When I was in my 20’s, I never stopped to think about how I
was portraying myself to others. My
words, my actions, how I dressed or even how I carried myself. I think that is fairly common with most young
people though, they are too caught up in themselves. I know I was.
But later in life I learned that everywhere I go I am
portraying an image to other people.
Meaning, I am giving others reasons to make an assessment of me based on
my behavior, and from that, they are creating a belief in their own mind of who
I am. Now I don’t focus a lot of energy
on this matter, but I am very aware of it and how it plays a part in my life.
Spending the last eight and a half years in the mortgage
industry, I wanted to give off a professional image. I wanted people to take me serious and know
that I was indeed a professional at my craft.
So I dressed the part every day to match the image I wanted to portray. I was even careful how I looked if I went
somewhere on the weekends. If I came across
a potential client while out in public, I did not want their first impression
of me to be a bad one. I wanted to keep
my image up because I am a believer that our image is important.
A couple of years ago, I was having lunch at one of my
favorite places when I came across an old friend I had not seen in a while. He was a real estate agent and we started up a
conversation. At the same time I asked
him how his business was doing, I could not help but notice the ragged T-shirt
and worn cargo shorts he was wearing.
He told me business was extremely slow and that he was
looking at getting out of real estate. I
asked him if he was working today or did he have the day off. His answer shocked me! “No, I am working today, in fact I just came
from showing a property.” “In those
clothes?” I asked him. “Yeah,” he
said. “I don’t have to look good, I just
have to make the sale.”
Every day, no matter what we are doing, we are portraying an
image to those around us. Even if we
wanted to turn this part of us off, we could not. Our minds take an account of everything we
see and experience and from there, that information is logged into our memory
banks and put onto an audio / video file. My friend the real estate agent totally missed
the point that image is important.
Yes, I do have times where I completely dress down as if I
were going to the lake. I love those
days. But I am also aware that with this
style, I am still creating an image.
This is not a bad thing, but it is something that we need to be aware
of.
If you want to be taken serious, then you need to dress
serious. If you want people to know you
as an expert in your field, then you need to look like the expert in your
field. If your current image is not how
you want people to see you, then start today and change it. This is not about impressing anyone or making
a statement that says “hey look at me”, this about you, your life, your success
and how you want people to think of you.
Right now, today, what is your image? You are emanating one whether you realize it
or not. You might as well create one
that works for you rather than against you.
Have a great weekend and Fourth of July everyone, be
blessed.
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