Be Gorgeous
Module 4: Your Gorgeous Action Plan

Okay. By now you will be feeling much more gorgeous on the inside. You’ll be living a more sensuous and gorgeous life. You’ll be enjoying more confidence in your body, and you’ll have a firm idea of how to dress to suit your shape and your personality.

Fabulous. These are all helping you to become a more gorgeous person right now.

I would, however, be selling you short if we just sat back on our laurels now and ended our journey to Gorgeousville. We’re half way there! You deserve more. You want more. That’s why you committed to the course.

More confidence, more sexiness, more self-expression, more GORGEOUSNESS.

To get that extra gorgeous, we need to think to the future. The will be.

We need a game plan.

Part One

Through the looking glass

My father makes jewellery and stained glass objects. I love to watch him work. The combination of an act so creative and yet so planned is inspirational.

  • First, he has a clear vision of his design. A true picture of how the finished article will look, with all its shining colours.
  • Next, he spends time sketching. Mapping out his vision on paper, taking care that the lines are well defined and in balance with the piece as a whole.
  • He then chooses his colours. What fun. Holding the glass to the light to see the colours change and sparkle.
  • The pieces are then cut to fit the original design.
  • My father then lays out the pieces, and the design takes shape. This is really motivating, as Dad can get a clear picture of how great the window will actually look when it is finished.
  • The next stage is really vital. The pieces are bound together and soldered in place. He takes great care to make sure his work will hold and stand firm. After all, he wants his window to go on being beautiful for a very long time.

The moment my dad holds up the finished article is most inspiring of all. A truly unique creation, radiating colour and light. A boost for all who see it.

A very modest man, my dad makes no comment on his achievements, but a quiet pride is there for all to see on his face.

Stained Glass is a labour intensive art. You have to work hard, but the results are stunning. It’s also really pleasing that even the least artistic person can create a beautiful object. It’s something we can all do.

This process of stating your aims, setting goals and taking steps to achieve them remind me of my Dad and his stained glass.

  • Have a vision. Colourful, beautiful, unique
  • Create your blueprint. Bring everything to the table, lay out your ideas. Get it down on paper.
  • Look at your life as a whole. Is there harmony? Will your new goals “Stick”?
  • Make a framework. Give yourself deadlines. Be results focused
  • Keep recreating your vision
  • Keep up the effort. You want your results to last
  • Reward yourself, and those around you. You’re doing well.

So, this week is all about finding your vision, and making it happen.

Part Two

Have a Vision

“Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and your reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so.”
Bette Davis

It makes me sad that the term “Daydreamer” is often used as a form of criticism.

It seems to me that those of us who have the power to dream, to see our vision, have the edge on less liberated beings in so many ways. Through the ages, the most brilliant and original minds have been those of people with strong, clear vision, who saw in great detail what they needed to achieve before they achieved it.

Einstein, for example had a special thinking chair. A place where he went to visualise and let his imagination run wild.

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”
Albert Einstein

Top class sportspeople such as Steve Redgrave and David Beckham use visualisation techniques as part of their regular training programme. These are people totally committed to living their dream. Quite literally.

So how does it actually work?

Simple, really. From the moment you picture something, your brain subconsciously begins to carry out actions to achieve it. The clearer the picture you create, and the more often you enjoy creating it, the greater the chances of the vision becoming reality.

For now, we will be working on a vision of the truly gorgeous you. Still you, but at your most attractive and charismatic.

When working with clients, I usually need to reassure them that engaging in this kind of vision is a worthwhile act. Remember, it’s not selfish, shallow or neurotic to want to look and feel your best. It’s an indication of high quality self-worth. You want to be thought of as someone who knows their good worth, don’t you? By taking care of our appearance and projecting a positive image, we are also sending vital messages to those around us of how we want to be treated. Ultimately, ladies, we are also giving a clear message of how we expect womankind as a whole to be treated.

Let’s make sure we are effectively communicating our worth.

So many of us are ruled by “if- onlys”.

“I would get that fella if only I was a stone lighter.”
“I would get that promotion if only I knew how to look the part.”

These feelings of longing and self-doubt are often tangled up in our notions of the way we look.

I spent best part of a decade moving from fad diet to diet, only to give up after a few weeks, because I had no clear game plan in mind. Not any longer. Now, I visualise my goals, I lay out my strategy, and I keep renewing my purpose. I start with the end in mind. This frees me up to channel all my energy into making my vision happen.

Part Three

Now it’s your turn.

Read through the next exercise a few times. Get familiar with what you need to do, then find somewhere peaceful, perhaps your Gorgeous Zone. Take the phone off the hook and relax. It’s important to get into a calm state first. The more relaxed we become, the deeper the levels of consciousness we are able to access. The deeper the consciousness, the clearer and truer your gorgeous vision.

