Transcription
You said you'd start tomorrow, but how many times have you told yourself that? But imagine if you actually started today. You're either staying the same or becoming her. You choose.
Okay, summer is coming, and we are not about to let it sneak up on us while we sit around waiting to feel like our best selves. This is your start now glow-up guide. For summer, we're getting into the mindset shifts, beauty upgrades, fitness, confidence, and energy shifts that will get you glowing by summer. And if you start today, by the time the season changes, you'll already be feeling radiant, confident, and completely in your element. So, let's get into it.
First things first, we can't even get into the physical stuff without taking care of our brains, our minds, our souls. In other words, we've got to get our mindset right, our headspace right before we can start shifting into the beauty, self-care, workout things. We want to make this—I'm going to say glow-up, but really it's a journey of self-betterment—we want to make that our identity. Let's talk about why affirmations are so helpful and how an identity shift is what you need to do first.
You might think affirmations are just saying things that aren't actually true, but really it's conditioning your subconscious mind to feel as though they've already happened. That way, instead of operating in a lack mentality where your conscious mind is saying, "Nope, we don't have those things yet," you know, that's not who we are. You're operating in this abundance mentality where your subconscious mind thinks that those future aspirations are your current reality. That way, if you want to be a billionaire, you act like a billionaire would every single day, and then before you know it, you're a billionaire. That's just an example. That's not to say that should be an aspiration for you. But instead of saying, "I want to be confident or I hope to be my best self," shift to, "I am confident. I am glowing and energized. I feel amazing." You have to embody the energy before you see results. Start saying these things even if you don't actually believe them yet. We're going to say, "I'm on this journey to become the best version of myself." And when I say best version of myself, there's another little caveat here. There is no best version because it's subjective. The underlying theme here though is that we are working every day to learn new things, to grow, to blossom into our highest potential. So you want to make that your identity. Latch on to that concept and say to yourself, "I am on a self-improvement journey. I am becoming the best version of myself every day." Because if you don't believe you're becoming the best version of yourself, you will never fully commit to it.
Let's start with one of my favorite ways to visualize anything that I want in my life and manifest it: a vision board. At the start of the year, I love making a physical copy of a vision board because it's fun and crafty, and I like being able to see it in my room every single day. But on an ongoing basis, like for different seasons and events, I like making a virtual vision board. It's super quick to throw together. I use XTiles. XTiles is super easy. It's a productivity software. You can download any pictures you want into there, size them yourself, throw them around, and make a vision board super easily.
Speaking of XTiles, they actually just launched a new tool called My Planner, which has already completely changed the game for how I organize everything. It's kind of like if a paper planner, a vision board, and a digital journal had a baby. My Planner sets up daily, weekly, and monthly spreads that you can use. I've been using the monthly page to plan out my vision for the month, my goals for the month, really get an idea of how I want the month to look. And I actually love this. I feel like it's a super fun ritual on the first of the month to go in and change up your monthly spread section. For the weekly section, I plan out my routines for the week, my habits, the things I want to do so that I can get an idea of how my week is going to look. And this helps me so much with staying on top of things. Like if I know I have something going on on a certain week, I am able to plan my week accordingly and look ahead so that I feel totally prepared. And the daily pages are my home base for all my detailed tasks. And when I actually plan out my days like this, rather than just sitting around waiting to feel motivated, I feel like I live my days so much more intentionally because I'm giving them purpose. And the other really cool thing is that as you add things to your task list, it auto-populates into the monthly calendar view. So you can just click onto the monthly calendar and see everything as an overview. This is the sort of tool that will honestly change your life. It's already changed mine so much. And if you're someone who's tried things like Notion and felt totally overwhelmed by all the setup that there is to do and all that there is to learn, XTiles is a much simpler version that still has absolutely everything you would need. So I totally recommend trying it. There will be a link in my description to try it out. And I actually made a template of my own XTiles pages. So if you like my setup and you just want to be able to like copy my template onto yours, you can do that as well. Thank you so much to XTiles for sponsoring today's video.
