Let The Diva Die

I hate to say this, but I can be a diva sometimes, especially when it comes to clothes. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a perfectionist and like things “just so”. Therefore, when an outfit, hairstyle, or photoshoot doesn’t turn out exactly how I had it in my head, I can become pretty upset. Are you ever like that?

Recently I’ve been trying really, really hard to change this about myself. At prom, I couldn’t get my hair to curl the way I wanted and I was becoming angry because of it. My dad came into the room to remind me that the night wasn’t about how I looked; rather, it was about spending time with someone important to me and making memories. Sure, it’s always nice to have the perfect photos or the perfect up-do, but it’s the memories you’ll hold on to forever, not how you looked. If you let something minor ruin your entire night, you won’t be able to look back fondly—instead, you’ll only feel bitter about the imperfections, and then you’ll feel regret about getting so worked up. Trust me, I know. I’ve been in that situation many times before.

As you may have read about in my recent post The Woes of Shopping, I went shopping for a new spring dress to wear to graduation a few weeks ago but was unsuccessful in finding one. That occurred a day before graduation, so a lot of my family had already come to town to celebrate with me. I felt really agitated driving home from the mall after spending hours searching for a dress in a handful of stores. The one thing I really wanted was to wear a beautiful new dress to graduation, and that wasn’t going to happen.

I don’t know what peaked my attention—perhaps it was the memory of my dad’s words at prom echoing in my head—but I realized my shopping fail wasn’t worth being angry about. Yes, I would have loved wearing a new spring dress to graduation, especially because all my friends were buying them and I felt like I had nothing else spring-appropriate to wear. But thank goodness I remembered: the weekend was about celebrating my accomplishments and the end of high school with my family and friends. It didn’t matter what I was wearing, just who I was spending time with (super cheesy, I know, but it’s true). After getting home from the mall that day, I spent a lovely afternoon catching up with relatives and eating yummy snacks. I didn’t let one single outfit ruin my day, my weekend, or most importantly, the memories of graduation I’ll hold onto for a lifetime.

In the end, I chose to wear this vintage-inspired polka dot dress for the first time, which my cousin recently handed down to me. Even though the dress was black (a color I did not want to wear), it ended up being the perfect dress. I love polka dots, it’s unique, it has sentimental value because it belonged to my cousin, and it represents the death of my inner diva. 😉

I hope all you divas out there will also find a way to not let the little things bother you and to enjoy the experience instead. Beyond just clothes, I believe this will lead to a fuller and happier life.

Do you ever have diva moments? It makes me think of that show Bridezillas—ha! But honestly, being a diva is, like, so 2017. 😉

Miles of smiles,

Grace

Polka Dot Vintage Dress: hand-me-down // White Heeled Sandals: Kelly and Katie via DSW, $50 // White Polka Dot Sunglasses: store in the Container Park in Las Vegas, $15