Hi Reader,
It's me - Aimée Rebecca - your internet bestie for all things personal development, intentional living, and dream-chasing.
I don't know about you but personally, I've reboarded the Emily in Paris train. It's my go-to binge-watch of the moment and I can't get enough. If you've never seen it, let me set the scene. A girl called Emily gets the opportunity to relocate from Chicago to Paris for her job in luxury marketing. She doesn't speak the language, all the French people hate her peppy American attitude, and she wears an astounding variety of enormous accessories. It's all croissants, fashion, and will-they-won't-they love affairs.
"Seriously, why do you watch this?" My dad asked last week. For context, I barely watch TV. I also have a grudge against Paris (a story for another day, I fear) and I don't care about fashion. Objectively, this is not something I should enjoy.
"I like how no matter what happens, everything always works out in the end," I explained. "No matter how big of a mess she makes, she always happens to run into the exact right person to fix it."
Ah, escapism!
The truth is, as a hardcore introvert who's terrified to talk to new people, I am in awe of this fictional girl, strutting her way around Paris and turning every moment of her life into a networking event. Are people really like this? How does one simply become friends with everyone they meet?!
I'm going to start putting myself out there more.
Well, I got that chance a lot sooner than I anticipated. Last weekend, I went to a country music barn dance with line dancing. Yes, you absolutely read that right! Boots, hats, Dolly Parton...the whole shebang!
It was a New Bestie Brunch Club meetup but a few people had to pull out at the last minute and those who attended turned out not to be country music fans...and were mortified by the idea of line dancing. I get it. It's niche!
As I sat and sipped my drink, I looked over at the packed dance floor and wished I was in there, scooting around with everyone else. I'd never tried line dancing before and I was really keen to give it a go. The problem was, I had no one to dance with.
What would Emily in Paris do?
Well, Emily in Paris would march right up to that dancefloor with her head held high, learn to line dance, and probably end up pitching a social media campaign to a billionaire who just happened to be hanging around in the corner. I told the girls I was going to try out some line dancing. I took a deep breath, ignored everything inside my head that was screaming about how uncomfortable I felt, and shuffled onto the dancefloor.
Fun fact - I am, in fact, a terrible line dancer. I spent at least 30% of the time facing the wrong direction and I lost the ability to tell my left from my right. But I had fun!
Not only that, but I went one step further and tentatively struck up a conversation with the group of girls next to me. They were lovely! In fact, I'm now friends with one of them on Instagram and she invited me to try out the dance class she goes to.
And I'm going to!
Look, it's wildly outside of my comfort zone to talk to new people. Like...I hate it! But you never know who you'll meet if you put yourself out there and what kinds of places, people, and experiences you'll get introduced to as a result.
So from here on out, I vow to live by the mantra "What would Emily do?" But without the crazy outfits. That's just a step too far for me.
✨No Gate-Keeping Here!
📺 Obviously, my obsession of the moment is Emily in Paris. The new season just came out on Netflix and it's my emotional comfort blanket.
🛒 Have you tried the Alesto protein balls from Lidl? They're my new favourite snack. Seriously, I've been stocking up on them as if I'm preparing for the apocalypse. My favourite flavour is lemon & pistachio (they taste like limoncello). Cocao & orange is amazing too!
🥤 I've had a cold the last few days so I've been chugging greens powder. I have strong feelings about this stuff, okay? I don't use it on the day-to-day and I hate the influencer marketing around it that promises a magically flat stomach if you drink it. But I love it when I'm sick or stressed out and my body needs a pick me up. I get this one from Rheal.
So, Reader, maybe this is your sign to push yourself out of your comfort zone this week. Is there an attribute you admire in someone else (real or fictional!) that you wish you had? Try to emulate it. It's scary but worth it! See you next week!
Aimee xo
