Rejoicing is grounded in gratitude, with a keen appreciation for yourself, others, your abundance, and the beauty around you.
Reconnect to what makes you happy and brings you Joy. If there is something that used to make you happy which you have stopped doing, do it again. Seek to find deeper meaning and significance rather than living on the surface.
Are you managing your energy well and using it for things that matter? Do you stop to recharge before you push yourself to critically low levels? Unplug to recharge.
When employees are fully engaged, they produce, contribute, and perform at higher levels. As a result, re-engaged team players bring more value to their companies and empower a positive culture.
Reconnect with who you truly are and what you really want rather than letting the outside world determine it for you. Reconnect with your purpose and your passion to know if your actions are helping you to achieve it.
When you yearn to create positive change, stop focusing on your old stories. If you hope to transform your life from the inside out and become a new improved version of your former self, refocus on what you want rather than what you don’t
Recovery is the affirmative outcome you’ll enjoy once you have moved through a setback and arrived on the other side. The sooner you find ways to achieve solutions for recovery, the faster you will regain vitality, hope and well-being.
It’s one thing to set a goal. It’s another, however, when you get so caught up in the details that you neglect to review your progress. Reevaluation enables you to improve your aim to ensure you hit your target.
What crucial conversations need to be readdressed in your personal and professional relationships in order for you to gain peace, clarity, and resolution? Create the space in your life to readdress what needs to be given hope for healing.
Desire. Enthusiasm. Purpose. Pleasure. Delight. Peace. Power. However you define passion, it is at the heart of your motivation.
Feeling passion fuels your spirit and feeds your joy.
Passion is a catalyst for action and provides you with the emotional stamina to stick with it, regardless of the obstacles.
Every day should have threads of passionate pursuits within it.
What turns you on, tunes you in, and lights your fire?
When passion is lit, the fire permeates your being with the positive expectation that all is well and everything will turn out great.
To be truly satisfied that your life is well-lived, the object of your passion is something you feel you must be, do, or have. What lights your fire?
Passion is not just about the object of your focus or desires—it is the compelling emotion, fulfillment, and intense enthusiasm that it engenders.
Are you impressed when you meet people who are filled with passion and conviction? Their energy is contagious and can make us all want “some of what they’re having!
When a person exudes passion, it is evident that they love what they are doing. Their passion projects an aura of confidence and decisiveness.
Sharing your passion with others will not only enlighten them to your dedication and commitment, it can enable you to garner their participation, collaboration, cooperation, and endorsement.
When we are deeply passionate about something, the obstacles or challenges are diminished by sheer will and desire.
When you want something badly enough, it does not matter whether it is going to be easy. The passion will push you forward.
When people are not passionate about their goals, everything is more of a struggle.
Passion is the fire that gets us moving and keeps us motivated regardless of what roadblocks impede the way.
When your passion is aligned with your purpose, you are unstoppable! It is in that zone of high octane congruence that you are turned on and “cooking with gas.
Passionate people are great about discovering what lights their fire and going for it. They might be encouraged by others who share their passion, but they don’t rely on others to tell them what they need to do or how they need to do it.
Think of the people whom you love, like, trust, and admire. Isn’t their integrity the golden thread which elevates them to a higher standard in your eyes and in your heart?
1. “Being able to depend on a person’s integrity lays a solid foundation for a relationship built on trust, both in business and in life.
7. “When a foundation is built following sound structural principles, with solid, high-quality materials, anything that is layered on top is more secure, durable, and resilient. Your integrity works the same way.
When a foundation is built following sound structural principles, with solid, high-quality materials, anything that is layered on top is more secure, durable, and resilient. Your integrity works the same way.
As with construction, your personal integrity is the firm foundation upon which you can build a strong character, rewarding life, and healthy relationships.
Through change and challenge, if our personal foundations are built with quality virtues of character and integrity, we are more resilient, healthy, and ultimately more impressive.
Throughout the history of mankind, the virtues embraced by humanity have remained true, unwavering, and consistent.
While many may claim that these virtues are old-fashioned, they are essential materials for building a solid and worthwhile foundation for your life that will never go out of style.
Our modern-day society is often so consumed with external appearances that living a virtuous life may sound boring and dull. However, the love and beauty that lies deep within the human spirit resonates with plain and simple goodness.
Integrity, once tarnished, or broken, is hard to recover.
While having a strong character foundation may not sell newspapers, increase TV ratings, or make a person famous, it’s essential for building a life that is meaningful and matters.
Have you ever known a person who was highly intelligent, yet their lack of character destroyed your impression of them? Even though they may have been accomplished, articulate, and knowledgeable, their words became impotent and irrelevant.
Making money and being prosperous is a wonderful place to be, but not at the expense of your ethics, integrity, and reputation. It is simply not worth it. It nixes any chance of creating trusted working relationships.
Authentic people are instantly more likable and trustworthy, which makes building rapport with them a pleasure.
We crave real people and are delighted when we find them.
Own your truths—all of them. Be honest. Be genuine. Be straightforward. Be refreshing!
Allow your natural personality to shine through without pretending to be someone you’re not, or you may be stuck with that label forever.
Walking in alignment with your integrity will help you stay on the right track.
There is a reason that the words natural, wholesome, and organic resonate throughout our culture today. Aim to be natural and truly who you are one-hundred percent of the time.
We’ve all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to contribute.
Sometimes we meet folks who appear rather plain, yet when they speak from a heart of service, love, compassion, and wisdom, they instantly become respected favorites.
Authenticity is the litmus test for the honesty, transparency, and trust which are necessary for healthy relationships.
Authenticity respects the ebb and flow between positive and negative. The people who really know you will understand that you are not always going to be in a happy place and an occasional bad mood is acceptable.
By authentically sharing when things aren’t right you allow the people you care about to offer the support you may need.
Living in alignment with your true self enables you to cultivate transparency and unshakable authenticity.
Admittedly, there will be times when you must interact on a superficial level and adjust your behavior to fit in, go along and get along.
Not everyone is always going to like you. What impresses one person may turn another away. To thine own self be true.
Interestingly, being yourself allows others to be themselves. Even with crazy imperfections, being a bona fide genuine person is the best any of us can be—messy flaws and all!
Authentic people are so comfortable in their own skins they make us more comfortable in our own.
