7 Awesome Ways Shoes Can Change Your Life ...

We all know what it’s like. You are either in-between jobs or struggling to get hired, and you feel pretty crummy about the world in general. Why won’t people see how fantastic you are? You ponder this while walking through the mall, when suddenly a pair of red patent heels catch your eye. Their sparkling red leather and high heel seem to say, "You! Yes, you! You’re awesome! Now buy us and wear us to that interview and we’ll make sure they hire you on the spot!" It’s a strange phenomenon, but some shoes just have a certain effect on your confidence, especially when it comes to work – they make you feel strong, professional and in control of what is happening in your life – or at least to your feet. Yes, the career heel effect is just one of the ways shoes can change your life.

Another heel effect I have discovered is the good-time heel effect. I’ll paint another word-picture: the weather is dreary, you’re tired from a long week, and the last thing you feel like doing is going out with your friends. You traipse heavily to the closet and whip open the door belligerently. Before you have a chance to harrumph at having nothing to wear, you spy an unopened shoe box in the corner. Wait a second, you think, aren’t they the shoes I bought on sale last summer? Have I even worn them yet? You reach down. Hope rises in your heart as you slowly open the box, and BAM! The brightly-colored high heel sits in the box, new and sparkly and singing to you of fun, exciting nights out and funny next-day stories. You slip them on and look in the mirror. Woah! Looks like it’s going to be a great night after all! Thank you, good-time heels!

While they might not have the punch and pizzazz of their good-looking cousins, high heels, sandals and flip-flops can have a wonderful effect on your life. Their strappy flatness means that your feet won’t be sore the next day, and a pretty, detailed pair of sandals look great with a pair of tailored shorts for a hot summer scorcher. Most of all, they help us to chill out and relax – slipping on a pair of sandals means it’s time to kick back and escape the troubles of everyday life. They might even mean you’re going on holiday!

OK, I’ll admit it, trainers aren’t the coolest choice of shoe around. They’re not even the prettiest. But hey, remember that guy who liked you in high-school who was kind of nerdy? Well, he’s a software/tech start-up/web billionaire now. Looks definitely don’t count for everything! Like a kind-hearted smart guy, trainers are good for you. They protect and nurture your feet, and getting a really good quality pair can be a great incentive to get out there and exercise like an Olympian, which is a sure-fire way you can significantly improve your health and happiness! So nerd-up, ladies!

There are some outings when the shoes you’ve bought are hurting you so much that you don’t think you can go on - but somehow, you do. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that those 6-inch spaghetti-stick-thin stiletto shoes you bought for $250 dollars were a bad idea – but man, do they teach you to deal with pain! After enduring a night of endless torture for the sake of beauty, you don’t feel quite the same. In fact, you actually feel a strange sense of achievement for making it through – after all, you came up against a great and painful challenge... and you won!

Whether it’s that perfect platform heel or the most breathtakingly beautiful strappy creation you’ve ever seen, we all know that moment. The instant where, after years of searching, you find your soulmate-shoe. It’s everything you’re looking for, it makes you feel complete, and you know with absolute certainty that once you are together, you’ll never be unhappy again... OK, so maybe that is a slight exaggeration. But nothing beats the moment you finally find a specific kind of shoe you’ve been on a quest for... I’m looking at you, soft, chocolate brown leather boots!

One of the awesome ways that shoes can change your life is by enabling you to be whomever you want to be. I know that I’ve talked about career heels and good-time heels, but this is something a little different. Shoes let grown women play dress up in a way – you want to be a swingin’ 1950s gal? Pop on those red Mary-Janes and hop to it! Fancy channeling your inner country music star? Get those cowboy boots on, girl! Whether you want to moonlight as a chic metal chick in combat boots or be en pointe and on-trend with nude ballet flats, shoes can make it happen!

Shoes are awesome because they let us have fun with life and inject our day-to-day routine with a bit of style and excitement – and who doesn't love that? Forget diamonds, it’s shoes that are a girl’s best friend! Do you have a fave pair of kicks or a great shoe-effect story? Let me know in the comments!