color me bad

I recently attended a retreat sponsored by Women in Financial Services, a wonderful organization that brings professional women together to share inspiration, support, connections, and innovative ideas to enhance their careers and to improve their service to clients. Among the many programs and services offered at the retreat was the opportunity to “have your colors done”. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, this is where a specialist analyzes your skin color and recommends the best clothing colors to make you “pop” and the ones to avoid because they wash you out.  What an analogy for life! How many of us are wearing colors because our parents wore them, or maybe we’re wearing the colors that we think will attract the most wealth. Maybe we stick with the color we’ve always worn because we don’t think we deserve to find what really makes us look our best. Maybe someone told us we are one color when we are something completely different! Maybe we are fighting what really looks best on us because we “think” we are something else. I have worn many colors throughout my life. I have modeled various relationship and professional garbs, seeking which ones would best compliment me. I was hoping some would make me look better than I did; but in the end, I put down my current garment and tried another one on for size. I always worked very hard to wear it well, so even though outfits always tended to look good on me, they weren’t entirely comfortable or natural. There were times when I would wonder if, and when, someone would look at me and say, “she doesn’t look right!” But when I put on my correct colors, when I embraced what my innate gifts and talents were, then I really began to make an entrance. And because I was embracing what truly complimented my second nature, it came naturally, and it came passionately, and I no longer felt like an outsider in my own world.