Embrace your inner style diva

Lifestyle expert Susie Coelho was invited on TODAY to share some of her tips for last-minute holiday preparations. In her book, “Secrets of a Style Diva,” writes about how you can bring more style into your home. Read an excerpt:

Introduction
What Is a Style Diva?
When I refer to a Style Diva, I’m not talking about some rich celebrity or someone who has tons of money, wears designer clothes, and only buys high-end items. Or somebody who doesn’t even lift a finger except to dial the most expensive decorator in the city. That’s not a Style Diva; that’s a style snob — and she’s on the opposite end of the spectrum.

No, the Style Diva I’m talking about is not necessarily rich. She may not know the latest trends or be super-knowledgeable about style. She just has to have the energy and a passion to express herself and create a more stylish life. Everyone has the potential to be a Style Diva!

As you can see, I never planned on being a Style Diva. I didn’t get a fancy degree in Style or study it at a top university. It just happens to be that, in any big endeavor I’ve undertaken, I have never worried about how I was going to do it. That was the easy part, learning along the way. Deciding I was going to do it was the primary part. Knowing how to do it was secondary. Over the years, I have established a way of living my life and a creative process that brings passion, excitement, joy, energy, and love to everything I do. I’m lucky enough to be able to live my life to the fullest—and so can you. How? The first step in becoming a Style Diva is to decide that you already are one. It’s as simple as that. Decide to embrace your own unique sense of style. Decide to embrace a life with passion and newness. Decide to adopt a stylish attitude. By attitude, I don’t mean, “I’m so cool, and you’re not.” I mean to look at everything you try with a positive, enthusiastic, can-do spirit. I mean being willing to express yourself and say who you really are. A Style Diva never apologizes for her creative process. She knows she doesn’t have to be perfect. She knows she doesn’t have to match every color correctly or arrange furniture in just the right way. A Style Diva’s not afraid to make mistakes.

The first step is to Embrace your divadom as your birthright. Then you can do the things you need to do to reach your full style potential. Once you live your life from a Style Diva’s perspective, everything is infinitely more exciting. For example, you can walk into the restaurant you always go to but see it and experience it in a whole new way. You can decide, “I’m going to really explore this menu, notice the décor, experience new foods. I’m going to get to know the waiter and find out all about the specials, the wine list, and even the deserts! I’m going to try something new and get the most out of the experience and come away with a new appreciation of dining out.” Now you can add all this input to your style repertoire and draw on it when you need to.

A Style Diva makes the decision, “I may not have a lot of money or time, but I’m still going to have a great home.” She will search high and low for a way to get the task done. She doesn’t worry about not looking cool, doing things herself, or buying someone else’s discarded items. She sticks the course and is proud when she accomplishes something. Her point of view is strong, and she doesn’t take no for an answer.

She uses the five Senses of Style that you will learn in this book, and this grounds her styling and gives her confidence. She might try one approach, scrap it in the middle, and try another. She might call in a team of experts to help her with some details. She might get everything done and, at the last minute, decide she needs to make some significant changes. There will be barriers, creative blocks, critics, and naysayers, and yet a Style Diva will always stay the course, loving the journey.

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