Month: May 2023

Madison LeCroy’s Purple Long Sleeve Maxi Dress

Madison LeCroy’s Purple Long Sleeve Maxi Dress on Her Instastories

Southern Charm 2023 Instagram Fashion

Madison LeCroy chose the perfect purple long sleeve maxi dress for a part of her MDW celebration. Sure sometimes in the summer it’s hot and long sleeves and long dresses are the last thing on your mind. But sometimes it has its days/nights that are cooler and this is great for that. Plus this color is so cute and IMO very feminine and fun. But of course not as fun as shopping one for yourself below. 😉 💜

 

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

 

Madison LeCroy's Purple Long Sleeve Maxi Dress

Click Here to Shop Her L*Space Dress

Click Here for Additional Stock

Click Here for More Stock

Photo + Info: @madison.lecroy

 

Originally posted at: Madison LeCroy’s Purple Long Sleeve Maxi Dress

Read More

Vitality Domain #3 – Meaning and Creativity: Live It Now

live life with meaning and purpose

We are continuing our exploration of the four vitality domains that influence your health span, now focusing on the area of meaning/purpose and creativity. Isn’t it time to be your own heroine and be/do what has been waiting in the wings?

What brings you a sense of meaning? What gets you up in the morning looking forward to the day? Are you putting your unique talents/gifts to use somehow? Why let them lie dormant? Consider your own sense of meaning as you read!

If you are just diving into this mini-series, you may also want to read the introductory article on health span.

Why Is a Sense of Meaning Important?

A sense of meaning, however that manifests for you, is not only essential to quality of life but longevity as well. That is what we mean by ‘health span’ – years lived + quality of life. Research suggests that a sense of meaning is associated with less risk of Alzheimer’s.

A study drawn from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing found that individuals who earlier in life had embraced a higher sense of meaning were later living lives distinguished by health and well-being. This appears to be related to staying connected with friends socially, lower incidence of chronic disease and depression, increased physical activity, and more positive behaviors such as exercising and eating well. In other words, a sense of meaning and taking good care of yourself go hand in hand.

In another study of almost 7000 adults between the ages of 51 and 61, those without a sense of purpose were almost twice as likely to die in the four years of the study. That is a stunning effect!

Here is an entertaining and thoughtful TEDx talk by Michael Steger, a Colorado State researcher. He dives into the relationship between meaning and longevity around 9 minutes into his presentation. A study found that older persons with a sense of life meaning have a 57% less “hazard of dying.” He has a wonderful sense of humor, so you probably will enjoy the entire talk.

If you are curious about your own sense of meaning and purpose in your life, Dr. Steger has developed a well-known quick survey that calculates your score life meaning score. If you are above 24 on Presence (of meaning) and also above 24 on Search (for meaning), you feel your life has a valued meaning and purpose, yet you are still openly exploring that meaning or purpose.

With this score, life’s meaning is an ever-unfolding and ever-deepening process for you. You are more drawn to the question, “What can my life mean?” than to any single answer. Alternatively, you may have the presence of meaning and not be searching, or the reverse.

The Interconnection of Meaning, Purpose, and Creativity

I am using meaning and purpose almost as synonymous, but they are not completely. Don’t you think you can have a purpose, but it is, in the end, not very meaningful to you? Or you can have a purpose that you thought had meaning, but looking back, did not?

When you look at various definitions, purpose is about having a driving force in life or sense of meaning. It is acting in harmony with your most cherished values and goals. So, you could say that purpose is what gets you out of bed in the morning; meaning is what sparks your enthusiasm for the day. Or, from a quote in Jennifer Louden’s book Why Bother? (2020), “Meaning arises from loving life…”

Creativity

This is where creativity enters the picture. Studies show that creativity can lead to greater longevity, as you may have guessed. Creativity is not necessarily creating art, music or poetry. It is about using the gifts and talents you have honed over your life, thus related to creating meaning in your life.

I just came across this wonderful quote (source not known) that highlights the benefits of using your gifts: “When you share the gifts that are uniquely yours, you are doing what you are meant to do. This offers a sense of satisfaction in itself.” That satisfaction is a form of meaning.

Researchers also don’t limit the definition of creativity to the arts. Author Norman Rosenthal defines being creative as “having the ability to make unexpected connections, either to see commonplace things in new ways – or unusual things that escape the attention of others – and realize their importance.” Another term is “everyday creativity.”

