Today, I want to take you to the other end of the spectrum.
Last Thursday, I stood in line at the post office waiting to speak to an attendant. In walks a young lady. Her hair was immaculate. Outfit was simple but on point. Skin was flawless and makeup, perfection. I'm in the post office pretty regularly and every once in a while, someone strolls in looking put together from head to toe.
These are the people who invest a bit more effort into their personal appearance routine. The people you notice immediately when they walk into a room. For the sake of this conversation. I'll refer to them as being glammed up. Glammed simply means that the individual has invested a bit more time and energy into their personal presentation. You can create your own definition of what that means for you. We all know how to look our best. But, chances are, we do it ONLY when the occasion calls for it.
But there are others, who make it a habit to look amazing on a daily basis. The people I'm referring to make this a way of life. So I asked myself....why would someone do that? Does it make sense to look your absolute best each and every day?
Before I get into the reasons why it could make sense for you, let me make it clear that getting glammed up is NOT something you have to do. It's a choice. And like all choices, there are pros and cons. At first, I wondered why anyone would place that much focus on looking good. But after getting to know and observing a few people who are glammed up on a regular basis, I can understand why they chose the glammed lifestyle.
Based on my observation, looking amazing could be very advantageous. Here are a few examples:
1. DRESSING WELL BRINGS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES. I sat in a success conference next to a guy and his girlfriend. The guy sat directly next to me and we chatted during the break over the things we had in common. He told me about his mastermind group and I shared with him ways he could achieve his intention of meditating daily. At one point he got up to make phone calls. To not seem rude, I introduced myself to his girlfriend. Let's call her Lacey. She was tall with a blonde pixie and rocked a bold red lip. Her look very similar to the image below. We started talking about why she attended the conference and what she wanted to create in her life. Within minutes of us chatting I picked up on some areas of self doubt and low confidence based on her communication and body language. Immediately, my mind switched to coaching mode. With her permission, we did some work to quickly identify the source of her resistance.
Lacey's story illustrates the nature of human behavior. We're visual creatures drawn by what we see. If you are (or want to be) in a business that involves a lot of 1 on 1 marketing/relationship building, looking your best will make it absolutely easier. Imagine....all you have to do is walk into a room and people will instantly start wondering who you are and what you do. Many will spark up conversation with you just out of pure curiosity. Attracting business leads will be a breeze.
I love to tell the story of how my friend broke into the Marketing Industry. She was working a normal job when in walks a woman who looked very different than their typical customer. My friend couldn't not let the woman leave the store without finding out more about her. Turns out this International Woman of Mystery owned her own Marketing company. They exchanged information and soon my friend entered the world of Public Relations and Marketing. From the woman's perspective. All she did was walk into a store looking her absolute best. Because of doing so, she was rewarded with an excellent hire. Honestly, if she had walked in looking like everyone else, their exchange would have been no different than any of the other customers and her business wouldn't have been positively impacted.
{Try this experiment. Go out looking a bit more put together than you would normally. Notice how people relate to you differently}
2. If you have high career aspirations, it's almost a requirement that you elevate your personal presentation. In the corporate world, you are assessed by (1) The quality of your work. (2). Your leadership potential (3) Your personal presentation. You best believe that when the higher ups talk about you behind closed doors, appearance could be a topic of conversation. Believe me. I've been a part of hundreds of talent management discussions and appearance is a factor. Think about it, you're assessed on how you present yourself on the day you were interviewed. What makes you think that it's not still happening?
I got into the workforce later than most and I had high ambitions. Because of this, I instituted the practice of planning my wardrobe for the week on Sunday. I wasn't making a lot of money so I had to get creative with my combinations. After a couple of weeks of doing so, the Director tells me, in a casual conversation, that I always dress so well. Truth was that I didn't always dress well. But after making the commitment to being intentional in my appearance, I was noticed. Over the next few years I received multiple promotions. Much of that had to do with my tireless work ethic. But, I also maintained a strict rule of never wearing jeans on casual Friday's and always out dressing my counterparts.
As I studied those women "who's bad days are considered other people's good days," the most interesting reason why one woman chose her glammed up lifestyle was to deal with her depression. 3. She understood the power of our external appearance and how it impacts our internal emotions. Plain and simple. If you look good, you'll feel even better. Case in point, several people cosigned with the arguments I made in the "paint your nails, change your life" post. If painting your nails can have that much of an impact, imagine how amazing it feels to present the best version of yourself each and every day.
In 2016, I'll be experimenting with getting fully dressed for work even when I have absolutely no where to go. My intention is to see what impact this has on my motivation levels, productivity and fearlessness. Could this simple tweak have a direct impact on my financial results? If so, I want in!
4. If you want to bring new people/new experiences into your life in 2016, getting glammed is probably the easiest way to do it. A friend of mine keeps herself on point at all times. People naturally gravitate to her. Anytime we meet up, she's always like "wanna go this event happing in a couple of hours?" Or "hey I just received a text to do this thing....wanna go with me?"
Anytime I meet with her, I have to ready for anything! There's always some get together, or networking opportunity that comes her way. One life lesson I learned from hanging out with her is that if I want to attract new people and experiences in my life, I have to dress for it! As a matter of fact, I secured my first speaking gig of the year because the opportunity came her way and I took full advantage. Perhaps in 2016, I'll be able to attract amazing experiences into my life just by making an effort to present myself as the type of person others are attracted to.
5. To feel comfortable being the center of attention. Actually, part of the reason why I choose to dress down is to avoid any unnecessary attention. Sometimes I just want to be in stealth mode, fading into the background. This notion of getting glammed goes against my desire to be completely invisible. But, I have to ask myself, "am I avoiding the discomfort of standing out in a room full of people?" "Does it make me uncomfortable knowing that I will automatically draw the attention of others simply by how I look?" If so, then I have to decide whether I want to continue holding on to this fear or if I wish to release it. Do I want to be the type of person who's just as comfortable in jeans and a tee as I am wearing my Sunday best on a Wednesday.
Again, you get to decide what glam means for you. There's no rule book. It's about looking and feeling your absolute best and enjoying the reward of doing so.
from Relaxed Hair Health http://ift.tt/1YWgdXT
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