I want you to close your eyes, and look into the future.

Create a picture of you at your full gorgeous potential. As attractive as you can possibly be.

What’s different about you? Your skin, hair, clothes, body? Is your posture different?

Now place yourself somewhere. I see myself in a grand art deco setting. Fill in all the details. Remember, if you can link in sounds, smells, textures here, your visualisation will be so much more powerful.

Make sure you can spend as long as you like enjoying this fabulous creation.

I urge you not to read on at this point, but to do the visualisation NOW. If not now, when? If you cannot do it now, make space in your diary, and stick to it. Do not continue with this module until you have.

This is vital.

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin now.”
Goethe

By the time you read this, I’m expecting you to have created your vision. If you haven’t, please go back and do it NOW.

Feels good, doesn’t it? Let’s start making it real.

Part Four

Your Game Plan

Take a piece of paper, the bigger the better. Divide it into 4 equal sections. Head these up:

  • Body
  • Face/hair
  • Style
  • Senses

Put on some motivational music, spread out and write your dreams.

Commit to paper all the ways in which the “future you” has changed. If your ideal is to fit into size 12 jeans, for example, write, “I am wearing size 12 jeans” in your body section.

Keep on going until you have your entire dream on paper. Ideally, you will have at least 3 points in each section. In some, you will probably have a lot more. Remember, NOW is the perfect time to realise your goals; to become on the outside, the gorgeous person you are already within. Commit NOW, and your dreams will be only steps away.

Ok, now we need to do a little pruning.

Take another look at your dream, section by section.

I want you to focus on your top 3 goals for each area. Take your journal, and write your revised plan on a fresh page. Got that? Feels good to be taking control, doesn’t it?

Have you noticed that a surprising number of your goals seem relatively easy to achieve? Half the battle is already won: you have identified a need, and committed to answering it.

To simplify things, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Review all your goals, and make a list of your top three – the ones you feel really fired up to achieve right now. These are the ones we will work on first.

Part Five

Go-ahead Goals

Now is the time to write out your top three goals, and put your dream into action. Here’s how the process works:

  • Write each goal in the present tense, and be positive.
    e.g. “I weigh 9 and a half stone” rather than “I will try not to be overweight”
  • Be specific
    e.g. “I am wearing gorgeous clothes which flatter my body” rather than “I’ll try to look a bit more feminine”
  • Give each goal a deadline
    Mark the date in your diary, and do your level best to stick to it!
  • Put in place regular rewards
    A facial, a pair of earrings….night at the cinema. Your choice. Something gorgeous.
  • Review your goals on a daily basis
    Print them out on a single sheet of paper. Make them as visually attractive as possible. Enjoy looking at them every morning, and before you go to bed.
  • Keep visualising the truly gorgeous you.
  • Enjoy the feeling of satisfaction as you tick off your goals. What’s next? Addictive, isn’t it?

Action!

Actions of the Week

1. Find a picture or object which symbolises the new, improved you.

Keep this with you constantly. Clients have used postcards, scraps of fabric, shells, and beads. You name it. Be creative and choose what’s right for you. Think of this as your Talisman.

2. Spend some time recreating your vision of gorgeousness:

Visit the location of your dream, or something close to it. If your gorgeous visualisation was located in a swanky bar, arrange a trip to somewhere equally swish. I found a beautiful Art Deco hotel; got myself dressed up and lived my dream. The cost? A couple of gin and tonics. Get where you need to be, and soak up the atmosphere.

3. Go Shopping!

You’ve done extremely well, and come so far. Heaven knows you deserve a reward! My advice to you is to just buy one fabulous garment. Choose either:

  • A beautiful jacket, which will instantly “glam up” any outfit, from jeans to little black dress. Think colour.
  • A simple, classic dress. Wrapovers are eternally flattering; softly fitted shift dresses seem to suit everybody. Choose a neutral colour and accessorise to add drama. Sheer class.

4. Declutter Your Underwear Drawer

Only the gorgeous will do from now on. Bin anything greying, frayed, ill fitting or downright frumpy.

There’s no point looking sexy-gorgeous on the outer layer if your undies are telling a totally different story. Every woman deserves to wear lingerie that makes her feel sexy and desirable. Go buy some.

I’m not necessarily talking about fishnet stockings and suspenders here, although if that’s what makes you feel good, that’s fabulous. Choose something that works for you, as well as your partner. Think how luxurious the feel of silk is against your skin, or have fun experimenting with different colours and styles.

The only rule is, you must ADORE what you buy.

5. Action!

Get your diary, pick up the phone and put your plan into action. Make that hair appointment; book an image consultation, research dance classes in your area. Whatever it is you need to do to get started, do it NOW!