Garanimals Wisdom

I remember a clothing brand when I was young called Garanimals.  They were clothes marketed, I suppose, to those consumers who were either style “challenged” and/or for parents who had children who wanted to pick their clothes out themselves.  The brand made it easy to match tops and bottoms for children by choosing the labels that matched each other.  For example, if you chose a shirt you liked you’d look at the label of the shirt and if it was a monkey, all you would have to do to find a matching pair of bottoms would be to find another monkey labeled bottom.  Ingenious!!  Frankly, I wish someone would carry a brand like that for some adults!

Today, I’m not thinking about our style as much as I’m thinking about matching our outside with our inside and vice versa.  I watch TLC channel’s, “What Not To Wear” a lot and every episode is not just about the clothes and style, it’s really about matching a woman’s outside with their inside, and honestly, when the women are dressing badly, it’s not because they’re style “challenged”, it’s almost always because they have self-worth issues and they’re either dressing to “disappear” or dressing to get attention, but usually negative attention.

Like Stacy and Clinton (the hosts of the TV program), I’d like to remind ourselves that we are each unique and valuable individuals.  We were not created to be like anyone else.  We each have something remarkable that we are to bring to the world and if we buy into the lie that we are not enough, than what we have to offer will not be brought by anyone else.  The lie was meant to shut us down and that’s a travesty!  Do we have flaws and weaknesses?  Yes, but we are NOT our flaws and weaknesses. We are meant to enhance, use, multiply and bless this world with our STRENGTHS, because where we are weak, someone else is strong!  That’s why it’s good to get out of our heads about our weaknesses so that we can work together effortlessly in our strengths.

Today, and in the next few days, make a list of your strengths and intentionally play them up, like make-up plays up your features.  And don’t forget to bring that bit of quirky uniqueness that is yours alone for that “pop” of color and interest.  Most importantly, do NOT forget, we are all incredible!!!

-Tessa L. Charles