"To be elegant is first of all to know oneself, and to know oneself well requires a certain amount of reflection and intelligence."
I believe we start from the inside. Jesus of the bible says: "You blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." Matthew 23:26
True to what the Bible says, once we have dealt with the 'inside' (your heart), the rest of the workings of an elegant self confidence will become an ease.
An elegant woman is a gracious woman. She is gracious till the end. She will never shove others out of her way in a crowded train. It doesn't matter if she looks elegant, speaks the part but fails terribly in her everyday life. The truth eventually finds its way out.
The way to be gracious, you may ask?
Love others, value and esteem others. Treat everyone the same, regardless of social status, looks, speech, education. Do not save your best manners for certain people only. Genuinely care and put others first. Instead of telling people about yourself, listen to others and let them talk about themselves.
When you are gracious, you move with an elegant self confidence, from knowing what to do and what to say appropriately.
Secondly, we need to be in tune with our Authentic self.
To be elegant, you have to be authentic. Real.
Many of us think we know ourselves thoroughly. I realize how much I don't know myself when I am caught buying something that is not me, investing time and money that I'm not good at, forcing myself to do something I really don't want to do.
Other ways that 'one does not know herself' exhibits this by putting up airs, doing something only because she thinks it will make her look rich, elegant, sophisticated. She tries too hard to impress. She does something only for her image.
A root meaning of the word, "Elegant" is authenticity. That is one of the keys of self confidence. To know yourself makes you become secure within yourself.
I believe gaining elegant self confidence has a lot to do with authenticity. It's a matter of discovering who you are, what God has given you in talents, aptitudes and aspiration, dreams and what is in your hand.
How does one become Authentic?
Here are a few things you can ask or do?
a. Take some time to discover your likes and dislikes.
b. What are your strengths, talents, dreams? God put them there for a reason.
c. What do you think about all the time? It is your passion.
d. What is in your hand? What can you do? Assess the opportunities around you.
When we work on those questions, we discovers our passions and weed out the "impurities" We go on a journey to refine ourselves to our fullest potential.
To be true to ourselves is to be authentic. We become comfortable in our skin. We can stop being self-conscious and focus on others. This is the root of an elegant, gracious woman. This is the beginning of an elegant self confidence.
I got winded tonight...but i was reading a blog while doing some research on a sophisticated women and thought I would share with you! Muah!
