Don’t diminish who you are to fit into someone else’s box
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.
I will no longer diminish who I am.
So many people dim their light—not because they lack talent, passion, or purpose—but 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.
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, “I’m just this.” There is no just when it comes to your gifts.
This year, I choose to be all of me , I choose to be all of who I was born to be.
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.
Be careful who you surround yourself with
What I eventually realized is this: sometimes it’s not society alone that tries to shrink you—it’s 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.
That kind of environment can slowly dim your light.
The same applies to personal style. I am eccentric. I am expressive. I am overdressed—by design. The more I’m told to “keep it simple,” don’t wear to much makeup , the more I lean into being extra, because that’s who I’ve always been. Over-accessorized. Bold. Visually expressive. Even as a little girl, I looked at people and naturally envisioned their transformation — adjusting the hairstyle, the outfit, and the makeup — the full look, before anyone ever asked.
Creativity runs through my family—fashion, hair artistry, interior design and more —but so does something else: using our voices to defend, uplift, and empower others. Put all of that together, and this is who I am.
I am someone who empowers.
I am someone who believes that looking good and feeling good begins from the inside out.
And I believe this for you, too.
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—not to hide them, but to give them back to the world.
So if the people around you don’t celebrate who you are becoming, they may not be your people.
Who am I choosing to be this year?
As we step into this new year, I make a choice.
I choose to be who I was born to be.
I choose to be a woman of many talents.
I choose to dress boldly, love deeply, empower loudly, and live fully.
I choose not to fit
Dream so big that it scares you.
Set goals so big that they make your heart race and your mind question how. Those are the dreams worth pursuing.
But here’s the truth many don’t talk about: not everyone deserves access to your dreams. Some people won’t 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.
Don’t Shrink Yourself — Dream Bigger
Write your dreams down.
Put them on paper.
Place them where you can see them every day.
Now that I’m choosing myself — how do I live it out?
Read them when you wake up.
Repeat them before you go to sleep.
Speak them over yourself quietly and consistently.
Ask.
Believe.
Receive.
Dreams don’t 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.
A New Year, a bigger me
So this new year I invite you to
Don’t just choose to exist.
Choose to live.
Choose to be all of who you are.
And dream so big it scares you.
And remember to love who you are when you look in the mirror
I dedicate this article to everyone reading this and choosing to be themselves and a special thank you to Fatima Coello .
Yli Liriano
Fashion • Empowerment • Beauty
International Image Consultant | Personal & Fashion Stylist | Professional Makeup Artist
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