"Dress How You Want to Be Addressed"
This saying couldn't be anymore true for Mr. Steve Harvey who knows a thing or two about welcoming a good old fashion upgrade, per his stylish spouse, Marjorie Harvey. It wasn't long ago that Steve helped single-handedly coin the idea of the baggy tuxedo aka "The Steve Harvey Suit," but those fashion faux-pas days are long gone. Because if you look good, you feel good and if you feel good, you do good. And according to Steve, a complete 180 on his fashion did more than just change his closet, it changed his life!
During a segment on The Steve Harvey Show, Harvey sat down with a married man and his wife, who were both on the show in hopes of changing the husband's extremely casual and youthful wardrobe. The 59-year-old host spoke to the newlyweds, and used himself as an example of how dressing for success literally lead, well, to his success!
According to Steve, transforming his threads helped transcend him to greatness. And he has his wife to thank for that!
"Marjorie changed my style. I was very different. I dressed very different before I married Marjorie Harvey. Here are some pictures (pulls up pics). You couldn't tell me nothing! My pants were this wide, all my shoes matched my hats, I did whatever I wanted to do.But when we were getting married, Marjorie said ‘Steve, where God is going to take you, you have to look different.’ I said, 'Baby, what you talking about? I'm already [successful!]'
She said, 'No Steve. God has something for you, you have to listen. He gave you me, so I could tell you this here!' I ain't lying to you, this a true story. She said, 'Put on a more traditional suit, you can make them any fabric you want to. Put two buttons on your suit, stop wearing them square bottoms, open them up in a pleat. Shorten them pants, all that!'
"Marjorie changed my style. I was very different. I dressed very different before I married Marjorie Harvey. Here are some pictures (pulls up pics). You couldn't tell me nothing! My My wife Marjorie has transformed my life...Posted by Steve Harvey TV on Monday, February 8, 2016
Bloop! Steve also said that after Marjorie asked him how else did he see himself in terms of envisioning a "new him," he admitted he wanted to lose weight and get rid of his famous high top fade since he was "tired of getting hair cuts."
"I turned 50, I lost weight, shaved, got slimmer suits. That how all this sexy came out! [laughs] Look, that girl right there transformed me. But I had the sense to listen! I ain't gonna be on no game show, I wouldn't have a talk show, they're not putting that on TV. She saw that and she changed all of that!"
And 9 years later, Steve went from this:
To that:
Voila, magic!
Two points Steve made that really stuck out were A) that he invited the change in and B) that he embraced it.
Sometimes we sign up for something out of pressure but we hardly stick to it, so kudos to Steve for trusting in the process of his growth, through his new clothes.
However, Harvey isn't the only male public figure to be upgraded by his better half, and in some cases the upgrade is a mutual exchange. From a young Carmelo Anthony and Lala to Jay-Z and Beyonce, it's safe to say that it's very seldom when you're blessed to find your equal, but when you do, this happens:
Big Sean (2009) vs. Big Sean and ex-fiance, Naya Rivera (2013)
Carmelo Anthony and Lala (2005) vs. Carmelo and Lala (2015)
Beyonce and Jay-z (2004) vs. Beyonce and Jay-Z (2015)
Like they say, The couple that slays together...
And before anyone thinks the approach to the "New gear, new me" theory is a little on the shallow, think again. Honestly, this all comes down to one of the simplest form of the "Laws of Attraction" theory. According to author Don Samba, who has penned for than a few self-help books, it comes to bettering your brand, adjusting your wardrobe is key:
"Your appearance makes part of a statement of who you are. You will be able to attain your set goals if you cloth yourself for success from the get go. It is more to do with how you feel about yourself than what others feel about you. How comfortable and confident in your clothes will determine first and foremost the strength of energy you will be able to put out into the universe around you.If you are not confident in yourself and how you look, you will not be able to release and attain your true potential as you will be bottling up and shutting yourself down, losing who you really are and could be. Looking at some famous names out there, you will note that they did not become overnight successes all by what they specialized in. It actually ment that they had to work on themselves to gear up and tap into their true potential by dressing right."
