It was a rough year for me. One devoid of purpose and passion, but full of calendar reminders and checked luggage.
I was drained
During my 2015-16 school year, I overcommitted time and time again. I spent every single weekend of my third year at Wake Forest University out of town. I traveled to Los Angeles, CA, Denver, CO, Atlanta, GA, Chicago, IL, Kansas, Columbia, SC, Orlando, FL, Washington, DC, Charleston, SC, Detroit, MI, Las Vegas, NV, Baltimore, MD, New York, NY, and every major city in North Carolina.
While serving a national board, I was the President of Wake’s Sports and Entertainment Law Society. I won a clothing design competition and then designed and sold a small line of fur vests. Somehow I also competed on one of my school’s moot court teams and played piano at a couple of events. I was a slave to my Google calendar.
The travel was fun for about five weeks. Then the airport food and constant cycle of laundry and suitcases took a toll on my will to do almost anything. I barely saw my family, so I started buying magnets each time I went to a new city and mailing them home. Spending so much time in airports and behind the wheel of my car gave me a great deal of time to think. One question nagged at me the most:
Why?
After a year of reflection, I couldn’t nail down an answer. I did things because they sounded good or because friends asked me for help. Unfortunately, I seldom challenged myself to find real purpose in the madness that was my life for a solid year.
So, I left.
The new leadership of the national board I was on asked me to come back for another year. I declined. I decided not to run for re-election as President of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society. It became easy to refuse to attend social events if I just didn’t feel like leaving my house. I traveled when I wanted to instead of being dragged from city to city by conferences and commitments.
I searched for and found passion and priorities and I clung to them desperately. It worked out pretty well, too. I loved trial advocacy, so I took a trial advocacy class during my fourth and final year at Wake Forest and tried out for the trial team at my school. We ended up winning Wake Forest’s first trial team national championship. I discovered a love for writing and won nearly $3,000 in scholarship money from a writing competition I entered. I refocused on family and did some work for my mom’s company. It developed into a project that Wake Forest accepted as credit to help me earn my MBA.
Even after graduation, I still cling to the idea that you should be driven by purpose, passion, and priorities.
What happened. . .
Many of you know that I helped to found an incredible blog, Werkaholics. For me, writing and designing the blog was a lovely combination of purpose and passion. Few of you know why I made the decision to leave.
If you’re looking for sordid details and Jerry Springer-esque drama, you won’t find it here (I know what you came for lol, you petty). My tale about leaving a blog I loved is quite straightforward. Two attorneys, passionate about a vision they shared, eventually realized that their visions were actually very different. With the aim of remaining authentic to my own vision and in an effort to maintain a friendship with a person I respect and admire, I left.
Why am I telling you this and what does it have to do with White Collar Glam?
It’s easy to get stuck in the daily grind and lose sight of what actually matters to you. It’s even easier to not actually know what drives you and to wake up each day answering to societal expectations and pressures rather than answering to a real calling. Wandering through life without purpose and passion can feel listless. This aimlessness can seep into your relationships, your career choices, and…. your wardrobe.
White Collar Glam is a fashion blog dedicated to helping you find the workwear wardrobe that is most authentic to you. Break free from pantyhose, a constant stream of blue, black, and navy, and any preconceived notions you may have of what you are supposed to wear to work.
Obviously, there are certain things you shouldn’t wear to work, more on that here, but you don’t need to be stuck in boring clothes because you don’t know where to shop or what is appropriate or, most importantly, what you like to wear.
Stop walking to your closet every morning uninspired and unexcited.
Here are some resources to help you out:
- Visit our “Fits” page for photos of every outfit I use in every single blog I’ve posted
- Click on the “Picks” tab to find accessories, clothes, and shoes that I love
- Follow us on Instagram and Pinterest for more outfit ideas and inspiration
I love this blog, but it’s just as much yours as it is mine (more here about why I started blogging). If you want to hear about a particular topic or you have questions for me about the articles I write or the products I use, visit the Contact Us page to send me a message.
Looking forward to more fashion and fun,
Pictured below: blouse (H&M, here), skirt (Zara, old), slingbacks (Nine West, here).
