Magnifying your strength – Featuring SWAK Designs

Being on vacation somewhere tropical is one of my most fav things in the world – I guess it would be for most people. I’ve had the privilege of traveling a lot. My friends sometimes make fun of me about going away so much but I’ve always worked really hard – sometimes multiple jobs and getting away has helped me stay sane at times. I’m the kinda girl that likes to sleep in the sun all day and dance all night. I had one of those trips back in October with some friends but this trip to Cuba was more for some much needed rest, relaxation and to catch up on some reading and writing. And, of course, get some quality time with my mom.

By day 2 of the trip I had started and finished a book and was onto my second – of the 15 times I’ve been to Cuba before, the most I had read the entire trip was maybe 1 1/2 chapters so to finish a book and be onto #2 on day 2 was kind of a big deal but I’m in a season right now of growth and learning new things and I can’t seem to read enough!

Book number 2 is called “Fervent – A Woman’s battle plan for serious, specific and strategic prayer” – written by Pricilla Shirer and inspired by the movie The War Room – a must see! I watched it New Year’s day and it has set my tone for 2016.

Anyways, there was a portion in this book that jumped out at me and I really wanted to share it with you. Chapter 3 addresses how the enemy can attack our Identity and whether you are of Christian belief or not, this will likely resound with you.

“If I were your enemy, I’d devalue your strength and magnify your insecurities until they dominate how you see yourself, disabling and disarming you from fighting back, from being free, from being who God created you to be. I’d work hard to ensure that you never realize what God has given you so you’ll down the power of God within you”.

See the thing is, when you believe the lies that you aren’t good enough, pretty enough, strong enough, skinny enough and so on – you are robed of becoming the full woman (or man) you were created to be.

Later on in the chapter Pricilla develops the idea a little further. When our identity is attacked and not planted in the truth that we are beautiful, strong and loving women “…we’ll always be subject to his attempts at devaluing us. We’ll downplay our real strength. We’ll hate our bodies, highlight our weaknesses, cringe with insecurities, and constantly view ourselves as “less than” by comparison with others. He’ll diffuse our power simply by downplaying our true position”

This is why it is soooooo important for us to really see how valuable we are and for our identities to be founded in truth. Without it we have no foundation and we are actually in a really risky position to live up to the women we were put on this earth to be. This is more than just loving our bodies as the body positive movement highlights – its truly loving the woman you are.

One of the things that I used to have a hard time doing when I hated myself was dressing womanly and wearing things that I just felt pretty in. I used to want to hide, stay away from frilly things and anything that might draw attention to my body. I was criticized heavily (especially by my ex-husband – yes, we’ve established he was an ass) for being a girly girl and wanting to feel pretty. Loving who I am allowed me to now outwardly express myself in my clothing and fashion – but let’s be clear, it is not the most important thing, but it is a lot of fun and I enjoy it now.

So, when I saw this shirt from SWAK Designs it really screamed what I felt like on the inside – like a pretty, girly woman who likes things with flare. There are a few different ways to wear this shirt and deciding which way to wear it is kind of hard but that’s the joy in getting to wear things for different occasions. So for this look I paired it with a pair of black shorts from Torrid and wore it with pride. I’m a little new to SWAK Designs but I’m really loving the feel of the material of all of their clothing and I’m learning new ways to dress casual and cute. Most importantly – I’m enjoying that I’m stepping outside my comfort zone of black and into some fun new outfits that make me feel good.

I accessorized this outfit with a headband from Ardene (sticking with the gypsy theme for my trip) and paired with a necklace from Fifth Avenue Designs that I just love (adorned with bling and a heart, perfect for Valentines Day, the day I wore this outfit) and a bracelet from Amadora Jewlery. And check out my lashes by Love Ur Look – loved having lashes I didnt have to think about on vacation!

I think the outfit was a hit…At the resort at dinner time they had a mock wedding area set up and I was proposed to by 2 of the entertainment staff and ‘married’ them in front of the line at dinner going into the restaurant. For this girl who hasn’t had very many special Valentines Days, it was a great day and I felt like beautiful in this outfit.