![\"Yli](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Yli-January-1-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"Choose")
<\/p>\nDon\u2019t diminish who you are to fit into someone else\u2019s box<\/p>\n
January is often about resolutions, reinvention, and new beginnings. But this year, I want to offer a different invitation: stop shrinking yourself to make others comfortable.<\/p>\n
I will no longer diminish who I am. <\/p>\n
So many people dim their light\u2014not because they lack talent, passion, or purpose\u2014but because they fear how being fully seen might be perceived. Society loves neat labels. One title. One lane. One box to check. But human beings were never meant to be that simple.<\/p>\n
If you are a makeup artist and a hairstylist, say it. If you are a doctor and a barber, own it. If your career, creativity, or calling includes more than one title, do not minimize yourself by saying, \u201cI\u2019m just this.\u201d There is no just when it comes to your gifts.<\/p>\n
This year, I choose to be all of me , I choose to be all of who I was born to be. <\/p>\n
For years, I hesitated to fully name who I am. I worried that if I said I was an International Image Consultant, a Personal and Fashion Stylist, and a Professional Makeup Artist, people would think I was full of myself. In reality, I was simply telling the truth.<\/p>\n
Be careful who you surround yourself with <\/p>\n
What I eventually realized is this: sometimes it\u2019s not society alone that tries to shrink you\u2014it\u2019s the people around you. And you must be very mindful of who you surround yourself with. Some people want to see you do well, but not better than them. Without realizing it, they encourage you to play smaller, dress quieter, speak softer, or dream less.<\/p>\n
That kind of environment can slowly dim your light. <\/p>\n
The same applies to personal style. I am eccentric. I am expressive. I am overdressed\u2014by design. The more I\u2019m told to \u201ckeep it simple,\u201d don\u2019t wear to much makeup , the more I lean into being extra, because that\u2019s who I\u2019ve always been. Over-accessorized. Bold. Visually expressive. Even as a little girl, I looked at people and naturally envisioned their transformation \u2014 adjusting the hairstyle, the outfit, and the makeup \u2014 the full look, before anyone ever asked.<\/p>\n
Creativity runs through my family\u2014fashion, hair artistry, interior design and more \u2014but so does something else: using our voices to defend, uplift, and empower others. Put all of that together, and this is who I am.<\/p>\n
I am someone who empowers.<\/p>\n
I am someone who believes that looking good and feeling good begins from the inside out.<\/p>\n
And I believe this for you, too.<\/p>\n
Never be ashamed of what you studied, what you practiced, or what you were born knowing what to do. Whether your gift was learned in school or placed in your spirit at birth, it is still valid. We are all given gifts\u2014not to hide them, but to give them back to the world.<\/p>\n
So if the people around you don\u2019t celebrate who you are becoming, they may not be your people.<\/p>\n
Who am I choosing to be this year? <\/p>\n
As we step into this new year, I make a choice.<\/p>\n
I choose to be who I was born to be.<\/p>\n
I choose to be a woman of many talents.<\/p>\n
I choose to dress boldly, love deeply, empower loudly, and live fully.<\/p>\n
I choose not to fit<\/p>\n
Dream so big that it scares you. <\/p>\n
Set goals so big that\u00a0 they make your heart race and your mind question how. Those are the dreams worth pursuing.<\/p>\n
But here\u2019s the truth many don\u2019t talk about: not everyone deserves access to your dreams. Some people won\u2019t understand them. Others may doubt them. And a few may project their own fears onto your vision. So sometimes, the most powerful move is silence.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t Shrink Yourself \u2014 Dream Bigger<\/p>\n
Write your dreams down.<\/p>\n
Put them on paper.<\/p>\n
Place them where you can see them every day.<\/p>\n
Now that I\u2019m choosing myself \u2014 how do I live it out? <\/p>\n
Read them when you wake up.<\/p>\n
Repeat them before you go to sleep.<\/p>\n
Speak them over yourself quietly and consistently.<\/p>\n
Ask. Believe. Receive. <\/p>\n
Dreams don\u2019t need applause to grow. They need faith, discipline, and repetition. Protect your dreams. Honor them. And trust that what is meant for you will meet you when the time is right.Because the dreams that scare you the most are often the ones that change your life the most.<\/p>\n
A New Year, a bigger me <\/p>\n
So this new year I invite you to\u00a0<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t just choose to exist.<\/p>\n
Choose to live.<\/p>\n
Choose to be all of who you are.<\/p>\n
And dream so big it scares you.<\/p>\n
And remember to love who you are when you look in the mirror\u00a0<\/p>\n
I dedicate this article to everyone reading this and choosing to be themselves and a special thank you to Fatima Coello .\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yli Liriano<\/p>\n
Fashion \u2022 Empowerment \u2022 Beauty<\/p>\n
International Image Consultant | Personal & Fashion Stylist | Professional Makeup Artist<\/p>\n
Stay connected with the heartbeat of Miami! <\/p>\n
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