Aren’t we, in our 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond, living in our prime time to use our gifts and talents in new ways? To have the time and wisdom to observe and see what might be created?

So, that brings us to the question of what activities can increase your sense of meaning?

Freedom to Choose

What will bring you a sense of meaning is something only you can know. It relates to how we use the freedom of our phase of life.

Not all of us are drawn to purpose in the same way. In a national sample of 1,200 adults ages 50 to 92, researchers found that this freedom to choose is important to purposeful and non-purposeful people in different ways.

“About half of those with purpose emphasized the freedom to be involved in things beyond the self; the non-purposeful mostly looked at freedom as relief from the burdensome responsibilities of paid work and childrearing.”

This divide is very evident in my practice working with women over 60. It is important to clarify that one’s approach to purpose and what our freedom means is very personal and commands respect.

That Said, If You Are a Woman Drawn to Purpose and Meaning in Life, What Can You Do?

First, Realize You Are Part of Something Bigger Than Yourself

Where do you fit? My meaning is found by playing my part in the community of positive ageing. Colonel Sanders founded KFC at age 65. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the Little House books at age 65. My husband’s meaning is found as a physician who has experienced prostate cancer; he is challenging how this cancer is ignored in research even though it is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men.

Second, Know Your Life Has Value and Worth

Do not believe the repeated messages of fighting ageing because it is not valued, and it being about decline and dependence. Stand proud; show the world something different. Let’s all do that – together.

And Finally, Listen to Yourself as the Expert on Your Life

The Jefferson Center (Mayo Coach) suggests:

  • Know the activities you deeply enjoy and commit to doing them.
  • Ask yourself what makes you happy and gets you up in the morning. Make this your first thought each day, after gratitude for the day itself and your life.
  • Start an ongoing list of some activities or dreams you still want to do. Envision yourself doing them and begin.

Other ideas that have been suggested in various articles include:

  • Continuing to work if it brings you happiness and meaning.
  • Cultivating loving relationships.
  • Improving ‘your corner of the world’.
  • Enjoying creative projects.
  • Live with “ikigai,” a term used in Japan for creating value in life by looking for joy in small things and bringing harmony with your presence (to your family and those around you).

What is before you now, calling you? You may be a “hands on” grandparent, making a difference for your family. You may decide to write your book, at last. You may volunteer at your beloved library, or with kids who want to learn a sport you love. There are no limits. There are, at last, no rules. Find what flows from your heart into the world.

Now is the time. What is your approach to living with meaning and purpose? I’d love to hear how you create that in your life. Remember, there is no “right” way, only your way for you.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Is your life full of meaning? What was your purpose in getting up today? What do you do to feel relevant? What dreams do you have on your list of to-dos and how do you plan to achieve them?

Read More

Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 13 Reunion Looks

Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 13 Reunion Looks

Another season of the Real Housewives of New Jersey has passed and it’s time for the reunion. And while the season wasn’t exactly lucky number 13 when it comes to the Giudice’s and Gorga’s, we will let you be the judge of who got lucky with their reunion dress selections and who did not.

 

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

 

Margaret Josephs’ Season 13 Reunion Dress

Margaret Josephs' Season 13 Reunion Dress

Click Here to Shop her Marchesa Dress

Click Here for Additional Stock

Click Here for Even More Stock

Style Stealers:

!function(d,s,id)
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;
if(!d.getElementById(id))
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + ‘://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/shopthepost.js’;
d.body.appendChild(e);

if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’)
window.__stp.init();

(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);


Turn on your JavaScript to view content

Photo + Info: BravoTV.com

 

Dolores Catania’s Season 13 Reunion Dress

Dolores Catania's Season 13 Reunion Dress

Click Here to Shop her Jovani Dress in White

Style Stealers:

!function(d,s,id)
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;
if(!d.getElementById(id))
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + ‘://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/shopthepost.js’;
d.body.appendChild(e);

if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’)
window.__stp.init();

(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);


Turn on your JavaScript to view content

Photo + Info: BravoTV.com

 

Melissa Gorga’s Season 13 Reunion Dress

Melissa Gorga's Season 13 Reunion Dress

Dress by Walter Mendez

Style Stealers:

