The Blog Post That Changed My Life and Became My Manifesto

Today I want to share with you a blog post that I read over a year ago. It's the blog post that helped me find my identity and constantly reminds me who I aim to be. The name of the post is "Ten Tips For Being A Modern Lady" and the ten pointers are things I always come back to. Some of them I have mastered more than others but I am a work in progress and there is always room to grow. I highly recommend reading this post.

"A lady always shows respect and consideration for others while placing a premium on honesty and graciousness. A lady also knows how her individual choices may affect others and how easy it is to choose words and actions more wisely."

Below I have a quick overview of each point and how strong or weak I stand in each characteristic. I hope it doesn't seem like I'm vain or patting myself on the back with some; any victories have been the fruit of hard work and perseverance and I know more than anyone how much more I have to work on myself! I also recommend reading the entire post at some point.

1. Follow Through - The first point is something I struggle with A LOT. I can tend to be a really flaky person so it's been on my list of things to work on. My problem is I'll commit to too many things and just not do the things I don't want to. I think it's a common character flaw but it's a particularly inconsiderate one to everyone else who is affected by my lack of follow through.

2. Phone Etiquette - This one is something I have pretty down pat. I generally return phone calls and texts as soon as I can. Something that this article didn't mention is calling extended relatives, especially grandparents. They LOVE it when I call and it makes me feel good about myself because I know they like telling me what's going on in their life and hearing about mine.

3. Dressing Like A Lady - This is something that has always come naturally to me. I love wearing dresses and skirts and it's true, when you dress like a lady, you'll act like a lady. As you obviously are aware, this whole blog showcases Rose and my style, which is generally classy and lady-like.

4. It’s The Little Things - Again, I struggle with this one. I tend to be self-absorbed and selfish and don't pay attention to what's going on in people's lives around me. It's one of my least favorite things about me so it's something I truly am trying to eliminate.

5. Always The Gracious Guest - My mom taught me very good manners as a kid and fortunately it's something I've retained into my adult life. Something I would like to start doing more is bringing little hostess gifts since I'm an adult (and when did that happen, by the way?!) and go to dinner parties every now and again. Does anyone have good ideas for a good hostess gift? Preferably not a candle...

6. A Mouth From The South - Sometimes I swear. I hate that I do that. SO MUCH. It's a hard habit to break. And I'm grateful I never swear at people when I am angry. Usually it's at situations or circumstances but it's never lady-like and I really really hate it. Definitely want to kick this habit to the curb as soon as I can.

7. The Art of Conversation - Again, not a strength of mine. This goes back to my selfish nature that I'm trying to get rid of. I often forget to ask people how they are doing and what they are going through and I know I miss a lot of bonding moments with people because of this. So yeah, on the to-do list.

8. A Lady at The Table - This is actually something I'm good at. I love fine dining and I can work my way around a place setting fairly decently. The blog post does point out good tips that are good reminders. Something that I do is excuse myself from the table and check in a lady's room mirror to see if I have anything in between my teeth. It can be SO distracting and I find that people are hesitant to mention it because they don't want to hurt your feelings.

9. Merci - Saying thank you and writing letters are something that I do naturally. I love sending a pretty little Thank You note in the mail and I know that people appreciate it.

10. Gossip Girl - One of my worst faults. I talk too much about people. It's been something I really want to change about myself and so I've been trying to say positive things, instead of negative things, about people in my life.

So that's my summary of the blog post. I highly recommend reading the entire post here.