Out of the Box



Happy Monday, lovelies!

This month seriously flew by. I cannot believe that it's already nearing the end of November and Thanksgiving is only in a matter of days, which means that Black Friday is following shortly behind (I'll be posting all kinds of Black Friday promos at the end of the week so be on the look out! And if you need some ideas on gift giving, check out my Holiday Gift Guide where I will be adding new things everyday). In today's post, I'm talking about this gorgeous fall outfit and the difficulties of making friends as an adult.

Outfit Details:

Dress: Verity c/o | Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell (sold out) | Hat: PacSun (old - similar here)| Necklace: Bryan Anthonys c/o (get 20% off your order when you use "lizzieinlace" at checkout) | Choker: Bryan Anthonys c/o |  Bracelet: Victoria Emerson c/o (get 25% off your order when you use "lizzieinlace25" at checkout) |Ring: Bryan Anthonys c/o

 First things first. You may think I'm lying, but this is the first time I've worn a wrap dress. Like...ever. And I quite like it, especially since it's floral print (but I advise wearing a slip underneath because the wind almost caused a wardrobe malfunction haha) :-) I think it's one of those dresses that can be easily worn for Spring, Summer and Fall. In this case, I styled it with a burgundy floppy hat, lace up gladiators, a sparkly wrap bracelet and dainty jewels. I love a good statement necklace, but I'm finding more and more that I'm drawn to delicate pieces that are both understated and beautiful. Also, this is the first time we shot with the 50mm lens and I LOVE IT! (sorry for all the close ups of my face - I'm just amazed at what this little thing can do!)

So some of you had requested that I share more of myself...well, here ya go!

Recently, I was put in a very uncomfortable situation that brought me to writing this. I'm a very friendly and bubbly person, BUT also very shy when it comes to meeting new people (not always a good trait, apparently). I am partially introverted and partially extroverted depending on who I'm with. If I feel comfortable and safe around you (or after I get to know you), I will talk your ear off, crack jokes and make a fool of myself dancing in the car. But if I don't, I completely shut down. This is becoming even more true in large groups where I don't know anyone. I have good intentions, but I absolutely cannot approach people and strike up a conversation. It's super frustrating and leaves me feeling defeated.

There is a reason for this madness. I took the Myer Briggs personality test over the summer and was astonished at my results. I am an INFJ, the most rare personality making up less than 1% of the population. The description of this personality is so right on that it's creepy. Everything totally makes sense now. The feeling that I always had of being left out or that I was on the outside looking in. The feeling of not being genuine around those that I tried to "fit in" with. The feeling that I was different. I'm definitely not completely socially awkward or a hermit, but I just feel more comfortable in smaller settings where I feel like I can really be my crazy, goofy self. And this totally explains why I never shared much of myself on here to begin with.

With that being said, it is super hard for me to make friends...well, true friends anyway. I make tons of acquaintances and casual friends (and for some reason, strangers love to chat with me), but it's hard to find someone that I truly connect with on a long term friendship level. It's even more difficult since all of my jobs require me to work alone and having so many jobs takes up a lot of my time. I do not have co-workers and that's completely fine, but it does make it hard to find people to connect with. I think that making friends as an adult is hard enough since most people are already established within a group. And let me just add, that I have absolutely no problem talking in front of a class, to students or to clients. I very much enjoy talking to people and getting to know them.

If there is one thing I have learned, it's that I need to have more courage. Even creating this blog a year and a half ago was a HUGE step for me (before this, I had a secret blog that I didn't tell anyone about haha!). Apparently, I care more about what people think than I thought I did. It's a scary thing putting yourself out there for everyone to see, but I'm working on it. I really am so glad for those of you that took the survey and mentioned that you'd like to know more about me. That was really the push that I needed to be more courageous and come out of my shell. It will help me connect so much better with all of you and hopefully, to network in the future. I believe this is a turning point for sure so thank you for that!

I'm certain many of you have felt this way at one time or another so any advice on you have on getting out of my "box" in scary social situations is super appreciated! I'm also really curious to know if there are any INFJ personalities out there (bloggers especially) since this seems to be such a rarity?

I hope you have an amazing start to your week!

xo