She is so secure in her beautifully imperfect self that she would welcome you with open arms, no judgment, and complete acceptance.
Do you generally feel uncomfortable around people whom you perceive to be perfect? Is there really such a thing as the perfect person? Of course not! Our flaws are often what differentiates us from each other, and no person is perfect.
I am a recovering perfectionist, and like all in recovery, I do better some days than others!
Authenticity isn’t just about saying “this is who I am”—it is also about being flexible enough to recognize and appreciate the uniqueness in others—honoring the mutual respect for being authentic and true.
Why did I think that the mask was a better portrayal than my authentic self? We can get hidden under layers of illusion, can’t we?
As a young girl, I allowed my self-esteem to be determined by others’ opinions, and I devoted incredible energy tuning into how everyone else felt.
As a lifetime people pleaser, I remember trying to mold myself into the person I thought other people wanted me to be—all for the sake of being liked and accepted. It caused more pain than gain.
Do you really want people to like you for something that you’re not? It takes a lot of energy to pretend to be someone else for the sake of pleasing others.
Your integrity is your personal code of honor and has the power to build your reputation or destroy it, establish credibility or crumble it—in one swift move.
Your personal integrity, defined as being honest and having strong moral principles, communicates whether (or not) you can be trusted.
Life’s most amazing moments between people are built on trust, communication, acceptance, and love.
The days of the pushy salesmen and self-serving narcissists are over. That type of behavior quickly alienates and pushes people away because it offends and can’t be trusted.
People must believe that you are real and are who you say you are, otherwise they will not want to do business with you, much less make the effort to move forward in starting and building a relationship.
When I meet someone who is truly genuine, I am drawn to their personality and find them easier to approach, engage, and interact with. They have no hint of false pretense, nor do I worry about hidden agendas.
Healthy self-esteem rests upon a strong foundation of core values and an inclination to act and speak in alignment with those values.
Take deliberate steps to retrain your brain and turn your inner critic into an enthusiastic, devoted fan.
Focusing your energy on the things you don’t like about yourself is self-sabotage and defeating. When you re-direct all that energy into a more positive direction, you will feel the shift instantly to improve your self-esteem and attitude.
It is hard to earn the respect of others when you do not respect yourself. Others may find it difficult to enjoy your company if you do not enjoy your own.
Popularity does not equal respect. It is not only kids who will do what they think they must to fit in and be popular—adults do it too.
Wouldn’t you rather have the respect of your friends and colleagues than succumb to pressure to do and say things that are out of character in order to feel accepted? You can overcome this habit simply by learning to say “no.
Become your own best friend—smile and say “I love you” to yourself occasionally.
Living in integrity with one’s principles that are held in high regard engenders respect—both from others and self.
It is human nature for self-doubt to occasionally creep in and take up residence. It happens to even the most successful people among us.
We all go through times of self-doubt, times when we may question our abilities and hope we can live up to the expectations of others.
With an objective eye, take an inventory of your successes and enlist the honest feedback of a trusted and respected mentor or peer. Chances are they see you in a better light than you see yourself!
Be mindful to love and appreciate yourself and become your own champion. This healthy and loving relationship will be felt when people meet you.
Being healthy, balanced, and positive is key to making a positive first impression. How you feel about yourself sets the tone for how other people feel about you too.
A high self-esteem can quickly deteriorate into egotism, arrogance, and an over-confidence that can backfire and turn people off.
Your healthy self-esteem is one of the most significant and powerful drivers in your life. It drives your perceptions, attitudes, opinions, relationships, communications, and your decisions.
When you feel great about you, personal qualities radiate that make you more attractive and compelling to others.
Healthy self-esteem is a commanding and powerful influence, so isn’t it worth diving in deeper to ensure that you do everything possible to make your sense of self healthy, beneficial, and whole?
While developing a healthy self-esteem is a lifetime learning process, you can take daily steps to enjoy a confident sense of well-being beginning tody.
Your inner critic is that voice in your head that second-guesses your choices, doubts your abilities, judges your appearance, criticizes you at every turn, and tries to convince you that you are never good enough.
Demoralizing self-talk leads to a self-destructive mindset, making everything in life more difficult. Not only that, how you feel about yourself oozes out of your pores and makes a bad impression on others.
We all can give in to our inner critic. I don’t know about you, but I would never allow anyone to speak to me the way I speak to myself! I wouldn’t be their friend!
If you wouldn’t want to hang out with someone who was constantly bashing you with a barrage of belittling insults, why would you allow them to live in your head?
You can take your power back and silence the criticism and lies NOW!
Notice what your inner critic is saying, and issue a cease and desist! Regain control. Resist, and refuse to listen.
Helping another person will instantly shift your energy. As you go from being self-absorbed to focusing on others, miracles seem to happen. And incredible impressions are made.
Love is not only one of the greatest blessings in your personal life, but when it is extended professionally, the possibilities are endless.
When you graciously accept something from someone else, you are giving to them in return. By accepting their gift, you’re allowing them to act upon what is in their heart.
Begin asking how you may be of service and you will soon discover that the true gift is in your giving.
When in doubt, give it out. Regardless of what is happening in your life, there is always someone else worse off that needs your help.
Love is the universal language that transcends countries, borders, barriers, and differences.
Doesn’t it feel great when someone does something nice for you? Especially when you’re not expecting it? The irony is that they are getting as much joy by giving as you are by receiving.
It’s simple. You enrich your life when you enrich the lives of others.
You and I may have never met, but I already know so much of what you want: to be happy and feel valued. We all want love, connection, respect, confidence, health, vitality, passion, kindness, and success.
You and I may have never met, but I already know much of what you want in your life: to be happy and feel valued. We all want love, connection, respect, confidence, health, vitality, passion, kindness, and success.
For others to be generous it requires that a person accept their generosity for the cycle to be completed.
When you come to life from a heart of service, you may be surprised by the blessings you will receive in return.
If you’re always taking, you will inevitably experience resistance and struggle. Without realizing it, you may be creating a firewall that is blocking you from receiving exactly the things you most desire.
If you can establish yourself in the community as a giver, those people with whom you associate yourself will extend your branding far beyond you.
Love can extend far beyond the people whom we know and it makes us a part of something much greater than ourselves.
Passion gives you direction. It serves as an inner compass that links you to action.
When you choose a career that is aligned with your passion, the work becomes irrelevant because anticipation and fulfillment can outweigh everything.
