Following FlyLady's BabySteps: Day 2

Empowered by our shiny sinks, my friend and I felt ready to tackle Day Two of FlyLady‘s BabySteps. Not sure what to expect, I hesitantly clicked on Day Two. “Get dressed to lace up shoes.” The instructions were simple, get up and get ready to go first thing in the morning, shoes and all. We had to laugh. This was something we both felt pretty confident that we could do.

I was curious as to why she used the word “lace up” when describing shoes. Luckily for me, I found the answer pretty easily by just perusing her website.

“Putting shoes on your feet that lace up are better than slip-ons or sandals, because they are harder to take off. Instead of kicking your shoes off for a quick snooze on the couch, you actually have to go to a bit more trouble. Maybe in that short instant you will realize that there is something more that you can do. With shoes on those feet of yours, your mind says "OK", it's time to go to work.” ~FlyLady

Ok, I can understand that concept. She also goes on to say that with shoes on your feet, you are ready to go in a moments notice. If you get a call from your child’s school to pick them up or a friend wanting to have lunch, you are ready to go, shoes and all. Whoa! She really lost me there. My inner skeptic was creeping in again. There is not a chance I would EVER, and I mean EVER wear lace up shoes in public. Here’s what FlyLady says about why wearing shoes is important.

“Several years ago I worked for a direct sales cosmetics company. One main rule for that company was that you could not make a single phone call in the morning unless you were totally dressed, and I mean really dressed! All the way to dress shoes. The reason behind this duty was that you act different when you have clothes and shoes on. You are more professional. The customer can tell when you don't feel good about the way you look. Even when you think you do. So if getting dressed makes that big of an impression on someone that can't even see you, then what is going to happen to those that can see you. Mainly yourself.” ~FlyLady

If the shoes are supposed to make me act different and feel better about myself, wearing lace up shoes is not going to do it for me. Let me break this down a bit. When I think of lace up shoes, I think of tennis shoes, nursing shoes, or orthopedic shoes. Since I am not a nurse or person in need of orthopedic shoes, I would be stuck with tennis shoes. UGH! I don’t wear tennis shoes. I don’t like the way they look. I think that the shoes make the outfit, and tennis shoes really don’t compliment any outfit.

This is my personal preference, but in an effort to give this program a chance I decided to do a little experiment. Maybe I was wrong, maybe you could look put together wearing lace up shoes. For all I knew, the whole world was running around in lace up shoes, and I was the freak. So, when I went to our local discount store to do my grocery shopping, I took 20 minutes before I walked in the store to people watch. I saw 122 women walk in the store in that time frame. Keep in mind, this was on Saturday afternoon when most people are dressed as they pleased, not for work. So…what did I learn?

• Contrary to what I believed, yes, people can look put together when wearing lace up shoes.
• At least 90% of the people wearing lace up shoes were wearing T-shirts or sweatshirts. Its not my style, and I’m sure its not the style of many women out there.
• I also saw that over half of the women did not have lace up shoes on their feet. So, I‘m not the only one who chooses not to wear laces.

Can I continue on with these BabySteps with out lace up shoes? I guess we are about to find out…..

DAY TWO - GET DRESSED TO LACE UP SHOES

I rolled out of bed at about 8:30. Before I did anything else, I showered, got dressed, did my hair and make up, and then I had to decide on my shoes. I don’t own any lace up shoes, so I opted for my knee high boots. I figured it was a comprise. FlyLady said that lace up shoes were not as easy to take off, and these boots would not be come off with out an effort. Quickly zipping up the boots and giving the mirror a grin, I realized that I was ready to go. Go where? I thought. Downstairs, I guess.

I have to admit, I was pretty excited to go downstairs to see my shiny sink. So, it goes with out saying that I felt disappointed to walk into the kitchen to find my sink littered with breakfast dishes. I didn’t hesitate though, I threw the dishes in the dishwasher and shined and dried the sink. I didn’t do it because I was wearing shoes though, I did it because I wanted to see the sink.

I texted my friend to make sure she was up and dressed, she was already out “dishing” with her family.

When we talked that night, we both were excited to tell the other that we still had shiny sinks. We agreed that even though the steps themselves may not seem that much, we felt a sense of accomplishment. Day Two complete!

Looking at the second day of BabySteps, I understand what the FlyLady is trying to accomplish with these first simple steps. Getting up and getting ready, DOES make you feel ready to tackle the day. A shiny sink, DOES give you a sense of accomplishment. Who knew?

The real question is….am I going to run out and buy some lace up shoes…absolutely not!