!function(d,s,id)
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;
if(!d.getElementById(id))
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + ‘://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/shopthepost.js’;
d.body.appendChild(e);

if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’)
window.__stp.init();

(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);


Turn on your JavaScript to view content

Photo + Info: BravoTV.com

 

Rachel Fuda’s Season 13 Reunion Dress

Rachel Fuda's Season 13 Reunion Dress

Dress from Shelly Glam

Style Stealers:

!function(d,s,id)
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;
if(!d.getElementById(id))
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + ‘://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/shopthepost.js’;
d.body.appendChild(e);

if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’)
window.__stp.init();

(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);


Turn on your JavaScript to view content

Photo + Info: BravoTV.com

 

Jackie Goldschneider’s Season 13 Reunion Dress

Jackie Goldschneider's Season 13 Reunion Dress

Click Here to Shop her Dress by The Sei

Style Stealers:

!function(d,s,id)
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;
if(!d.getElementById(id))
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + ‘://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/shopthepost.js’;
d.body.appendChild(e);

if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’)
window.__stp.init();

(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);


Turn on your JavaScript to view content

Photo + Info: BravoTV.com

 

Teresa Giudice’s Season 13 Reunion Dress

Teresa Giudice's Season 13 Reunion Dress

Dress by Wade Allyn

Style Stealers:

!function(d,s,id)
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;
if(!d.getElementById(id))
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + ‘://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/shopthepost.js’;
d.body.appendChild(e);

if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’)
window.__stp.init();

(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);


Turn on your JavaScript to view content

Photo + Info: BravoTV.com

 

Jennifer Aydin’s Season 13 Reunion Dress

Jennifer Aydin's Season 13 Reunion Dress

Dress by Estrada Twins

Style Stealers:

!function(d,s,id)
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;
if(!d.getElementById(id))
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + ‘://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/shopthepost.js’;
d.body.appendChild(e);

if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’)
window.__stp.init();

(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);


Turn on your JavaScript to view content

Photo + Info: BravoTV.com

 

Danielle Cabral’s Season 13 Reunion Dress

Danielle Cabral's Season 13 Reunion Dress

Dress from Diane and Company

Style Stealers:

!function(d,s,id)
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;
if(!d.getElementById(id))
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + ‘://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/shopthepost.js’;
d.body.appendChild(e);

if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’)
window.__stp.init();

(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);


Turn on your JavaScript to view content

Photo + Info: BravoTV.com

 

Jenn Fesslers’ Season 13 Reunion Dress

Jenn Fessler's Season 13 Reunion Dress

Click Here to Shop her Bronx and Banco Dress

Style Stealers:

!function(d,s,id)
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;
if(!d.getElementById(id))
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + ‘://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/shopthepost.js’;
d.body.appendChild(e);

if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’)
window.__stp.init();

(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);


Turn on your JavaScript to view content

Photo + Info: BravoTV.com

 

 

Originally posted at: Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 13 Reunion Looks

Read More

Is It Possible to Turn Loneliness into Solitude?

turning loneliness into solitude

When I think about these two states of being – loneliness and solitude – they have such different connotations. And yet the border between them is porous. If we are lonely, can we just decide that we can cross over into solitude? It seems a bit like the old fairy-tale about spinning straw into gold.

The New Epidemic

Loneliness has been called the new epidemic. The Surgeon General of the United States has written a book about it. Magazine articles about it abound. It has been linked to stress, depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disease, impaired cognitive functioning, decreased creativity and lower self-esteem.

A very bad thing, this loneliness. The obvious solution of taking steps to increase our social engagement is clearly positive, especially after the isolation of the pandemic. Joining clubs, phoning old friends, striking up conversations on elevators – all good.

But some loneliness is unavoidable. The existentialists draw our attention to the fact that on one level, basically, we are all alone. We can be alone in a crowd as well as in our bed. So, if loneliness is in some way inevitable, what can we do?

The Case for Solitude

Well, let’s consider the case for solitude. Unlike loneliness, solitude is a state we can choose for ourselves; it’s a deliberate choice – to be alone and to savour one’s own company. It can be healing. Animals, when they are hurt, prefer to recover on their own; and we, too, are animals according to basic biology.

Sometimes we need to shut out the noise of the outer world to let our shattered nerves recover, to allow our body and our mind to take care of us by creating the quiet space for them to do so.