When employees lack passion, it is nearly impossible to deliver excellent customer service. Doesn’t it make you less inclined to want to do business with them as well?
When an employee, a team, or a company is passionate about their products and services, I am more inclined to bring them my business. Aren’t you?
It can’t be taught to all, but people who deliver exceptional work, merely by relaying their passion through what they say and do in the workplace, are priceless.
When employees are motivated and love what they do you will see higher productivity, less turnover, healthier communication, increased loyalty, and a happier environment.
Put the right people in the right positions to ensure their personal strengths and talents are being utilized and appreciated.
If you want to improve performance and productivity, set a vision that inspires and delights.
I simply needed to excavate passion lost by being resilient, resolving the blockages, and healing. As soon as I did, the passion, and joy, burst forth.
Think about the things in life that elicit passion in you and make you happy.
Do you have a dream or desire that is burning a hole in your soul? Something that lights your fire and brings you simple pleasure?
Passion is at the heart of your motivation. Let it fuel your spirit and feed your joy. It is your catalyst for courageous pursuits—and it will provide you the stamina to stick with it.
Love is one of our most profound emotions and enduring qualities for living a life that matters.
This feeling of warm personal attachment and deep affection is what connects, unifies, and binds our humanity.
Approaching others with a loving heart enables you to be more caring, compassionate, and empathetic. What’s not to love about that?
Do you genuinely love people? Or at least make an effort to like them? Your first impressions will be made easier and more successful when you start with your heart.
Dignity is a quiet strength which reflects your deep honor and self-respect. It is a gracious pride without narcissistic projection and portrays a calm awareness and generosity of spirit regardless of the environment or circumstances.
You will be stuck with you for the rest of your life so learn to be your own best friend. Take a moment, look at yourself in the mirror, and say, “I love you.” It feels awkward at first. Do it anyway. Begin a great friendship with YOU!
Do you see dignity & grace as a state of emotional and spiritual being or a physical projection of courage and class? Perhaps they describe both.
The radiance of dignity and grace creates a profound elegance which exists whether anyone is watching or not.
Likened to “still waters run deep,” a dignified person is able to call upon their wisdom and experience to discern a situation and expertly navigate it with grace.
Grounded by healthy self-esteem and personal self-worth, this admirable character quality can inspire awe and reverence.
Dignity is an inherent value and human virtue which represents the best of mankind.
Dignity is a gracious pride without narcissistic projection. It portrays a calm confidence and awareness regardless of the environment or circumstances.
In spite of the circumstance, a person who abides in dignity and grace will use the lessons learned as ballast for their ship as they sail through stormy waters—taking the wisdom gained from life and using it to anchor their confidence.
Gracious pride is a powerful motivator and an exceptional quality. It drives a person to strive for excellence, keep promises, not give up, be more resilient, maintain optimism, and hold their head high while enduring challenge and change.
With awareness and practice, even the most awkward people can learn how to be both fluid and purposeful in their bearing.
A wonderful place to start is to seek role models who exemplify this way of being and try their style on for size.
Grace is an attitude of generosity toward our fellow humans. We are not easily offended and do not look to judge and label others. With a spirit of graciousness, we are amiable, benevolent, and charitable.
Dignity impacts everything in your life. It affects the quality of your internal world for how you see, feel, and think about yourself.
Dignity impacts the quality of your external world in your relationships, communications, and interactions.
Dignity impacts how you are perceived and received when making a first impression.
Identify confident people whom you admire and respect and notice what they do differently to project such confidence. Learn by observing role models.
Walk the talk and project confidence. If at first you don’t feel confident, fake it until you make it.
Yes, learning curves can be painful, exhausting, trying, scary, and intimidating. How did you learn to ride a bike? One pedal, one balance, one turn, and one step at a time.
Confidence is not a goal or a final ending point where you arrive and then stop once you reach it. Rather, it is the satisfaction and reward you achieve by stretching to, and beyond, the best of your abilities.
Building self-confidence is like building a muscle. Your confidence grows in response to your intensity of usage and the level of performance you require from it. If you don’t use it, you may lose it. Stretch, flex, life, and build!
You will build confidence by continuing to put yourself into new and innovative situations where you can learn new skills, grow your education, test your strengths, and improve your abilities.
Steer clear of negativity and set boundaries so that when people bring it on, you can engage your force-field to deflect their distracting energy.
As you jump new hurdles, you gain greater confidence. Confidence can be achieved like any other practiced skill.
Just because you may not feel confident about doing something now does not mean you will not master it later with ease.
Building confidence is an ongoing process and something that can be accomplished over time.
“Self-confident people are mindful about spending their time, energy, and interests on things that truly matter.
Just because you don’t know how to do something now does not mean you can’t learn how to do it later.
If you are lacking confidence in something, just keep trying and don’t give up.
Nurture a balanced perspective and don’t “sweat the small stuff.
Get outside your comfort zone. Stretch beyond your norm and try new things.
Set goals to create a clear sense of purpose and direction.
Embrace change and practice flexibility. It will make you more agile in adapting to new people and situations.
Dress confidently in clothes that make you feel great about yourself. When you look better you feel better.
If you want to appear more confident—speak slowly, articulately, clearly, and deliberately. Communicating with clarity will not only help you build more confidence in yourself, but it will inspire respect from others.
Use your body language and posture to project confidence. Shift your physiology into a more powerful pose or position and your mindset will follow.
Think and act positively by focusing on the positives in yourself, other people, and situations.
Self-confident people take the initiative to move forward in the direction of their dreams.
Self-confident people don’t make their self-esteem, self-image, happiness, or self-confidence dependent on another person’s approval, validation, or acceptance.
Self-confident people are proud of their accomplishments, but can remain humble without bragging.
Self-confident people face their fears head-on and are willing to take risks.
Self-confident people Know that obstacles are only temporary setbacks.
Self-confident people tend to be optimistic thinkers and focus on the positives.
Self-confident people are mindful about spending their time, energy, and interests on things that truly matter.
Charisma and charm are endearing qualities which go hand in hand to make others feel “lighter, happier, and a little in love” when they are around you.
People with the gift of charm exude a delightful demeanor—an attractive likability that enwraps you in their warmth.
When they are authentically engaged, their positive impressions create memorable moments and leave a lasting impact. Physical beauty becomes irrelevant because their exuberance and engagement bring out the beauty in you.
