31 Habits of a JoyFULL Wife, Habit Number 24 - Make Yourself Feel Pretty

I know we "deep thinkers" like to tell people stuff like "beauty's only skin deep," "beauty comes from within,"etc., but what REAL woman doesn't want to feel pretty at least sometimes? If that were not the case then why are the beauty and fashion industry faring so well, even in this so-called lean economy? When I was a member of Mary Kay Cosmetics' independent sales force, one of the many mantras that rang true was that cosmetics is a recession proof industry. Granted, you may find the need to scale back from MAC to Maybelline, but we women are still going to buy make up, jewelry and clothing to make ourselves feel good. To that I say amen and I'm not ashamed.

What I want to encourage you to not view your desire to look and feel pretty as vain or carnal. There is some type of correlation of the way a person esteems themselves to how they feel about their physical appearance. Yes, of course there are extremes and I'm not talking about people who are addicted to nips and tucks, shopaholics and the like, but every now and then we need to create and execute a session of retail therapy - including an appropriate spending plan.

So here is your assignment, should you choose to accept it:

PLAN a shopping trip include a list of what you want to buy and how much you can afford to spend.
Select a date
Decide whether to bring a friend along or if you want to do shop solo


*Just a suggestion: If you're in the habit of shopping a chain stores or at the mall, consider visiting a boutique.

• You'll get more personalized attention
• You're more likely to purchase garments that are mass produced
• You'll help an entrepreneur

Finally, DO NOT use this particular shopping trip as reward for shedding pounds unless you happen to already be at your goal weight.  The object of this HABIT is to stimulate your joy juices right where you are - whether you're currently a size 6 or a size 26.