I walk into a suddenly crowded workout class. I set my cream colored Stanley down to hold my spot ... among all of the other 40 ounce pastel Stanley water bottles. We are all there, ready to hit our resolution in the expensive athleisure leggings and cropped tanks.

Except for the one lady in the corner. Paired with her leggings: a baggy t-shirt she got in a bar crawl a few years ago. I can tell because there's a bunch of establishments listed on the back and some tag-line rally cry for pounding a few drinks.

She's not a newbie. She's been in the class before, I've seen her. But she's not here for a fashion show. She isn't looking around the room to see if she's on trend. She is here to get her exercise in and get out.

I sat and stretched in admiration.

Before social media, I was the girl who wore my dad's old t-shirts to the gym. My dad's. Not even a boyfriend's t-shirt.

And I don't even remember how I went about wanting a coveted pastel Stanley, but I'm sure it's because I saw it scrolling across my phone on Instagram. New statistics just released within the last week show that more than 78% of marketers are using "influencers" on social platforms to sell their goods. Ellen DeGeneres made close to $34 million on Instagram!

We know this. We aren't oblivious. Whenever someone on Instagram or Tik Tok says "DM me for a link" or "go to my LTK" page, I know they're getting a cut... But do I want to be influenced? My bank account will show you, I am easily one click away from being influenced.

There's a very fine line between being influenced and being inspired.

When we are inspired, it's typically something we see or do that sparks creativity, tapping into our true selves - who we really are and who we really want to become. We create the energy we want to put out into the world. We see something beautiful and say: how can I take that beauty and mold it into what I truly love and enjoy?

Over the past few weeks, I've been wearing a vintage coat that I took from my grandma's closet after she passed. I don't know why I decided to dust it off and start wearing it. Maybe because it has nuances of current trends, like a fur collar and herringbone tweed in a mens wear inspired cut. It's probably 40 years old, but wearing it felt meaningful.

At first, I wore it to a few gatherings with friends just in case it looked ridiculous. But as soon as I entered the room, my friends pawed at the fur and gushed over the style.

"Thanks," I would tell them, "it's vintage."

Now every time I wear it out of the house, I get a compliment. And not just a throw away compliment. I can tell it's a style piece that stands out and sparks true adoration.

Vintage coat from my grandma's closet

So, considering we are halfway through January and I still haven't started my Whole 30 diet plan, I want my resolution in 2024 to focus more on what I love and not what society is loving at the moment. I want to buck the mainstream trend and go with what makes me feel genuinely me.

I want my home to look like I live there and not a carbon copy of what the top influencers are posting in pretty pictures. I want it to scream "That's so me!" And I want to clear out any clutter of things I bought while "under influence" (not that I was drunk).

To any influencers: keep on keeping on. I like to see what you're doing. I like to see if any of your posts inspire my own personal taste. And let me know how you're making money while doing this, because I'm fascinated.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to attend to a 5 year old who just asked me "Mom, can I have a Stan-wee water bottle?" But, I hope in this new year, you are happy, healthy and more "you" than ever.

2024: To be inspired, not influenced

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