So a great way to have a little summer glow-up would be to make a summer vision board. You can have pictures of how you want to feel, what you want to be doing, what you want your life to look like, and anything else that resonates so that every time you open your computer or your phone, you see it. It's there. It's a reminder of what you're working towards. So I love thinking about, like, how do I want to feel this summer? For me, that's glowing, confident. I want to be radiant, full of energy, and ambitious. So, I'll find all the pictures that kind of resonate with that energy and think, who is this version of me that thrives in the sun, feels confident in her skin, and radiates great energy?
My favorite tools for keeping up with this on an ongoing basis are journaling about my highest self or my dream self, scripting—meaning writing sentences about my life as if it already is the way that I want it to be—meaning writing your future aspirations as if they've already happened and you're so grateful for them—and using affirmations. I actually integrate affirmations into my journaling routine. So, every single day I do one journal prompt, I make a to-do list, and I write affirmations at the bottom. They are super, super specific to my life. Write it all as if it's already happened. And it's a great way to help me take control of the things that I want in life and keep my mind on the prize.
Next, letting go of limiting beliefs. And you might wonder, how do I actually do that? Because this can be a lot easier said than done, but believe me, these are only going to hold you back and stunt your growth. You don't want to latch on to anything that's going to weigh you down and keep you from being your best, most radiant self. So, we're leaving behind the "I don't have enough time" or "it's too late to start" or "I always fall off track" mindset. If you've ever told yourself those things, remind yourself those are just stories. They're narratives that you've created in your head. They aren't actually true, and you have the power to rewrite them. This means that if for years you've told yourself—maybe even not verbally, but in your head you've told yourself—"I'm not capable of this," "There are already so many other people doing what I want to do," "There are so many people smarter than me, better than me, prettier than me"—that's a narrative you've created. You are actually stunting your growth by even saying those things. You might think it's a way of you being humble, but it's actually you wanting to stay in your comfort zone and protect yourself from potentially feeling hurt or embarrassed if something doesn't go to plan. Take control of your life. Grab the reins and do the thing because it's not humble. It's fear, and you can do this.
Next up, the beauty routines. I just want to reiterate that I truly feel like the glow of confidence makes you the most beautiful you could possibly be. So, cultivate a confidence mindset first, but these other things can make you feel more confident in your physical appearance or more put together if that's what you'd like to do. Summer is a season of golden hour, mermaid vibes, effortless hair, and that naturally put-together energy. So, let's talk about skin and hair care.
Hydration is everything in the summer. So, I like to focus on keeping my skin glowy and dewy with lightweight products, always using an SPF. Whether that's a tinted sunscreen or a CC cream, which actually has SPF in it, this is a daily non-negotiable for me. Even if you think you're not going to be outside in the sun, remember that UV rays penetrate even your windows. You want to protect it. You'll still get a tan with SPF on, so don't worry. And I love using skin luminizers in the summer so that even if I don't put on any makeup, I have a glow-from-within type of look on my skin.
For the hair, it's ironic because I wear my hair natural all the time, except right now it's straightened. But summer is mermaid girl time. If you are a wavy or curly hair girly like me, there is literally no better time than the summer to embrace your natural hair. Throw out the straightener and the curling iron—don't throw them out, but just like put them on the back burner for now—get some mousse, get some gel, scrunch that natural hair, and let it breathe; let it just be. Even if you have straight hair, I really just think that summer is the time for like your natural hair to shine. And my favorite little touches to add to my hair in the summer are hair perfume, which really just keeps your hair smelling absolutely amazing. It's not that you don't like wash your hair, but it's a great little extra touch so that when you walk past someone or your hair is blowing in the wind, it just smells incredible. I also always love putting on a hair oil so that when the light hits my hair in the summer, it has like a golden glow and it's just shiny.
