Several weeks ago I needed to have my tires checked. Since I had purchased them from a local dealer near the shopping mall, I had ample time to do some shopping while my car was being worked on. In one store, there was a prominent display of clearance items and a brilliant blue skirt caught my attention. It was a deep royal blue and was lightly textured. It was also in my size. Normally I would never consider such a bold color but, since it was on clearance, I figured I could at least check the price. To say that it was deeply discounted would be an understatement of epic proportions. The store was practically paying me to purchase it as the price couldn’t have even covered the material it was made out of, let alone the labor involved in its creation. Even though it was outside my comfort zone in color, I decided to purchase the skirt. If things didn’t work out between the skirt and me, I could always toss it in the donation bin at the local women’s shelter.
As I checked out, the shop called. My car was ready and my shopping trip ended with that solitary purchase. I took the skirt home and hung it in my closet. Several days later, I decided to wear it to work. While I was still anxious about the color, I had a top that would pair well with it so I put it on, added some attitude, and wore it in to the office. At the office, it was easy to forget what I was wearing and, as my anxiety faded into a busy work schedule, I didn’t think anymore of the skirt. During lunchtime, however, I was offered a compliment on the skirt by a coworker I passed in the breezeway. Those few quick words made me feel good about myself and, as a result, I stood a little taller and smiled a little more. There was a bounce in my step as I returned to my office. Once again, work consumed my attention and I forgot about the skirt until I went for a brief mental health walk (2 minutes away from the keyboard to refresh my brain). I passed a different co-worker in the breezeway and once again received a compliment on my skirt. I was exceedingly pleased and spent the rest of the afternoon smiling like the Cheshire cat.
That particular skirt received several more compliments on the first day. Several days later when I chose to wear it again for a personal event, it received quite a few more. I can honestly say that it has become my most complimented skirt and I only own it because I took a chance and stepped outside of my comfort zone. The clearance bin skirt has become one of my favorites and I no longer hesitate to wear it. Now, I put it on with confidence knowing that nice things will be said. A discounted skirt has boosted my self-esteem and made a positive impact on my mental health.
Sometimes we all need a reason to step outside of our comfort zone. For me, it was a bright blue skirt in the clearance bin.
