In the very first episode of 'Lessons From Your Hairstylist,' host Sarah Crews introduces the podcast's mission to facilitate real transformation in listeners' lives. She emphasizes the importance of self-care, joy, and creativity as essential components of personal growth. Through her personal story of overcoming challenges, Sarah illustrates the power of asking 'What if?' as a catalyst for change. The episode invites listeners to embark on a journey of self-discovery and transformation, encouraging them to take small steps towards their goals.
[05:32] This helps them progress on their paths to change. And when we do this, it creates even more of a feeling of peace and connection, which is monumentally vital to our lives.
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[05:56] Now, here's a story as an example—this is my story.
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[06:11] I was very young when I married him, and living on a farm was his vision—not mine. I was not about that farm life at all.
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[06:35] They just made it seem completely impossible to get out of.
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[06:46] I wanted to travel. I wanted to educate within the industry. I wanted to live in a place of accessibility, energy, and diversity. My husband had very strong philosophies and values that were different from mine, and his will was stronger than mine when I was young.
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[07:09] I remember very distinctly one day daring to ask myself this question:
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[07:17] What if it was not impossible? Even if I thought it was—what if it wasn't?
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[07:28] What would someone in my situation do if this wasn't impossible for them?
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[07:51] In that transformative moment, as I entertained the possibility on some micro level, I began leaving behind the perception of impossibility.
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[08:18] And I have not been the same since.
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[08:36] I have always believed that, and this is not just me saying it. I even went so far as to find proven evidence of this notion.
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[08:58] Studies have been conducted on this. A positive psychologist, Martin Seligman, wrote a book called Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being.
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[09:15] What he found is that engaging in activities that foster joy and creativity actually enhances our overall well-being. For me, simply entertaining the idea of what if was the first step in opening up more of the creative, joyful experiences that Seligman identified in his book as the cornerstones of happiness.
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[09:51] It can actually be very simple. It can be as easy as embracing our own unique sense of style. It can mean using our distinctive traits that make each of us uniquely beautiful, leveraging them in some way, and getting creative with them.
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[10:15] In fact, Dr. Kim Paul and Dr. Elizabeth Dunn from the University of British Columbia explored the relationship between self-care and happiness in their study Self-Care and Well-Being: The Role of Personal Appearance.
