s all about how many deals you close and how many sales you make, which can vary from month to month. So while some months I might make several thousand, other months I struggle to cover all my expenses. The inconsistency scares me.

Another factor is insurance. I had to get my own insurance since I’ve been self employed and let me just tell you- IT SUCKS. It is crappy insurance and I’m honestly not sure what I am paying for. I might as well be throwing $200 down the drain every month. Adulting is the worst. If I had a husband that brought in another (more stable) income source and better insurance coverage, I would probably never go back to a desk job. But because I’m a boss a** b**** that don’t need no man (for the time being), I’ll eventually have to call off the party and go back to work! But is that day tomorrow? Is that day a month from now or maybe a year from now? The jury is still out.

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