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Dear Carrie & Danielle,

I first saw Style Statement on Gretchen Rubin’s “The Happiness Project” blog. I was fascinated and ordered the book as soon as it was available for pre-order.

The first thing I did with my copy was skim the Style Vocabulary. Elemental caught my attention, so I read the definition in full. As soon as I read the definition, I knew that Elemental would be one of my words; it was so very very me.

Finding my second word was difficult. Elemental covered too much! I had to dig deep to figure out what was missing. I originally overlooked Refined because it sounded too snooty and standoffish (sorry Carrie!). After doing the inquiry and reading through all the definitions, I realized that Refined was, in fact, the perfect word for me. It is true that Refined can be snooty and standoffish, but only at its worse. At its best, it describes those fundamental aspects of me that are not captured by Elemental. (I will also admit that the negative aspects of Refined fit me when I am at my worst.)

The most surprising revelation was realizing that Refined is my foundation word. Elemental was so perfect for me. Elemental Refined was my style statement for several days, but something felt wrong. I realized that Refined, with all of its punctuality, planning, and intentional living represented the core of my being. I had not been able to see that Refined was my core because I had not been in touch with that part of myself.

I am particularly fond of the combination Refined Elemental because both words have connections to rocks and minerals, something I have always loved but was not really thinking about during my inquiry.

Thanks for the great book,

Erika
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Dear Refined Elemental,

Isn’t it amazing what can happen when you dig a little deeper? You get to the truth…and it usually sets you free!

Your Style Statement story reminds me of one of the very first Style Statement book “testers” we had, Lyn. She was convinced that her Style Statement was going to be about being modern, contemporary, forward-thinking. At first glance, “Classic” felt too uptight. But like you, she kept her mind open and kept at it and the light bulb went off and it illuminated the best of her. She’s Classic Harmony.

As Refined Elemental, you must really love to get to the point, gracefully. And it’s a great balance because Refined also has a plan, and Elemental can go with the flow.

Shine on!

Much Love,
Carrie & Danielle