Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Style Maven: Audrey Hepburn (Part 1 - On Happiness...)

As I said in my Editor’s Letter this month, if anyone wants to understand how to be truly happy in life, one should study the life and values of Ms. Audrey Hepburn—so I will make it easy for you to do so with my 10 part Style Maven series this month. In my fashion, after reading Melissa Hellstern’s book, 'How to be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life', one sees Audrey Hepburn as a prime example of how to overcome the self-defeating attitudes we have of ourselves, and rise to the occasion where ever you are needed. For me personally, considering Hepburn was an introverted soul, she reminds me that being an introvert, it is possible to step out of one’s comfort zone to achieve the success we desire. "We may be introverts, but that is not all that we are," I tell myself! I think she shows that there is strength in all of us (introverted or extroverted) to accomplish great successes and create a happy life, which is exactly why I preach of understanding what our unique strengths are so we can be as useful in this life as possible. She shows no matter how delicate, beautiful, or kind you are, we all have our tribulations in life, no matter how glorious we appear in the public eye. She reminds us that at the end of the day we all have to work for the satisfaction we want in life, and one cannot fret over what one cannot control. Life gets on when you do, so make it happen! I would only hope that the following posts help you to figure out how to emulate some of that effervescence Audrey possessed by adjusting how you see life through her eyes.

On Happiness: How to find your bliss...



Attitude is everything “Not to live for the Day, that would be materialistic—but to treasure the day. I realize that most of us live on the skin—on the surface—without appreciating just how wonderful it is simply to be alive at all.”



Listen to your mother “It’s that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so don’t fuss, dear; get on with it.”



Keep it all in Perspective “Being without food, fearful for one’s life, the bombings—all made me appreciative of safety, of liberty. In that sense, the bad experiences have become a positive in my life.”




Expect Less “I’ve had so much more than I ever dreamed possible out of life—[no] great accomplishments or hopes that didn’t work out…I’ve accomplished far more than I ever hoped to, and most of the time it happened without my seeking it.”




Be Perfectly Human “People seem to have this fixed image of me. In a way I think it’s very sweet, but its also a little sad. After all, I’m a human being. When I get angry, I sometimes swear.”






Live Without Regret “What would be awful would be to die and look back miserably—seeing only the bad things, the opportunities missed, or what could have been.”

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