Watching the encore of AFI Lifetime Achievement Award by TCM on July 31 honoring actress Diane Keaton, opened a window into the way I view myself.

Let me explain: Throughout the show, snippets of past interviews with Diane Keaton appeared on the screen displaying her iconoclastic, unconventional fashion style. Always polished, her shoulder length, straight, light brown hair peeking under her bolero hat and minimal make-up, she exudes confidence in her all white or all black pants suits. Talk about simplicity–in her quirky and incomparable dressing style, she is the epitomy of good taste and elegance.

I found myself comparing my wardrobe with hers. Seeing the effect the white blazer had on her appearance with an all white or white and black polka dots scarf, I began to doubt my own looks. With my ever present hot pinks and corals, not to mention the blaring absence of whites and blacks in the clothes I wear, I wondered if my style has the bombshell effect on people as I assume Diane’s has. Living in the tropics, there’s never a chance to wear her ever present turtleneck, long sleeves, and neckties. But as she talked about herself and her career, her inner light shone through. Was it her baggy yet slimming pant suit, or the self assurance that comes when you find yourself and you don’t give a second thought to what people will say?

At the end of the show, she got up and walked to the stage to accept her award. She was wearing a boxy, oversized white coat below the knee, puffed up as if she were wearing a dress from the 1800s. A black belt circled around her tiny waist, and black, low heeled, tie-up booties clashed with her elegant hat.

Defiance at its best.

Or fashion statements.

Or is it courage perhaps, to just be your absolute self before an audience of millions on national TV?

That was it. An admirable trait that suddenly tied in with my own doubts about the validity of my own uniqueness. Yes, she looked great in black and white, but would I?

Epiphany of the day: your appearance defines who you are and vice versa. Your signature look, if you have one, is a faithful expression of who you really are inside. It reflects your inner landscape. It shows you glowing–or wilting. It’s the compass that tells you–and others–where you stand.

So stand, and stand tall as you wear your eccentric self, while you watch your soul soaring through your true colors.