People who exude genuine charm & charisma seem to possess a heightened sensitivity to the feelings of others—delivering gentle manners, gracious compliments, and sincere interest.
They emanate an essence of caring, love, and compassion towards the people they know, and generously extend their aura to the new people they encounter.
Their engaging manner is grounded in consideration as they seek to get along well with others. People who exhibit charisma and charm are also said to be alluring, bewitching, captivating, magnetic, fascinating, enchanting, and seductive.
Charisma (presence, poise, magnetism) and charm (enchantment, attraction, fascination) are behaviors which can be learned and practiced.
These people do exist and are a pleasure to know. Their keen communication skills are attentive to what you want, what you are thinking, saying, or not saying. They want to hear how you are and what you’ve been up to.
The key is to keep charisma and charm positive and underpinned with sincere and good intentions.
While it may seem to be a mysterious, ineffable quality—charisma is enhanced and enriched by a person’s attitude and confidence, their aims and optimism, expressive body language, and natural effervescence.
Your charisma and charm can make your moments more memorable for amazing first impressions.
What do confidence and command look like when you see them? Moving one step past a healthy self-esteem, they project an air of authority, respect, and deliberate intention.
Developing a commanding presence is essential for leadership and a powerful impact.
There can be a fine line between being confident and cocky.
True confidence is not something that can always be determined by a first impression. It may take a few interactions to detect whether a person is full of false bravado or if they are the “real McCoy.
Their confidence gives those they lead the assurance that their words and their actions are reliable.
We tend to listen to the people who believe in their own words as opposed to those who don’t. When we feel their conviction, they earn our buy-in.
Even something as simple as ending a sentence with the tone of a question mark rather than a period can diminish a person’s authority and credibility.
When you feel low self-confidence, it is usually the result of the negative thoughts your inner critic whispers in the darkness of your mind.
If your self-talk leans toward the negative, the continual bashing will become debilitating
Notice when negativity spins in your head and disrupt it immediately before it has a chance to take hold and stick.
Even the smartest and most successful of people will experience lower self-confidence occasionally, but the difference is that they deliberately shift out of it and refuse to stay there.
Confidence is silent, humble self-assurance. Moving one step past a healthy self-esteem, confidence projects an air of authority, trust, and respect—a commanding, respected presence.
We prefer to be around others who bring out the best in us and make us feel good, don’t we? Customers want to do business with people who make them feel valued, appreciated, and happy.
Bringing a great attitude with positive energy is one of the best strategies you can have for your personal and professional success. Matching our energy with another person’s will help us build rapport and relationships more easily.
ASK YOURSELF: Who are the people you are drawn to who bring out the best in you? How do they make you feel? Is your positive energy doing the same thing for others?
Upbeat people make us feel appreciated, important, and fantastic. These are the folks who expand and warm us with their positive energy.
The Broaden-and-Build Theory in Positive Psychology suggests that positive emotions initiate upward spirals of positivity which contribute to our optimal well-being. It is no wonder positive people are more likely to make a positive impact!
People who cast a negative energy can make us feel doubtful, devalued, and disrespected. In response, we contract and are left cold as our awesome energy evaporates in their shadow. Downward emotional spirals ensue.
How we feel with someone—if they improve our mood or cause our heart to sink—can determine the health of the relationship. How do you feel around them? It’s a simple measurement tool.
Emotion is energy in motion; therefore, different states of mind, perceptions, and feelings can all result in different electromagnetic frequencies. How can you elevate your enthusiasm and energize your life?
What saps your energy and drains your strength? If it makes you feel bad on the inside, it will make those around you feel bad too! Don’t be the energy vampire whom people want to avoid.
Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy. Having desire, vision, and focus will help you turn your bus in the right direction, and positive energy is needed to take you where you want to go.
Guard your energy by setting boundaries, just saying ‘no,” and limiting your interactions with people who drain you. The measure—how do they make you feel?
Access your joy within; feel and focus on it, allowing it to expand to fill your entire being.
Use positive affirmations to shift your mindset and re-train your brain for positivity.
Be in the Now Moment—don’t squander your energy on a past you can’t change or a future which has not yet happened.
How can you showcase your unique expertise, valuable experience, and strong education without sounding egotistical?
A quality education prepares you to make a living, make better choices, and have more doors open as you build a solid life.
Take your place among experienced professionals by focusing on ways to learn, grow, and succeed.
If you were to spend your own time and money to hire a consultant, coach, or trainer, wouldn’t it give you more confidence knowing that they have “walked the talk” and have vast experience with what they are teaching?
By establishing a strategic online presence through your website, social media, keywords, meta tags, and Google AdWords, the world may discover your expertise and “beat a path to your door.
Put in the time. To position yourself as an expert, practice, apply, experiment, volunteer, and work within your area of knowledge to deepen your own understanding as you build real-life experience.
When you have paid the price, earned the right, and done the homework to be called an expert, people perceive you differently.
Your expertise can elevate your impressions to bring you to an entirely new realm.
Your body language continuously communicates for you, whether you are aware of it or not. Are your intended messages being well conveyed?
One of the most compelling things about you is the energy you put forth—whether it is positive, negative, or neutral. And that is only the beginning.
The way you walk, talk, stand, and carry yourself sends messages to others that can attract or repel, encourage or discourage, and impress or depress.
Using your body language to your advantage can not only improve how others perceive you, but can raise your own levels of confidence, competence, and self-esteem.
Being mindful of your body movement, facial expressions, voice tone, gestures, orientation, postures, and touch will help you project personal excellence for transforming your communications with others.
We live in a universe made up of energy. The energy that binds, as it whirls and swirls physical atoms, exists at varying levels of vibration and frequency.
Science proves that what appears to be solid is simply moving at a slower rate. Whereas, what is moving, grooving, and flowing, has a higher rate of vibration. We as humans work the same way.
You know when you feel good and you know when you feel bad. As a result, you are experiencing and displaying a wide range of energies, aren’t you? Some bring you up, while some bring you down. Start paying attention to your unique energy.
The difference between a positive attitude and a negative attitude can be measured by its level of energy, both inwardly and outwardly.
Energy is contagious and infectious and whether it is the good kind or the bad kind—other people feel it.
Few places are more important for dressing appropriately than the workplace, where a professional appearance is crucial.