Amen. It's all about that suit-and-tie fly!
What are your thoughts on men and women changing their lives through changing their clothes?
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Those myths that you keep telling yourself, and believe to be true may be what's holding you back, boo. Most of the time you're thinking these things on a subconscious level and may not even realize the damage that's being done. But once you gain clarity and call out your limiting beliefs for what they are, you'll finally be able to break free and reach new levels financially.
Let's dig into a few myths that have a direct impact on your money and are keeping you BROKE.
1. “Money is the root of all evil.”
Nah, this right here is a straight-up LIE! The truth is this: the LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evil. When you think that money is the root of all evil, you're limiting yourself from keeping money, as well as receiving more of it. Without even knowing it, you might be scared of going after opportunities that will get you to the money.
Think about it. How can money be evil? Money is simply a resource that we control. Instead of believing and saying that money is the root of all evil, replace it with this supporting belief instead:
"Money is a resource and a means to do good and live well."
2. "I'm broke."
Broke is a mindset, boo. Your financial situation is shaped by how you think about money, which influences how you manage your money. Guess what? If you keep crying that you're broke, you're going to remain that way. All you are doing is reinforcing that limiting belief into the universe and your actions aren't gonna line up with what you need to do in order to get ahead.
It's imperative that you get a grip on this way of thinking and behaving, or else you'll never be able to break the cycle. I challenge you to think more in terms of abundance and believing that you can be wealthy. Are you up for the challenge?
3. "I can afford it."
You say that you can afford that pair of shoes and then turn around and realize that you don't even have enough money for gas the morning after. You can't just look at your checking account balance in the moment and think that everything is all good. Trust me, I've been there. This is where having a clear-cut, written budget comes in handy.
A budget is really just a spending/savings plan. It's a strategic system that lets you know how much money is coming in and going out every month. In reality, a budget can:
- Help you understand your financial situation and whether you can really afford something or not.
- Help you save for the things you want and do more of what you enjoy.
- Help you avoid getting caught short by bills you can't pay.
- Help you escape the paycheck-to-paycheck life.
4. "I deserve to treat myself."
GiphyHow many "treats" do you need, sis? If you really sit down and keep it 100 with yourself, do you really deserve those so-called treats? Are you taking care of your responsibilities like you should be? Instead of buying things that you don't need (with money you don't have) and labeling them as a "treat," you should be treating yourself by investing in your future and saving some coins.
If you spend all of the money that you earn instead of saving and investing it, you will never create the financial abundance that you do desire to have.
Here's a tip: Try putting both your short-term and long-term savings on auto-pilot so you don't even notice the money that you could be missing. When you don't have to look at it, you aren't tempted by any "excess" that you might have.
5. "I need to make more money and then I'll be better with my finances."
If you can't manage the little that you have now, what makes you think that you're gonna be able to manage more money? The more money you make, the more you're gonna spend if you don't get those habits in check early on. You're going to go right back to complaining about your finances and crying that you're still broke and in need of even more money. You'll never be satisfied. There will never be enough money. Remember, there are former millionaires who are struggling out here in these streets because they wanted to live a "fake fancy" lifestyle and ball out of control.
Start by being content with the income that you currently have and handling it with better care. Learn the ins and outs of sound financial management now, so that when you're finally blessed with more, you'll be able to manage it with ease.
I challenge you to start thinking better, which will ultimately lead to you doing better. It's time to prioritize your finances in a way that you haven't done before if you want to level up this year. It's time to activate your discipline. It's time to finally do something different.
Make the commitment to yourself and decide that absolutely nothing's gonna stand in your way of breaking that broke mentality.
What’s better than being in love? Building an empire while doing it. Watch Making Cents to see how real couples turn their money dreams into money moves.
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Originally published on January 5, 2018