Now, how about a high-maintenance routine to stay low-maintenance? I literally just made a whole YouTube video about this if you want to check it out. But some things you can do on the front end to make your life easier ongoing would potentially be tinting your brows and lashes, which I've actually never done before. But I know a lot of people like to do this so that your lashes and brows kind of look like they are filled in or like you have mascara on even when you don't. It can help accentuate your eyes a little bit better and especially if you don't feel like putting makeup on. This could be also things like using a lash serum so that your lashes and brows look amazing and luscious. I just like using castor oil. It's natural, cheap, it works great. This could also be self-tanning. If you like to self-tan, especially if you want to kind of protect your skin in the summer and you don't want to go tanning outside, you can just self-tan so you have that summer glow without the skin damage. And hair masks which strengthen your hair, help reduce frizz, and keep your hair super hydrated and amazing-looking on an ongoing basis.
Next up, one of my favorite things: adopting a signature scent. Now, there is nothing that says that girl energy like having a scent that is just yours. You walk into a room, and people smell you before they even see you. That sounds really weird, but when you find a perfume that smells really amazing and you put it on, I know for me, I instantly just feel a little more confident because I know I smell amazing. My all-time favorite perfumes at different price points are Ariana Grande Cloud and Cloud Pink. They both smell amazing. Diptyque Do Son and Perfume de Marly Delina, which is an extremely expensive perfume, but it smells like the literal best thing I've ever smelled in my life.
Let's be real. How you present yourself inevitably affects how you feel. So this is the part of the video where we elevate our wardrobe and upgrade our style. Let me just tell you this does not have to cost a lot of money, and this does not require you buying an entirely new wardrobe. One of my favorite ways to curate my wardrobe is to first take note of what I've been missing—like what do I constantly reach for? Maybe it's a belt. Maybe it's a pair of shoes that would go with so many things. Or maybe it's just a basic top, but like what am I reaching for over and over, and it's not there? That's very indicative of something that would be highly worn by you. Second, look at people whose style you love. Maybe this can be on Pinterest. What do you like about it? Are there certain pieces you could buy that would help you create some of the same outfits? This could even come down to just accessories. The overlying theme here is instead of impulse buying, you're being very intentional about the things you choose to buy. Sit on it. Think about what's going to actually serve you in your wardrobe. What are you actually going to want to be reaching for this summer? What pieces and what colors are going to make you feel your best? My go-to little uniform for the summer is usually a cute top and a pair of jean shorts. It works every single time. I also love sundresses, beautiful flowy dresses, mini dresses that you can just throw on and feel put together instantly. And little finishing touches like sunglasses, belts, and purses that make your outfit feel polished. Those are the things that really take the outfit up a notch.
Movement is something that your body needs. It craves it. It might be hard to do at first. You might not feel like doing it, but keep the pressure off yourself for this. Find something that's fun. Pilates will make you feel like a sculpted goddess. I'm not kidding. This could also just be going on hot girl walks, getting your steps up closer to 10,000 steps a day. Maybe hitting the gym with your friend, doing the stairmaster for a while, maybe trying lifting weights. Find a way that works for you, that works with your lifestyle. Find a time of day that works for your workouts. If you actually plan out your workouts, you're so much more likely to do them. So, start scheduling your workouts in and make them a priority.