Create your own personal brand to stand apart from the crowd. Package your unique talents, style, personality, and products. Show and tell who you are and what you do—to the world.
Proven professionals know that by focusing on quality, you can’t lose with the classics and your clothes will last longer. It’s not about having expensive clothing, it is about having style.
An important part of dressing for success is not only wearing something well but making sure it is appropriate for the occasion or the environment.
Dressing appropriately in one venue may be highly inappropriate in another.
Dressing appropriately in one venue may be highly inappropriate in another. Yet every day we see a lack of modesty and taste, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes others feel.
Experts agree that color can stimulate emotions which evoke different responses. Simply by changing colors, you can change moods, communication, perceptions, energy, and expectations.
The importance of healthy habits and hygiene for making a positive first impression should go without saying; however, I would be remiss if I did not include this topic in the book, because surprisingly, many people just don’t get it.
Are your habits and hygiene hindering your success or making a great first impression on your behalf?
Without a second look, your habits and hygiene reflect a lot about you—your thoughts, values, beliefs, priorities, self-esteem, self-respect, confidence, and every other category covered in this book that influence how people perceive you.
When you resolve to live a healthier life, you will feel better, look better, and make a better impression on everyone you meet. Only you have the power, ability, and personal choice to instill healthy habits and hygiene into your life.
I know that trying to begin a new habit may be uncomfortable, inconvenient, or challenging. However, when the goal is to feel terrific, isn’t it worth your consideration?
Poor habits can invalidate your credibility and undermine your success in all areas.
Your habits and hygiene demonstrate how you feel about yourself. Without saying a word, they speak for you.
Once you are dressed there may be still more you can do to enhance, complement, or complete your look. Simply changing your accessories will change your entire impression.
Developing your EI will allow you to explore new depths of understanding in yourself and others. It will give you insight as to why people behave as they do and assist you in areas you may wish to improve.
Prepare for Success. Feel the satisfaction and power of having your act together! Get organized beforehand to get better results. Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.
Make the personal choice to instill healthy habits and hygiene into your life. When you resolve to live a healthier life, you will feel better, look better, enjoy improved well-being and make a better impression.
Your professional experience can strengthen your resume, increase your earning potential, prove dependability, instill trust, and open new doors of opportunity which would remain closed otherwise.
Punctuality Plus. When you have scheduled an appointment, or have made a commitment, you have essentially made a promise. Being punctual demonstrates your consideration for others and that you can be depended upon.
Be and Do what it takes to Have superb results. Nurture a mindset that works for you, rather than against you. Your inner thoughts determine your outer world.
Your expertise elevates your impressions to an entirely new realm. When you have paid the price, earned the right, and done the homework to be called an expert, people will be impressed.
Rather than allowing your failures to define you, learn from your experience to do better next time.
Rather than staying stuck in stress, unhappiness, or grief, use your experience to find gifts in the pain and grow.
How can you build credibility without grandstanding as you strive to stand apart from the crowd?
Your level of education speaks on your behalf. It demonstrates your ability to establish a clear vision, prioritize your goals, and honor your commitments. Oh yeah, did I mention it also makes you smarter?
Your education is one of the greatest treasures you can ever acquire and something no one can ever take away from you.
What is YOUR personal brand? How are you packaging your unique talents, style, personality and/or products to represent who you are, what you do, and how you show yourself to the world?
How you accessorize your wardrobe can transform the plainest outfit into a dazzling, unforgettable impression. It can be the mark of your own unique style, an extra splash of fashion, or an expression of your mood.
Do your clothes make you feel happy, beautiful, comfortable in your skin, handsome, confident, or powerful?
Which outfits do you get the most compliments on when you are wearing them? What colors make you feel healthy, vibrant, and alive?
Is YOUR brand consistent and congruent with your desired outcomes?
Since nothing stays the same, the great news is that, at any moment, you have the ability and power to move the needle in the direction of your dreams and create a brand that best represents you.
You can re-design your life, learn a new skill, update your appearance, offer a new service, or even change your attitude.
You can always create the space to Review, Redo, and Renew as I teach in my book Release the Power of Re3. If you feel it is time to refresh your brand, take a moment to rethink your relevance and apply my 3-step formula.
How can you stand apart from the herd? How can you start to be noticed so people will remember you? How can you be heard above the noise? “What is your personal branding that makes you special, unique, individual, and memorable?
What helps people identify your Super Powers? Instead of hiring a personal PR firm to identify and promote your personal brand, ask yourself what strengths you want to be remembered by.
A “brand” identifies how you are unique and different. It is an attention-getter to help you stack up against your competitors. It also shares with us what we can expect by doing business with you.
Take a searching inventory of your speech, habits, behaviors, appearance, hobbies, preferences, talents, and products. The key is what makes you distinct and unlike others.
Redesign, renew, and recharge your brand.” Decide what value you bring to others and give it.
The times, they are a-changing! What was once defined by tradition, respect, and custom has evolved into a relaxed and casual society. What is acceptable and normal today would never have been permitted in the past.
Is your appearance representing you well and helping you achieve the results you desire or could you use a style makeover?
Project your “brand” to be remarkable and memorable. Whether through a positioning statement, product placement, advertising campaign, service, a logo, mission, or message, your brand is what makes you and/or your company remarkable—or not.
For many people and companies, the only place they are seen by others “in person” is on the Internet. Having a stand-out, consistent brand is imperative.
Like it or not, how we each present ourselves to the world, by way of our appearance, attire, behavior, and speech, all send messages on our behalf.
The first thing others see is YOU—not your resume, background, or credentials. A picture is truly worth a thousand words and how you dress is the “picture” you provide for all the world to see.
Making a great first impression is not an accident, and with a little planning, experimentation, and application, you can transform your style, substance, and impact.
The word “brand” has now taken an individualized and highly personalized shift toward how you are perceived in the minds of others.
To help get your creative juices flowing, you might look online at lists of the “best taglines ever.” Their branding ideas are genius and may be just the catalyst you need to activate your awesome!
Dumb luck and flying by the seat of your pants can only get you so far in life.
Being prepared prevents us from getting tripped up by unexpected glitches and surprises.
Emotionally intelligent people trust their instincts and can identify how certain thoughts, feelings, people, and situations make them feel.
Emotionally intelligent people hold themselves accountable for their behavior, failures, decisions, and successes.
