This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!–Polonius, ‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare
A blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then, as the New York Times proved when they ran this piece on successful women in Silicon Valley who also care about fashion. Long have I judged myself for my innate interest obsession with all things stylish, fearing that if I cared as much as I do then I wouldn’t be taken seriously as a professional.
It appeared extreme at the time: I could either be stylish or I could be successful. No middle ground.
As I’ve matured, I’ve come to realize is that my style is as much a part of my brand (if you will) as my profession is. It is just one of the many components used to build the whole person that is me, and embracing that is an enormous part of living in self-acceptance. So then I continue to wear bright colors with abandon (pants in particular), delight in fabrics, accessorize rather than exercise, adore footwear, all the while loving tech and my hobbies; thriving in my occupation and personal life at the same time.
A multi-faceted Leslie is who I am and acceptance of that is key to my success as a human being. To my own self, I am true.
