I am an image makeover consultant. I toil to help people look and feel they way they aspire to . Many people come to me with a fervent desire to change themselves completely, from inside out. Yet, there are a few common misconceptions about this change. This change is a staircase. It’s a slow climb to the top, with only baby steps to be taken. There is no way to avoid these steps, or skip them like we’d normally do. A jump to the top will not suffice. To be that beautiful person we see at the very top of the winding staircase, we must take the baby steps.
The same way, people often think that they will suddenly undergo a drastic change that will irrefutably change their lives for the better. Unfortunately, this is not true. The drastic change is not abrupt. It is a gradual process, and there is no particular moment when a person changes from the person they are to the person they hope to be.
I am reminded of a recent experience with a client, on this particular matter. She was also under the illusion that her change would be a moments matter. We had been shopping for quite some time, yet there was nothing about her that was changing. She continued to stash away all the things that we bought, and wore her old clothes instead. Her undergarments and new perfect clothes remained in their fancy bags. Why? She was waiting for the moment when she could bring everything out, and be the person that she was just learning to be. She needed the perfect moment to emerge from her cocoon. This was where she went wrong. She could not have expected to be perfect within a matter of minutes. It was something that she had to be practicing all the time, for herself. She had to take the tiny steps that would gradually lead her to the top.
Another experience drifts to mind, as I emphasize the importance of small steps that make the biggest differences. A client of mine began with small changes in her daily lifestyle like the introduction of self talks, and constant positive affirmations. This pulled her out of depression, her daily routines have changed for the better, she is also more open, and interactive with people. She faces situations with more confidence. Now, she has gradually made her way to the next step, which is the ‘outer self’. Without the changes that fixed her ‘inner self’, she could not have ever been truly made over.
So, to abolish the misconception about image makeovers, I want to point out that it is not merely a change of a few outfits, or a haircut. It is not the comparison between a before and after picture, it is a gradual, carefully planned transition to a better you.
Love
Babita Jaishankar
Babita Jaishankar 