Being prepared not only reduces our stress level and keeps us from looking stupid, but it builds the confidence that other people have in us that we are dependable, reliable and can be counted upon.
Emotionally intelligent people have an ability to manage stress as it happens and remain calm through chaos.
Emotionally intelligent people think before they speak and exercise discretion.
Emotionally intelligent people know how to light their own fire to sustain their activities to accomplish your goals.
Don’t you love the sense of personal power you feel when you’ve got your act together? When your life is in order, you’re organized, and you have everything you need?
Preparation will not only fortify your confidence to approach life from a position of strength, but it will impress other people as well.
There are few things more important than being prepared—for an interview, an important meeting, selling your home, a new baby—the list goes on.
Even if what you’re preparing for does not happen, your efforts aren’t for naught. With preparation comes knowledge of each situation, as well as the confidence to handle every new encounter with more grace and ease than the time before.
Knowledge imparts a sense of authority. It will help you stand out and give you an edge over your competition.
Being prepared and sharing your knowledge earns the confidence of those who are interviewing you, depend on your expertise, or seek you out for solutions, answers, or presentations.
Give yourself and others the gift of your brilliance to deliver a more compelling and memorable presentation.
Homework doesn’t end when you receive a diploma. Often, it’s just the beginning of your learning.
Doing your homework and being well prepared for appointments is one of the most powerful ways to set yourself apart from your competition to gain and retain new clients.
If there is someone whom you would really like to impress, learn as much as you can to be informed, enlightened, and aware of them before you meet.
Emotionally intelligent people have the capacity to understand and express their own emotions—you are in touch with your strengths and weaknesses and realize where you might like to make improvements”.
Emotionally intelligent people can focus their emotions to improve performance and productivity.
A positive attitude will stimulate creative thinking and constructive problem-solving.
A positive attitude will elevate your energy and invigorate your tasks.
A positive attitude will help fortify your courage to build unshakable confidence and self-esteem.
A positive attitude will help fortify your courage to build unshakable confidence and healthy self-esteem.
A positive attitude will empower you to be more resilient to proactively adapt to change.
A positive attitude will help you edge out cynicism and pessimism to restore hope and optimism.
When adversity hits, reframe the challenge and find lessons learned; acknowledge gifts that have come from the pain.
Stretch your imagination to a new dimension with hope and flexibility—opening your world to new possibilities.
Smile generously at others and you may find that their smiles are returned right back to you.
Don’t participate or allow yourself to be dragged into other people’s dramas, complaints, or gossip.
Become a lifelong learner. Read books, watch videos, listen to audio, and seek lessons for learning how to live your best life now.
Take a moral inventory of ways you may be self-sabotaging and then take proactive steps to change them.
Be a source of positive energy and inspiration for others.
Strive to see the best in others, situations, and experiences.
A positive attitude will help you be more inspiring and motivating to others.
Celebrate the success of others and they will be happy to see you succeed.
Be mindful of the words in your mind and in your mouth. Choose to use an affirming and positive vocabulary because your actions and outcomes will follow suit.
Remember that your attitude towards life determines life’s attitude toward you. At any moment, you can choose to change everything for the better.
Exercise and get moving to pump up your endorphins and elevate your mood. Take an adult recess.
Wake up early, do your best, practice self-care, and finish strong.
You are the only one who can choose your attitude for you.
The Art of First Impressions for Positive Impact is based on the premise that when you become self-aware and learn how to shine bright as your best self, you can transform your relationships in life and in business.
Absolutely everything associated with your success is relationship based and emotionally connected. Developing your emotional intelligence is one of the wisest action you can take for personal and professional transformation.
Developing your emotional intelligence will allow you to explore new depths of understanding in yourself and others.
Emotional intelligence will give you insight as to why people behave as they do and assist you in areas which you may wish to improve.
All the elements of greater emotional awareness can weave together to ensure you make a more positive impact.
Emotional intelligence marks one’s ability to perceive, understand, control, and evaluate his or her emotions.
Your EQ (emotional quotient) is your capacity to recognize, discriminate, and label emotions accurately and interpret them to help guide your thinking and behavior.
Create and nurture a mindset that works for you rather than against you.
Strive to be optimistic rather than pessimistic— forgiving rather than a grudge holder.
Strive to be a possibility thinker rather than an impossibility thinker.
Strive to be happy rather than downhearted or miserable—hopeful rather than resigned and doubtful.
Strive to be pleased and accepting rather than angry and resistant.
Strive to be daring and brave rather than reluctant or afraid.
Strive to be a proactive participant rather than a passive procrastinator.
Strive to be active rather than lethargic—determined rather than wavering or lazy.
When you make a deliberate effort to keep your thoughts positive, and authentically feel that way, more positive outcomes are inevitable.
Your mindset buffet is filled with possibilities that can feed your heart, mind, and soul if you will simply serve yourself and go for it! Choose wisely, my friends, choose wisely.
Your thoughts, beliefs, and interpretations filter how you see everything in your world—and here is the clincher—you get to choose!
Your thoughts, beliefs, and interpretations initiate and largely determine how you experience your reality.
You wear your attitude. It is highly visible to every person you meet and shows up in the way act, live, and love.
Your attitude is the outward expression of your internal perceptions, self-esteem, and current thoughts.
Mindset and attitude are so tightly intertwined they almost mean the same thing!
Your attitude is the one thing in this world you have complete control over. You have full command. As empowering as that truth can be, there are some days we let down and give in to a bad attitude.
When you wake each day, it is your choice if you are going to use your attitude to your advantage or allow it to work against you.
If you want to fly high and go amazing places, your attitude is crucial.
Put yourself in the driver seat by designing the best attitude possible to help you get where you need and want to go.
At times, maintaining a positive attitude and outlook takes great risk, courage, toughness, and flexibility. It is not easy to stay positive in a cynical and negative world.
Remain vigilant and try diligently not to succumb to the soul-sucking, mind-numbing, ill-mannered attitudes that seem so prevalent in the world today.
Developing a positive attitude is one of the most transformational things you can do to shift your mindset, improve your disposition, manifest good things, and attract quality people into your life.
The benefits you will enjoy with a positive attitude have a multiplier effect and exponentially impact your personal well-being.
A positive attitude will not only make you more fun to be around, but it will bring more happiness and joy both into your life and the lives of those around you.
