I discovered Iris Apfel some years back and loved her gutsy way of life. I think I want to be like her when I grow up. Her birthday was on August 29th and I meant to post this then and didn't. I don't know if she is still living or not but knowing Iris... I'd put money on her still being around. (she was born in 1921)
I saw this (gee, I don't know what you call them, memes, graphics, what!) and wanted to share it with you. And, I edited (to make them shorter) her 10 rules for living a great life.
She always wears these Huge glasses and extra large gaudy accessories. But, the woman was famous in the textile world and had a contract with the White House that spanned over nine presidents!
1. Don’t obsess over your age
“I never think about my age. It’s just a number.
“Gettin’ old ain’t for sissies,” Apfel admits. But so what? “You start falling apart, but you just have to buck up and paste yourself together. You may not like getting older, but what’s the alternative? You’re here. Embrace it. I say put your experience to work, to give something back to other people.”
2. Pick a partner who celebrates your successes
“Everyone he ever touched knows he was truly a Gentle Man,” Apfel writes of Carl, who died in 2015 at the age of 100. “His humor and generosity were legendary. We did almost everything together. He pushed me into the limelight and then basked in my success. He got much more of a kick from the accolades I received than I did.”
3. When something excites you, go for it
“I never expected people to know my name or recognize my face. I never expected to be called a fashion icon. I never expected museums to exhibit my clothing and accessories. I never expected to be a cover girl or the face of a cosmetics company in my nineties....” Apfel writes. “I never expected anything. I just feel things in my gut and I do them. If something sounds exciting and interesting I do it. Most people would rather just go with the flow; it’s much easier. But it’s not very interesting.”
4. “To stay young, you have to think young”
If you want to stay young, you have to think young. Having a sense of wonder, a sense of humor, and a sense of curiosity — these are my tonic,” she says. “They keep you young, childlike, open to new people and things, ready for another adventure.
5. Care about your own opinion above anyone else’s
“If you have to be all things to all people, you end up being ‘nothin’ to nobody.′ The way I dress may be ‘different’ or ‘eccentric’ to some who feel the need to label, but that’s of no concern to me. I don’t dress to be stared at; I dress for myself. When you don’t dress like everyone else, you don’t have to think like everyone else.”
6. But don’t isolate yourself, either
'if you don’t try to be part of things, forget it. That’s when your originality is going to work against you. Fit in first and then step out. There is a difference between being perceived of as original and being accepted, even loved for it, and being perceived as different and resented for it. You can have your cake and eat it, too.”
7. Money doesn’t buy success
“If you’re happy, have found love, are surrounded by good people, doing what you like and giving back to others, that’s success.
8. Style is not about spending money
“It’s not what you wear but how you wear it.
“I’m just as happy to wear bangles that cost me three dollars as I am to wear valuable pieces — and I like to mix high and low, putting things together to wear as the spirit moves me. When you try to hard to have style, you look uncomfortable, If you’re uptight, you won’t be able to carry off even a seemingly perfect outfit. If that’s happening, I say abandon the whole thing. It’s better to be happy than well dressed.”
9. Start new endeavors with one small step
“You only fail if you do not try,” says Apfel.
“I never thought that I couldn’t do something because I was a woman. Sometimes you just have to take action, even if it is a small step. In my ninety-some years of walking planet Earth, I have applied this philosophy to living — and dressing — and it has never steered me wrong.”
10. Don’t pretend you are younger than you are
“There’s nothing wrong with wrinkles. When you’re older, trying to look years younger is foolish, and you’re not fooling anyone. When you’re seventy-five and you get a face-lift, nobody is going to think you are thirty,” she says.
(edited from CNBC.com)
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