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There is an aphorism that says ´You never get a second chance to make a first impression´. Without a shadow of a doubt that message is true to the hilt. In the world we live today it is simply all about our public perception which does not necessarily equate to public deception.
Looking good all the time is good business, and the importance of our outward appearance cannot be overemphasised, which of course takes me back in time to a little experience of mine when I had an appointment with a publisher in a city called St Albans- a region on the East of England.
On coming out of the train station, suited up, looking my dapper best, I proceeded towards the venue of the appointment which my map indicated as roughly a six-minute walk from the station. My phone then rang, and whilst locked in a brief but intense conversation with an associate of mine, I somehow realised I had been fortuitously standing on a barren piece of land just of the high street, with some building contractors working away on another site adjacent to the one where I stood. Seeing me, one of the contractors-from whose accent I could deduce was Irish-approached and asked me politely if I was the one overseeing the property development for the barren sites in that area. Though naturally bemused with the question initially, it all made perfect sense later on when I was made to understand through further probing the construction workers had indeed been awaiting this ´property developer´s´ arrival. One thing was for certain though: Whoever he was, he sure wasn´t me. Humbly I apologised to my interrogator, assuring him I wasn´t their man, and then proceeded on my way amidst some silent giggles of my own.
That brief episode taught me a lesson in outward perception that day: Dress to match your aspirations. A very simple but powerful message which might not just sink in yet with my readers, but upon self-reflection we will come to realise the timeless truth behind that message.A message which one of my favourite non-fictional writers, Richard Templar, in his book ´Rules Of Wealth´ referred to as ´Sympathetic Magic´. Meaning, if we want to be successful in life, it is only logical we emulate successful people, or people we aspire to become; the way they think or would act in any given situation, and that of course includes our appearance and overall presentation. In the case of the construction worker who came up to me, perhaps seeing a man looking business-like in suit, and chatting away on his cell-phone was all he needed to be convinced ´beyond reasonable doubt´-though shallow in some people´s opinion- that I was a man of great importance at the time.
Whatever our opinions are, divided or otherwise, this is a reflection of the world we currently live in. Love it or loathe it, our image is everything, with the general standpoint being that a person´s outward appearance is most likely on a par with the individual´s personality. To support this notion, I have many a time seen individuals who have risen to the very top of the hierarchies within various organisations based on their overall charm, diction, and outward appearance, owing to the fact that they are perceived as having that particular image the companies they serve want to be associated with: ´Let´s get the image right first, and we'll sort out the know-how later´ seems to be their motto. The same reason some politicians or electoral candidates get more public appeal and vote of confidence at the expense of others, who either lack the charisma or right appearance, but unfortunately have been proven by history to be better qualified-in some cases-for the job.
The question we should ask ourselves today is ´Why should anyone accept me if I don´t accept myself by being well presented ?´.
So to all those sceptics and so called 'anti-self-conscious' disciples out there, who still think image is secondary...THINK AGAIN.
However, if you are like me and you're wary of being arrested by the 'Fashion Police' for crime against good dress sense and outward appearance, let´s get it together, and remain dapper.
Looking good all the time is good business, and the importance of our outward appearance cannot be overemphasised, which of course takes me back in time to a little experience of mine when I had an appointment with a publisher in a city called St Albans- a region on the East of England.
On coming out of the train station, suited up, looking my dapper best, I proceeded towards the venue of the appointment which my map indicated as roughly a six-minute walk from the station. My phone then rang, and whilst locked in a brief but intense conversation with an associate of mine, I somehow realised I had been fortuitously standing on a barren piece of land just of the high street, with some building contractors working away on another site adjacent to the one where I stood. Seeing me, one of the contractors-from whose accent I could deduce was Irish-approached and asked me politely if I was the one overseeing the property development for the barren sites in that area. Though naturally bemused with the question initially, it all made perfect sense later on when I was made to understand through further probing the construction workers had indeed been awaiting this ´property developer´s´ arrival. One thing was for certain though: Whoever he was, he sure wasn´t me. Humbly I apologised to my interrogator, assuring him I wasn´t their man, and then proceeded on my way amidst some silent giggles of my own.
That brief episode taught me a lesson in outward perception that day: Dress to match your aspirations. A very simple but powerful message which might not just sink in yet with my readers, but upon self-reflection we will come to realise the timeless truth behind that message.A message which one of my favourite non-fictional writers, Richard Templar, in his book ´Rules Of Wealth´ referred to as ´Sympathetic Magic´. Meaning, if we want to be successful in life, it is only logical we emulate successful people, or people we aspire to become; the way they think or would act in any given situation, and that of course includes our appearance and overall presentation. In the case of the construction worker who came up to me, perhaps seeing a man looking business-like in suit, and chatting away on his cell-phone was all he needed to be convinced ´beyond reasonable doubt´-though shallow in some people´s opinion- that I was a man of great importance at the time.
Whatever our opinions are, divided or otherwise, this is a reflection of the world we currently live in. Love it or loathe it, our image is everything, with the general standpoint being that a person´s outward appearance is most likely on a par with the individual´s personality. To support this notion, I have many a time seen individuals who have risen to the very top of the hierarchies within various organisations based on their overall charm, diction, and outward appearance, owing to the fact that they are perceived as having that particular image the companies they serve want to be associated with: ´Let´s get the image right first, and we'll sort out the know-how later´ seems to be their motto. The same reason some politicians or electoral candidates get more public appeal and vote of confidence at the expense of others, who either lack the charisma or right appearance, but unfortunately have been proven by history to be better qualified-in some cases-for the job.
The question we should ask ourselves today is ´Why should anyone accept me if I don´t accept myself by being well presented ?´.
So to all those sceptics and so called 'anti-self-conscious' disciples out there, who still think image is secondary...THINK AGAIN.
However, if you are like me and you're wary of being arrested by the 'Fashion Police' for crime against good dress sense and outward appearance, let´s get it together, and remain dapper.
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