Surround yourself with positive people who ignite your energy and spirit.
Believe in your power to make happiness a choice—do so every day, until it becomes a lifelong habit.
A positive attitude feels a heck of a lot better than a negative one.
Learn to leverage the Law of Cause and Effect to your advantage in positive ways!
Many people go through life complaining, whining, and obsessing so much about what they don’t have that they are doing exactly what it takes to block it.
Would you like to feel a calm confidence when you walk into a room full of strangers, knowing that you can start new a conversation with anyone?
Your mindset brings together your attitude, perceptions, experience, interpretations, opinions, beliefs, values, and understanding to determine how you think, act, walk, talk, behave, and engage.
To say your mindset is critical to your success is a gross understatement—it is the underpinning!
Your mindset serves as the operating system for your entire life’s experience.
Your internal thoughts determine your outer world.
One would think that if people truly wanted to live incredible lives, they would do everything in their power to create a mindset which helped them get there. Right?
More people continue to be and do exactly the things in life that prevent them from getting what they want or from waking up excited about their day.
Since your mindset can make you or break you, how is it going? Is it representing you well or does it need a complete overhaul?
The Law of Cause and Effect is as active in your life as the Law of Gravity. It teaches us that for every action there is a reaction.
If you do nothing, you’ll have nothing. If you do something spectacular, you will have something spectacular.
Do you yearn for loving, loyal relationships? Be that for others
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If you want to enjoy confidence, engagement, positive feedback, connection, and reward in your relationships, start being and doing what it takes to make it happen.
It is generally believed that nearly 40 percent of your first impression will be set from the tone of your voice. Your vocal thermometer can be more impactful than the actual words you use.
Your tone of voice can be conveyed in both the words you speak and in the words you write.
Your tone can represent the character of your business, the strength of your resolve, and express the depths of your convictions.
Does your tone match your intention? Is your tone of voice confusing or clarifying? Are you coming across to others as you had hoped? Once you begin to notice your tone, you can adjust as needed to make it work in your favor.
Align your voice value with the tone, pace, and pitch of your listeners will help you connect on all levels.
When your speaking style is clear, confident, and concise, your listeners will perceive you as such.
Developing your eloquence and enunciation will reduce the likelihood of misinterpretation and misunderstanding, making your delivery more powerful.
By speaking in a competent and confident way, your message will sound more relevant and appropriate, reflecting you in a favorable light.
Variety is the Spice of Life. Voices come in all shapes, tones, and sizes. Some are compelling and effective, while others are grating and agitating.
Think of the times that others remembered your name and used it kindly. How did it make you feel? When you use someone’s name it makes him or her feel recognized, appreciated, and special.
A Sign of Respect. As our world grows more casual, we observe a tendency for everyone to use first names rather than surnames. “It is a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Young,” has a completely different connotation than “Nice to meet you, Susan.
What determines whether the usage is acceptable or inappropriate? If you want to make a great first impression with positive impact, it is essential that you know there is a difference.
To call certain people, such as your boss, teachers, professors, doctors, your parent’s friends, etc. by their first names might be considered disrespectful. It is best to err on the side of caution until you know what is appropriate.
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name.
Being PresentYears ago, I attended a conference where the keynote speaker encouraged everyone to BE HERE NOW! It grabbed people’s attention and reminded us that living, loving, listening, and laughing all occur in the present moment.
Active listening requires being fully present and engaged in the moment.
Becoming an empathetic listener helps you to better understand how another person feels and why they communicate as they do.
Your heightened awareness of their perceptions, experiences, emotions, and personality styles can reveal why they feel the way they do so that you can choose your responses wisely and compassionately.
The process of attentive listening makes the other person feel important, valued, and heard. For Nick, listening was, and still is, love. I’ve never forgotten that precious moment—and the lesson!
Active listening is not only a matter of making yourself available to hear someone talk, but it is showing the sender, physically, that you are receiving and understanding their message on all levels.
Active listening is the ultimate “Golden Rule” for sensational customer service. Just as the important people in your life will feel more valued and appreciated when you actively listen, so will your customers.
Active listening is one of the best services a company can provide.
For sixteen years, I had a spectacular real estate career in Tallahassee, Florida. I loved receiving telephone inquiries and making cold calls. I knew that if I could meet people on the phone, I could usually turn them into buyers.
Every time you speak, you are using your voice to connect with others, whether it is in-person, on the phone, or in a recorded message.
Is your voice value delivering the image you wish to convey? Is your voice coming across as smart, friendly, and positive or ignorant, rude, and negative?
The way you deliver the words you say becomes your “vocal image. This “vocal image” can make or break your first impressions, impact your communication, and determine how people respond to you.
What can you do to ensure that your voice value translates into impression value?
Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is the best and only way.
To gain greater understanding, clarity, and awareness, you must become aware of your values and beliefs. Think of a triangle or an iceberg. Below the waterline, your beliefs and your values build the foundation for your behavior.
Navigating relationships within our own culture can be challenging enough. When diverse cultures are involved, however, a huge potential for misunderstanding, disrespect, miscommunication, and intolerance is present.
Conversation starters. Icebreakers. Openers. However you choose to label them, that moment when the first words come out of your mouth can make or break the outcome of your entire conversation. Been there, done that, right?
Your first words will not only shape your first impression, they can create amazing connections, lead you to your dream job, or help you discover a new best friend—or accomplish exactly the opposite.
Your first words will outlive your conversations and impact how you are remembered, liked, or regarded. Wouldn’t you enjoy opening conversations with ease and mutual recognition? The challenging part is that it can be . . . awkward!
The space between meeting a stranger and making a new friend can be a short distance or a gaping chasm. By understanding how to open a conversation well, you will be better able to bridge the gaps and build rapport more successfully.
How do you minimize the awkwardness in that moment? What are some of the conversations starters you’ve used to open, encourage, and support enjoyable and beneficial conversations?
Think of the communication that takes place in your own life on a continuous basis—at home, at work, with friends, and beyond. When you actively listen to people, you enhance communication.
Listening actively confirms for people that you are positively receiving and thoroughly understanding the message they are conveying.
If the skill of participatory listening came effortlessly and easy for everyone, there would not be so many misunderstandings, communication breakdowns, irritations, and frustrations.
Active listening is key to all healthy and effective communication, however, it doesn’t necessarily come easily.