Next, lymphatic drainage. Your lymphatic system is in charge of detoxifying your body. So, you want to work to make the job of your lymphatic system easier. You can try out gua sha-ing, which there are so many routines online for you to know exactly how to do it. But even if you don't have a gua sha, you can use your hands and go like this on your face. And the other amazing thing I love doing is dry brushing. This actually improves your circulation in your whole body—like it improves your blood flow. It also exfoliates your skin and helps your lymphatic system. So, it's good things all around. I have like a $5 dry brush, and I use it several times a week. And the eating—I love leaning into fresh anti-inflammatory foods that make me feel good from the inside out. I'm not kidding. When my stomach feels good, I feel good. And inversely, if my stomach feels bad, it makes me feel terrible. So, if there are foods that make you not feel the greatest—maybe for you it's dairy or gluten or processed foods or excess sugar—try weaning off of them a little bit and instead replacing them with whole healthy foods, fruits and vegetables, complex carbs, grains, protein, healthy fats. Get the whole variety in there. If you need meal ideas, I love going to Pinterest for this. There's also so many great ideas on TikTok. I also just posted a "What I Eat in a Week" video if you want some info for that. And I have two tips for this. If you find yourself really feeling addicted to sugar, which honestly a lot of us actually are addicted to sugar, what I do to prevent myself from eating things that are not going to make me feel good, I literally just don't buy those things when I'm at the grocery store—like as simple as that. If there's something you know eating will make you not feel good, don't buy it. And replace those things that don't make you feel your best with things that do. So, like I love chocolate and candy, but if I eat those like super refined, super sweet candies, it makes me feel terrible inside, but instead I eat cute chocolate bars. They use coconut sugar instead. They're darker chocolate, so they don't have as much sugar. And when I eat them, I feel great. I'm getting my antioxidants from the cocoa. When I have a sweet tooth, I can go to them, but they don't make me feel like sick. So, try to find substitutions that are going to better fuel your body and serve you rather than trying to eliminate a food you love from your diet.
And onto the productivity. I want to first reiterate that I am not trying to preach toxic productivity here by any means. Balance is the key to a great and prosperous life. But I also want to let you know that your life isn't defined by all of the things that you think about doing or consider doing. It's defined by the things that you do. So if you've been sitting there for who knows how long saying, "I really want to do this, but I don't feel like it. I don't know how. It's really overwhelming to figure out, so I'm just going to not do it," like "I really want to start posting content, but it's embarrassing, so I'm not going to," or "I really want to have this certain career, but there are so many more qualified people, I'm not even going to try," you are literally self-sabotaging so bad. If you want to start living better, living happier, you need to do the things that you want to do. And when I say the things you want to do, I mean the things your soul craves. There's something you can't stop thinking about. It's on your mind for a reason. Take those nudges from your intuition and start taking steps in the direction that you truly want to be headed. When you think of your dream self and your dream life, what does it look like? And are there things that are kind of bothering you because you're not doing them? If so, that's a clear sign from your higher self trying to tell you, "Girl, this is what we need to be doing. This is what we want to do. Why are you not doing it?"
Some of my favorite ways to level up are by romanticizing my life. And this goes into all aspects of life. Literally goes into everything. But for me, it's living extremely in the present, taking in the present moment every day, noticing things, doing small things that make me happy, like using my favorite teacup when I make a drink in the morning, taking extra time when getting ready so that I feel my best, having fun while I'm doing my skin care and playing around with the products, you know? It's literally me, rather than being on autopilot and going through my life without even noticing what's going on. I'm being extremely intentional with everything that I do, and I'm noticing everything that's going on around me. Romanticize your life. Romanticize your routines. Even if you think it's boring, maybe wake up a little bit earlier so that you can do those fun extra things that make you feel so much better because your days make up your life. If every day you're feeling rushed, sorry for yourself, and lazy, your whole life is going to feel that way. So, I think it makes a lot more sense to take charge of it now. Think of all the things you have to be grateful for and be happy for where your feet are right now. And waking up earlier—this might sound so crazy to you because you're like, why would I want to do that?—but isn't there some type of quote about the notion that people who wake up earlier are more objectively successful in their life? And I think we all feel this because I know when I wake up super late, by that point, it would be like it's lunchtime when I wake up. You know, half the day is already gone. Everybody else has been up. What have I been doing? It feels so much better to take charge of the day. Get up when the sun gets up. Listen to the birds chirping outside. And especially as it gets warmer in the spring and summer. Enjoy that outside time as much as you can while you still can.
