“I only want people around me who do the impossible.” — Elizabeth Arden.

Elizabeth Arden wasn’t just a pioneer in the world of beauty—she was a force of nature. A visionary who, despite starting with just one salon on Fifth Avenue, built an empire that became synonymous with elegance and innovation. With this quote, she crystallized a powerful philosophy: surround yourself only with those who break boundaries, rewrite rules, and transform dreams into reality.

It’s a lesson that extends far beyond the beauty industry. It’s a way of approaching life that speaks to anyone looking to achieve greatness. Because the people you surround yourself with can either elevate or eclipse your potential.

 

The Art of Curating Your Inner Circle

 Think of your closest friends and colleagues as your personal advisory board, influencing your every move. Are they pushing you to think bigger, dream wilder, and embrace the impossible? Or are they playing it safe, trapped in a cycle of mediocrity and self-doubt?

In Arden’s world, there was no room for complacency. She wanted to be challenged, to be surrounded by greatness—and so should you. After all, who you choose to keep close has a direct impact on how high you’ll rise. The people in your life should embody excellence, whether they’re redefining the boundaries of art, science, entrepreneurship, or simply encouraging you to see life from a bolder perspective.

 

The Problem with Negativity: Why the “Naysayers” Need to Go

This isn’t just about collecting accolades or achievements. It’s about preserving the energy that fuels you. In every circle, there are those who delight in doubting, who pour cold water on every idea, and who see challenges only as dead-ends. While there is value in grounding influences, chronic negativity is toxic. It limits your possibilities, shrinks your ambitions, and ultimately stifles your growth.

If you’re truly committed to claiming life—to making the most out of every day, every opportunity, and every experience—you must be ruthless in cutting away what no longer serves you. Release the people who bring nothing but skepticism and doubt. Their inability to see beyond the present shouldn’t shape your future.

 

How to Curate a Circle of “Impossibilities”

To be in the company of greatness, you have to seek it out intentionally. Start by asking yourself: What does my current circle say about me? Here’s how to elevate your social circle:

 

1.Seek Out the Innovators

Identify those who are carving their own paths. They could be a startup founder pushing boundaries, an artist breaking new ground, or a colleague whose work ethic defies the status quo. Be where they are and learn from them.

2.Find Your Intellectual Matches

Look for individuals who stimulate you, challenge you, and make you reconsider what you thought you knew. It’s the conversation after the party, the late-night brainstorming, the person who asks, “Why not?” instead of “Why?”

3.Embrace Those Who Inspire Action, Not Just Ideas

Dreamers are wonderful, but doers are essential. You need people who don’t just talk about change, but who make it happen. Surround yourself with those who are already living out the “impossible” in their own lives.

 

 Where Elegance Meets the Impossible

The truth is, redefining the impossible isn’t just about grand achievements. It’s about a lifestyle.

It’s the woman who navigates her career with grace, the entrepreneur who reinvents herself in the face of adversity, and the artist who dares to color outside the lines.

Elegance and excellence aren’t just ideals—they are actions, embodied. Like Arden, today’s modern muse seeks inspiration that transcends the ordinary. She surrounds herself with people who turn the improbable into the inevitable and make the difficult look effortlessly chic.

This isn’t about perfection—it’s about perseverance, a belief that anything can be achieved with the right mindset and the right company.

 

Release, Reimagine, Redefine

 Imagine the power in letting go—of the doubters, the naysayers, the energy-drainers.

As with every true style evolution, it starts with an edit. Cut the clutter and curate a life that reflects who you aspire to be. Release the ordinary, and make space for the extraordinary.

Let go of those who only bring shadows of doubt to your brilliance.

When Elizabeth Arden set her sights on redefining beauty, she faced her share of skeptics. But she pressed on, surrounding herself with those who saw beyond limitations. She lived not just to create a beauty brand, but to transform the lives of women worldwide. And it all started with the people she chose to keep around her.

 

In the end, claiming life means choosing your company as carefully as you choose your wardrobe: refined, inspiring, and always a cut above.

 

 So here’s to surrounding yourself with greatness, to becoming a woman of the impossible, and to living a life that’s elegantly, unapologetically claimed.

Love Amanda