With my daughter going into her senior year of high school I find myself thinking about what I still need to teach her and whether or not she has the skills to thrive in college but also beyond college. We have this short period of time to get them ready for adulthood and the holes, gaps could set her up to fail. Of course, I know she learns a lot by just watching me so the way I live will affect her adult life so I have to be careful with what she sees. It is that she is watching that gives me the strength and drive to not only fight my RSD but to find a way to live a good life in spite of it. Still there are things that she needs to know to resolve problems after all I won't be there, I won't be able to fix it. Honestly I think if I did jump in and fix her problems in college I could be setting her up to fail as an adult. So much stress, I have raised her on my own so ultimately it all falls on me.
I was out for dinner with the family and I have to tell you I saw women from 20's to 40's that just had me a little concerned maybe it's my urban mentality but there are things that I think should be universal. By the time you turn 30 you need to burn your cheap 'nightclub' wardrobe of your 20's and while you are at it the college t-shirts, sweats and hoodies need to go too. Have a ceremonial burning with your girlfriends with some martinis to say goodbye to your less sophisticated self. It's less about an end of a period of time but more a beginning of new life with different advantages and challenges. We all have to do it and hopefully you realize that hanging out at the bar every night drinking cheap beer out of red solo cups isn't exactly sophisticated or where you are at. I have decided to do a series on what you need by 30, it is also what you need at 40, 50 and 60 but by 30 you should be moving into that direction.
In a sense it is about living a stylish life which by now you should realize that you need more substance in your life. Obviously there are clothes, shoes and bags you should have by 30 but it is more than that. In order to have that 'Audrey Hepburn' look you have to have substance an inner elegance that can't be bought on your amex card. She was intelligent, well read, well traveled and most important a humanitarian and these are the things that made her a style icon not a black shift dress. The series will be about culture, social skills and how you present yourself. Tools you need to get that next promotion or jump start your start up because when you are trying to make that jump you have to know how to politic and sell yourself. Obviously first impressions are vital to your success but it's not about how beautiful you are its how you present yourself from the way you look to the way you walk into a room. After you get past that obstacle you have to be able to back it up otherwise you are just fluff.