And doing a dopamine detox or a little digital reset. I actually have a whole podcast episode about dopamine detoxes, why you need one, and exactly how to do one. I don't even mean to keep plugging myself in this video. I just keep thinking like, you know what, I've already made a whole video about that, so I don't want to go too in-depth here. But truly, if you think about how much time your phone takes away from you, how much time you spend scrolling on it and doing things that don't really matter, or for you, it might not be your phone. It might be your TV, or it might be playing video games. But either way, that could be time that you spend working on a business you want to start, hanging out with your family, playing with your dogs, living in the real world. Once you reduce your reliance on your phone, it stops having control over you. Replace the content you consume with content that inspires you and makes you feel good. And make a little bit of time to do a little digital cleanout of your phone. Delete old screenshots, maybe if there are apps on your phone that you don't use. Clear up some space and make your phone feel fresh to go into this new season.
And let's work on those passion projects and personal growth. What is that thing that's been on your mind that you have been wanting to start? Do you want to write a book, direct a movie, be an actor, be a content creator, travel the world? Like, what is it? And how can you start taking steps towards it? My favorite way to do this is take that big goal, that big thing you want to ultimately do or accomplish and break it down into small monthly bite-sized pieces. Just start building momentum. Let's say you want to write a book. I don't even know all the steps that that would entail, but let's say the first step would be thinking of a concept. So maybe the first month you say, "Okay, this month my goal is to decide on a concept for my book." And then the second month it's character building and story building, ideation. And then maybe the third month it's designing the plot. You get the idea. Think about how you can break it up into small pieces that actually feel attainable.
And the final part of this glow-up: confidence. Because no matter what you wear, how you do your hair, or what workouts you do, the thing that makes you glow is how you carry yourself. As I mentioned at the beginning of the video, confidence is something that not only makes you feel a billion times better—like why wouldn't you want to feel confident in what you're doing and in social situations?—but it also gives you this magnetic energy that permeates a room, that goes off to everyone around you and makes you charismatic. So lean into positive energy in a positive mindset. We kind of mentioned shifting from that lack mentality to an abundance one. But truly when you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, try to reverse it in a positive light. Instead of saying, "Ugh, it's rainy and disgusting outside. This is going to be a terrible day," say, "Wow, the rain is so beautiful. Maybe I did have plans or I was planning on going out today, but now I can stay at home and actually get some tasks done that I've been needing to do or take this time to just relax and read my book." Once you start looking at the world in an optimistic light, your energy will glow. Nobody wants to be a pessimist, and nobody wants to be around a pessimist. So, let's cut that out. Work on being present in conversations, being an active listener to others, and letting go of what others think about you. I think this is something I still…
For sure, I need to work on because I do feel prone to worrying about what others think of me and worrying about being perceived by others. But it really does not matter. Show up as your authentic self, and the people that are meant for you will find you.
Confidence is like a muscle, to where the more you use it, the stronger it gets. The more you embody that confident self, the more natural it feels, and then the more often you start actually feeling like that.
I also think it's really fun to make like a little confidence challenge for yourself. This year I actually have an overarching goal/slash theme/slash mantra, which is to get outside of my comfort zone. So this summer I'm making it a huge challenge for myself to do things that I have never done before. Do things that make me a little scared, but that I want to do. Talking to new people and just owning the space that I'm in. That's what a glow-up really is. Your summer glow-up is not about changing who you are or trying to be someone else, but about stepping into this version of yourself that's been there all along.
That was a lot of talking. I feel like I just unloaded so much information to you. But I truly hope that you felt it; you're taking it in; you're feeling the positive energy, and you're feeling inspired today.
Start on your summer glow-up journey. Remember that you're totally capable of this. You've got this. Your perfect life is waiting for you. All you've got to do is step up to the plate and grab it.
Thank you so much for watching this video. Comment this emoji 🤔 if you watched all the way up until the end. And if you enjoyed or found this video useful, I would love if you gave it a thumbs up and maybe subscribed to see more of my content. I have a whole summer playlist if you want to get even more inspired for the summer feels, vibes, energy. And with that being said, I will see you in my next video. Bye, guys. [Music]