What I know about hearing the word “no” or anything in its family-like it's siblings-rejection and failure, is that sometimes it can be the best thing that happens to you if you can fight the instinct to give up. I’m not talking about fighting the instinct to give up at the moment; sometimes, a good cry or temper tantrum is needed; trust me, I have misbehaved myself when things didn’t go the way I planned, and I wasn’t proud of my reaction, but I’m human. I’m talking about post misbehavior. The moments that come the following day, and in the middle of the night, and the day after and the day after that, when it still feels like the worst thing that has happened to you, that's when you must choose to use it as a catalyst to light a fire inside you to accomplish something better than you imagined. Or you can let it defeat you, but that option doesn’t seem like fun to me. 

This week we release the Elle Woods Collection inspired by our Legally Blonde protagonist. When Elle Woods's boyfriend breaks up with her, it seems like her world is ending, but as we know, that NO turned out to drive that feisty blonde to believe in herself. Imagine if she had married that bonehead. Who would she have become? Sidenote- That’s the funny thing about dating. The more you accomplish, the fewer boneheads you meet. Suddenly, the guy that looked so interesting before looks rather dumb, and a whole new world of intelligent, wonderful guys appears- I know that the easier road when we hear the word “no” is to give up and it’s ok to feel the pain or sting of rejection or failure but remember the best skill we can learn in life is to get used to the word no. That’s why we talk so much in our mission at KOCH about taking risks and dreaming bigger, and trying new things. We need to get used to “no’s” and failure, and we need to learn how to effectively react to it through perseverance and a deep, profound belief in ourselves. Every one of us can have a seat at the table, but we must effectively learn the skill of resilience. We must also understand that this means working on a timeline that can be dramatically different from the one we want- building something takes time, creating something of meaning is a process that has highs and lows, and it’s often something we put off in deference of hearing or feeling the pain of no again. 

My advice is to start now because you are going to wish you had started six months from now. Don’t wait for life to do things for you. If you can’t define and tell life what you want, how will it ever know what to give you? You have to have the ability to see it clearly in the future. What do you want for yourself in five years, and what are you willing to endure to get it? 

My biggest fear for people is their impatience when they don’t get what they want or when they hit a string of no’s. Look no further than Elle Woods to see that if you take the hard road and focus on the future of what you want, instead of the pain of the moment, a no can change your life for the better, even if you wear pink! I think that's what we all love so much about Elle Woods; it's not just that she overcame, but that she was the most unlikely candidate because of how she looked. 

I used to be very hurt by the word “no”, but now I look at it from a distance and try really hard to see what it’s trying to tell me. I try hard to see it as an advantage, a note from above telling me something I was unwilling to see clearly on my own. When you get a NO

Ask yourself these questions:

Do you really believe in this dream, and are you willing to work for it? 

Do you believe in yourself?

Do you believe in life?

And as Elle Woods famously said, “I’ll show you how valuable Elle Woods can be.”

So to all our KOCH girls, I say, “believe in your value because I do.” 

The Elle Woods Collection is finally releasing tomorrow, and it will sell out fast….grab our FAV Clueless Pink playsuit! The cutest Scotty Blazer paired with our Bondi Shorts, and don’t forget the Mills Tank Top underneath! And we have a new Elle Woods Pink Erica Skirt! My personal favorite is the KOCH Graffiti Cecilia Top!

To Kick off the collection we are having an Instagram Live at 5:00 PM CST with a giveaway of some of our KOCH crew’s favorite pieces. And it’s my birthday so tune in because I imagine I’ll be in a great mood and surprise you with some extra trivia and winnings! 

We also have our Tik Tok Tuesday! Join me at 4:00 PM CST!

Don’t forget to check out our game day collection! We have a few Noir Erica Skirts and Pixie Tops to match left in stock. We also have Red Stripe Erica Skirts and a couple Piper Tops left. And my favorite, the Nude Erica Skirt! Check it out and grab yours before the season starts and before it’s gone! 

Quote of the Week: "Look no further than Elle Woods to see that if you take the hard road and focus on the future of what you want, instead of the pain of the moment, a no can change your life for the better, even if you wear pink!" - Nicole Musselman

Podcast of the Week: Reese Witherspoon: Actress, Producer, and Hello Sunshine Founder