How a Pink Dress Turned into my Symbol of Prosperity
I will tell you a very personal and genuine story. It’s about an episode of my journey towards a higher standard of living or what we call nowadays “lifestyle”.
A few years ago, I used to download images of beautiful dresses and outfits that I came across in websites or the internet.
Before the Facebook and Instagram pages, where you can find anything today, I would manually download pretty pictures of fashion sets and store them in a folder on my laptop. Sometimes I would open the folder and find inspiration about clothes or even get something tailored for me. This was something very girly and gave me pleasure.
One evening I was showing the folder to my Mum –
she has a very good sense of style and has always been very elegant. I was showing her how pretty the dresses from the photos were, as dresses are the ultimate expression of femininity for me. She was looking at them and, in her usual go-for-it way, said: “They are great, why don’t you buy one?” To which I replied with disappointment in my voice that they were of a famous brand and I couldn’t afford to buy one.
Then she said: “Well, it won’t cost a million, you can buy a dress like that one day.”
My Mum, my supporter in all my endeavors, has always pushed me to follow my dreams and not settle for mediocracy.
Soon after that I was in Sofia while studying for my master’s degree. I was strolling in one of the flashy shopping malls there and came across the shop of that famous brand. I got in straight away, started going through the racks and of course, checking the prices –
as expected, they were way above my financial means then.
I went on with my life and forgot about it, I never got obsessed with it or tried desperately to have one of those dresses. Probably if I saved hard and deprived myself from other stuff I would have been able to buy it.
But my belief is that you should be able to afford your lifestyle and spread within your means, as debt and deprivation are not justified only to project flashy lifestyle from the outside.
Fast forward a few years later, I was visiting an outlet village nearby where I live. There you could find clothes and accessories of renowned brands at a discount. People from all over the world visit, and it’s usually full of people from Asia with empty suitcases to fill with the purchases, and long queues in front of some of the shops like Prada, Burberry, Vivienne Westwood and so on. That was my first visit of the village and I found it very interesting, especially as I didn’t have much experience with shopping from outlet places.
I was leisurely walking along the shops, and very selectively entering one here and one there because I’m not a fan of shopping.
As an introvert and sensitive person, I find shopping and the accompanying crowds and hassle overstimulating and tiring.
Suddenly I came across the same brand of the dresses from my laptop and from the shop in Sofia.
Needless to say, I got in straight away and picked a couple of dresses to try on.
One of them fit perfectly, it was such a lovely colour – fuchsia – something between dark pink and purple, and the texture was very nice as well. It was half-price and even though still expensive and not planned, I could afford it. My mind instantly brought back the memories of my longing a few years ago and I knew I had to have it.
I owed it to myself, I was finally able to buy it and that dress would be a symbol of my increased prosperity.
I bought it and the pleasure and joy it sparkled in me was immense. Not only because of the dress itself but mainly because of what it meant to me. Even today, every time I look at it, it reminds me of my personal journey towards expanding my lifestyle and I get a sense of satisfaction.
How about you? Are you true to your promises to yourself from the past? Do you make a conscious effort to stretch out of your comfort zone? Real abundance starts with the right mindset and it’s a lengthy process. I wish you all the best on your personal journey to abundance and higher standard of living.