We have an inner ‘voice’ that represents our instinctive knowledge, and we need peace to be able to hear it. It is this voice that conveys our intuition and our creativity. This is the voice that can help us to make good decisions, to know which direction to turn in.

This voice can be a good companion if we can honour it and not seek to silence it by busying ourselves with distractions. It can deepen our experience of life even when we are experiencing sorrow. But the catch is that we must actually choose to hear it – we must make an intentional decision to change our state of being. The effects of loneliness, such as anxiety and self-pity, can make that more difficult.

Make the Choice

To turn loneliness into solitude, we need to get hold of that part of ourselves that makes choices. It can be as simple as asking ourselves what we really enjoy when we’re alone. Is there music that soothes our soul? Can we make a special meal for ourselves? To pause, and ask how we actually want to live, can all by itself yield results. Often, in our loneliness, we are just following habit without connecting to what we are actually feeling.

One easy way to start is to become aware of our breathing. Our breath is sustaining us all the time whether we are aware of it or not. We can take a few moments just to appreciate our breathing; for example, sensing the flow of air in and out of our nostrils. This can settle us into ourselves and help us to experience our own presence.

We can use our senses. What are we seeing in this moment? What are the sounds we are hearing? What is our body touching? Our senses are always with us, and connect us with the present, which we are often unaware of as we focus on the past or the future.

As we do this, we are creating an opening into the world of solitude. We can think of it as a landscape to explore, as a way of turning what may be imposed on us, loneliness, into a state of chosen contemplation, solitude.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you feel lonely and anxious because of it? How much would you say loneliness affects your daily life? What would it take for you to turn loneliness into solitude? Would this change bring you inner peace?

Read More

How Can You Tell if He’s Interested?

Is a man interested?

Regardless of how long you’ve been dating someone new, until you have a conversation about exclusivity, you’re still only dating. This means he can date other women, and you can date other men. You’re keeping your options open until you find the one.

Dating and/or talking to multiple men at the same time keeps you from showering one specific man with all your attention because you simply don’t have the time. But what happens when you begin to have feelings for someone during the process? How can you tell if he feels the same way?

5 Signs He’s Romantically Interested

  1. He introduces you to his inner circle. Work events are one thing, but if he introduces you to his family and close friends, you know he’s interested. 
  2. He changes his appearance. For example, he suddenly starts wearing a pink shirt because you mentioned previously that you think men who wear pink look sexy.
  3. He uses the word ‘we’ when he talks about his future. 
  4. He lets you see his silly side. He’s open and comfortable enough with you to be his true self. 
  5. He plans grand gestures and elaborate dates to win you over.

Of course, these aren’t the only ways a man can express love. Maybe you simply don’t understand how to read his love language. Or maybe he’s simply too shy to show his feelings because he’s not good at picking up social cues and is afraid of rejection. Yes, this really happens.

Men Fall Differently

Although men may be awkward about expressing their feelings, they typically fall in love faster than women. They like to become exclusive quickly to eliminate any competition. They commit first, and then take the necessary time to get to know you, while women like to get to know a man first, before they commit. Yes, our plan is better because it helps us determine if he can go the distance and saves us from wasting our time. 

Talk It Out

Once you notice you’re having feelings for someone, I recommend open and honest communication. It’s the only way to truly understand if your partner shares your feelings and romantic goals. This doesn’t need to be a big, deep conversation.

Men communicate directly and to the point and will be more receptive to your conversation with this approach. If you pick the right time, it could be something as simple as, “Hey Bob, what are we doing here, are we in it to win it, or not?” This is a lighthearted way to start a deeper conversation.

If you have this type of conversation before your feelings really blossom, you’ll be more objective hearing his response. Once you fall in love it’s difficult to move on even when you know it’s the best thing to do.

The Point of Dating

The most important thing to remember is that dating is all about finding someone who loves you the way you want to be loved. It’s not about settling for second best or being happy with the crumbs a man wants to throw you. Believe you’re the prize and know your perfect man is out there looking for you right now, just like you’re looking for him.

If you have a hard time believing your perfect man is out there looking for you, join my VIP list so you can be one of the first to explore the four key ingredients to finding love in my new Date Great Guys on-demand coaching program.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you ever settled for someone you knew wasn’t a good fit? What did you learn from that experience?

Read More