We can look at life any way we want. It is our choice. We can see it as a debit or an asset. If we choose to see it as an asset, it will reflect in our smile and people will be influenced by the mere joy they feel when they see us. In our society today, if we desire to be successful we must look successful. Have you heard the cliché, “Fake it, till you make it?” Well that is basically what you can do with your wardrobe and a few common sense ideas.

Most people want to look great! However, the idea of looking great conjures up thoughts of spending lots of money, but that is not necessarily true. Let’s take a look at some free, as well as economical ways for you to look like you are rich even if you are not.

If you can’t hire a maid, dust off the trusty old iron! A crisply ironed white shirt and a pair of nicely pressed jeans will cause you to look like you are rich even if you are not! Little details matter, such as well manicured nails, keeping your eyebrows neat, and getting an updated haircut. What about your posture? Create an air of confidence around yourself. Walk and sit up straight. It will certainly cause you to stand out in a crowd.

If you can’t buy expensive clothes, then raise the bar on the ones you can afford or already have. Carefully examine your clothes; cut off loose threads, use a lint roller or a clothes shaver, search out buttons or button holes that need a touch up. Look for well finished pockets, straight hems and neatly sewn linings. If you see repairs that are needed and you can’t make these repairs yourself, take them to a seamstress. A small investment in these items will raise their intrinsic value.

Investigate the fabric of the pieces you are buying. If your budget does not allow for silk or cashmere, go for cotton or wool. They are always stylish and fashionably correct. You can always invest in one nice silk scarf and that will set off a myriad of outfits. When you invest in jewelry, buy the best costume jewelry that you can afford. Better to buy one nice piece, than two or three cheaper ones. All these details add up to the sum total of how to look like you are rich even if you are not.

If there is one thing that you need to splurge on, or save your money to buy, it is a nice pair of leather shoes, or boots. Do the same thing with your handbag; always go for leather. Keeping leather shoes and handbags looking nice is a must. Leather conditioning creams are very inexpensive. This will also keep them looking new much longer. Always be on the lookout for sales. Check out consignment and discount stores. You can always find fantastic bargains on eBay!

Now you know the secret to having the look of the rich and famous. Put a little more thought and effort into the preparation of your wardrobe and you will look like you are rich, even if you are not!

One day as I was trying on clothes, I noticed that some clothes that were my exact size made me look larger, and then some clothes that were one size larger made me look smaller. This was very interesting to me. At this point in my life I begin to realize that size is just a number!

Being in the fashion business for years, I knew that the difference in the quality of clothes also makes a difference in the size of clothes. Less expensive clothes are cut smaller and cost less. Expensive clothes have a fuller cut and will probably allow you to wear a size smaller. Less expensive clothes will most likely give you a tight fit in your exact size, but will probably fit you perfectly one size larger than you are.

Suddenly I realized that size is just a number! If I wear whatever size looks best on me, that flatters the figure that I presently have, and makes me feel better about myself, then I have won the battle of the bulge. When I learned to forget about that “number” and just embrace the sensation of looking great, I truly began to enjoy life.

Besides, I’ve yet to have anyone throw me down and say, “Let me see the number on the tag in the back of your dress or else!” Looking great is the best revenge! Always remember; size is just a number!

The mirror controls the lives of millions of people. It can make or brake our day; in fact, sometimes our entire lives. It is only a piece of polished glass that forms images by reflecting light. Yet it seems our entire personality depends on what we think we see when we gaze into it.

Life is more that looking at your reflection and reacting to it. Life is what you make it. You can choose to see yourself as you want others to see you. The greatest thing about your mind is that you have the power to change its direction. If the thoughts that live there cause you to be depressed or unhappy, or take you down a path you don’t want to go; then evict those negative squatters! They have no rights. You own the house they live in!

When you make the decision to see yourself as others see you, your life will change immediately. You will feel young and happy again. Why, because you have taken control of your destiny. Your self-confidence will be contagious. People around you will take note of it. They will begin to look at you differently, because you are looking at yourself differently. They will notice a twinkle in your eye that they haven’t seen before. They will probably think that you have fallen in love! You have. You have learned to love yourself, and see yourself as you want others to see you.

I will not do it. I am kicking and screaming all the way! It is not necessarily vanity; it goes so much deeper than that! The realization of passing from one season of life to another is always a bit shocking.

We are born in the season of spring. We burst forth on the scene like a seed that pushes forth from dry ground and displays itself as a beautiful flower.

As we become young adults we enter the season of summer. This season is wonderful, spectacular, full of joy, youth, and vitality. We are in our prime. We stand like beautiful oak trees that sway in rhythm with the summer breeze, full of dreams and plans that nothing can deter.

As the warmth of summer begins to fade, the leaves on the trees begin to change into the colors of fall. The same thing begins happening to us as a few strands of grey begin to slowly infiltrate our hair and tiny lines begin to form around our eyes, subtle reminders that summer is ebbing away.

The winds of change rustle the treetops as the leaves fall to the ground. It must be traumatic for that once proud oak to suddenly become naked and its beauty gone with the wind. Fall is in the air and a crisp cool morning tells us so.

As we awake on these cool mornings, we feel a bit stiff and realize that we are not jumping out of bed the way we used to. The realization of a paradigm shift in our life begins to become oh so obvious.

The good news is this. We now have a decision to make. We can allow this thing called “age” to rule us, or we can reverse the curse. We can bind our Heavenly Father to His Word and the promises He has made to us.

God has promised “to renew out youth like the eagles.” Is. 40:12 He has promised to “restore to us the years the cankerworm has eaten.” Joel 2:25 He has promised to give us the “mind of Christ.” 1 Cor. 2:16 He has promised us that “we can be fruitful in our old age and bring forth fruit.” Ps. 42:14 God has given us the option to believe His word, and through that “our latter rain [or life] is full of His life and of His favor.” Proverbs 16:15

The choice is ours. We can choose to live the winter season of our lives as majestic mountain peaks. The snow that so gently graces the mountain tops only adds to the glory of God’s creation. So may we also be. Full of timeless wisdom, knowledge, and strength that those young saplings have yet to produce. So share it freely with those who will listen. They will not see an old person. What they will see however, is a hero of faith that they want to be just like when they grow up.

Some have run so hard and so fast that the result is that of passing through a wind tunnel! Faces with the appearance of being blown so far back and upward that one might think they have entered into the witness protection program and obtained a new identity. It can become an addiction! How could it not? The very thought of being young again can spark, excite, and romance even the oldest heart!

The physical repairs of today not only include our faces but our entire bodies, spawning tons of hit reality shows. We have beauty makeovers, fashion makeovers, extreme makeovers, and house makeovers! Everyone is jumping on board the makeover airline! It’s the only way to fly!

You maybe asking, “Are you a high maintenance woman? Yes I am! I always have been. Maximize the positive and minimize the negative, that’s my motto. Well, we can only go so far with crèmes, toners, facial massages, cellulite treatments, and makeup, no matter how expensive it is nor how much the manufacturer touts its praises! Believe me, I have sold the finest crèmes, lotions, serums, anti-aging, firming and lifting products available today. I have used them faithfully for years, but they can only soften the aging blow so much and only for a certain span of time.