The Olympics of Life

August 09, 2016 / Elizabeth Savetsky

There is an easy parallel to draw between the hustle of life and the Olympics. When we assign so much significance to one category, one aspect of ourselves, we will never feel first place because we will never be able to keep up with the next level or even sustain our own personal best for the long haul. Chasing the gold medal as the pinnacle of life’s happiness is dangerous. One single performance can make or break an athlete’s career, but what about the hundreds of practice rounds we never see? Is an Olympic athlete a failure because they have a bad day? Of course not. We cannot gauge talent, hard work, or even success by numbers society has placed on us in the game of life.

I'm a finite thinker and like so many, it is hard for me to remember that numbers don't show the whole picture. What’s in our bank accounts, what number is on the scale, and how many followers we have on Instagram are just flawed two-dimensional score keeping devices that breed self-doubt, jealousy, and obsession. We're all addicted to making money, being thin, and having the most and the best of everything. Even if we get there we will still feel inferior to the shiny flat lives we see on social media. It would be a fantasy to throw the numbers out the window and stop keeping score, but that's not reality. We have to work within the system, we just can't let it define who we are and how we see success.

"You're only competing with yourself," they say. But keeping up with our best selves has to go far beyond the exterior. It's impossible not to focus on appearance and materialism as a fashion blogger in NYC. The outfits I style and the images I curate are absolutely a reflection of my vision and a piece of the story I want to tell, but they can't possibly tell the whole story. Creative people have to create or we will explode. Fashion is a passion I have and writing about fashion has become my creative outlet. Inspiring people along the way is how I define my success. Appearance is fleeting, but substance and talent hopefully stand the test of time. In 10, 20, 50 years what will I have? A fashion blog with outfit pictures? A highly-curated, well-followed Instagram account? Doubtful, but you never know. I will, G-d willing, still have my drive to create and inspire others. I know that's my purpose in this life and it can be hard to measure that kind of success in numbers.

That being said, what can I offer you? What would you like to see and read? I would love to have a dialogue with you about what I can bring that will inspire you. Please let me know! Outfit details are at the bottom <3