While active listening is crucial for optimal communication, we are faced with a dilemma which can perplex even the sincerest and engaged of individuals.
When you become an actively engaged listener, you will develop the mindful awareness that active listening involves multiple layers and distinct levels.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be a natural communicator and know exactly what, when, why, and how to speak so that your message is conveyed and received as you intend?
The Art of Communication shares insights to help you communicate with a higher awareness and focused intention and meet people on their level to increase clarity and understanding.
When you begin conversations with confidence and listen attentively, you will become more flexible and adaptable in most any situation.
Mindfulness means paying attention to what is happening at this very moment and being keenly aware of your surroundings and the people in it.
Whether your awareness is focused on your own emotions and perceptions or directed toward the preferences, needs, and feelings of others, being mindful (aware and attentive) will enable you to respond more appropriately.
This deliberate focus and sensitivity allow you to “put yourself in another person’s shoes and walk around a while” to better understand where they are coming from and what they are all about.
Mindfulness is a quiet strength and deeply rooted value which many other cultures understand and often practice better than we do. It can be puzzling to people from other countries as to why Americans are so task-driven and action-oriented.
Developing this ability instills a sixth sense for navigating human relationships with dignity, grace, and discretion, thus making an intentional and thoughtful first impression.
With your mind alert and your eyes wide open, you will be better able to assess your space and your place for optimizing exchanges and your communication impressions.
Becoming more socially aware involves greater understanding of the dynamics of social interactions to assure you achieve harmonious outcomes.
When you are socially aware, you will realize whether you are forcing yourself into a conversation or have actually been invited to participate.
Sometimes you must earn the right to be included. Otherwise, you may appear awkward or pushy.
When a person is focused completely on self it is nearly impossible to be mindful of others at the same time. That is a contradiction for healthy communication, networking, and relationship building.
Sometimes it is better to refrain from engaging in conversation because making no impression is better than making a bad impression.
When people can’t give anything and are only there for themselves, why should others use their time and energy to get involved? There’s no benefit.
Situational awareness enables you to observe your periphery with a clear vision and emotional foresight, which may inevitably keep you socially, physically, or professionally out of harm’s way. Connect the dots.
When you enter a room, a social situation, or a business meeting, be mindful of cues; read between the lines to better understand people and events. What do these things tell you?
Contextual awareness represents a continuum of behaviors, which illustrates how and why groups of people unite or divide among cultures.
When you have orientational awareness, your perceptions and impressions are based on location and proximity. Orientation may imply hierarchy, position, and prestige, or be the result of habits, traditions, and perceptions.
Our cultural lens is so much a part of us that we are not even aware of how obvious it is to others. Like the nose on your face, you may forget that it is there, but everyone else sees it. I can’t look at you and not see your nose.
Your life is happening in the NOW, yet the present moment is often squandered by your thinking about what has happened in the past or may happen in the future.
When you are “off somewhere else” people notice. Have you found yourself in conversations in which you’re so concerned about what you are going to say next, that you don’t even hear what the other person is saying? Guilty as charged, right?
Being 100 percent in the moment and focusing on the person you’re with is one of the finest compliments you can offer. One of the most respectful and considerate things you can do for another is to truly be with them in the here and now.
When you are fully present and engaged in your workplace, you will demonstrate that you care about the success of your organization, are a team player, have a can-do attitude, and will go the extra mile to fulfill and exceed expectations.
Just be Nice. Nice—this little word has a big meaning. Use it generously. Being nice helps people feel emotionally safe, allowing for more authentic, trusting, and happy interactions.
Be Brave. Bravery takes fortitude—put yourself on the line, even if you risk failing, falling, being embarrassed, or looking stupid—if being brave were easy, more people would be. Just try it!
Manners Matter. Courteous behavior is the hallmark of healthy relations and human interaction. Manners ensure you will be more respected, admired, and appreciated. Thank you!
Polish the Gold. Be an optimist; look for the best in others, the best in situations, and focus on what is working rather than what is not. It’s golden!
Service Beyond Self. Value others; have a heart of service and generosity. Rise above self-interest. Ask what you can do for others, not what they can do for you.
Take the Initiative. Be proactive. If you want to rock your relationship results, it is going to take action, effort, initiative, and choosing to get in the game—so, step up, step out, and show up!
Mix, Mingle, Glow. Stretch beyond your own comfort zone to speak with, sit with, and start conversations with people whom you do not know. Take the initiative to help other people capture the spotlight and shine.
Initiative is The Start of All Good Things. Your ship will never come in if you don’t send any out. Have you ever found yourself dreaming, hoping, and waiting passively for things to change or for your life to get better?
Do you ever sit back and wonder how and why other people are so successful, productive, or accomplished? What is the driver that inspires them to go for the gold, seize opportunities, and make things happen?
Rather than being green with envy, realize that a dramatic difference between the “haves” and “have-nots” is the “do” and “do-nots.” If you are seeking positive change and transformation, what can you begin to do?
Have you ever had a friend in need whose only request was the gift of your presence? When major life changes happen or tragedies hit, you can find out very quickly who your real friends are because they are the ones who SHOW UP.
Begin to take the initiative when you want to meet someone new. Be the one who steps forward first. Simply say hello and begin a conversation.
Imagine how many new friends you would make, how much new business you could create, and how much fun you could have by simply taking the initiative to be the inviter.
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Polishing the gold in others is easy to do and a valuable habit to develop to transform your relationship results. People will usually rise to the occasion and live up to your positive expectations.
To cultivate bravery and courage, Do It Scared. Being scared is a precursor to bravery, otherwise, it wouldn’t be bravery, would it? Mustering the courage to stretch beyond your familiar territory is a rewarding act in itself.
And as is often the case, the people who would benefit the most from reading a book like this are the ones least likely to buy and read it. For you, however, this chapter will serve as a sterling reminder to make your manners shine.
You already know the difference between being a gracious person versus a rude one.
Impeccable manners and courteous behavior are the hallmarks for healthy relations and human interaction.
Polite people tend to be more respected, admired, and appreciated than their rude counterparts.
Your manners are critical for both making a positive first impression and creating success in life, love, and business.
Without civilized social graces, not only is life more difficult, but a positive first impression can be destroyed as fast as it is made.
While good old-fashioned manners and etiquette have worked for centuries, new standards and expectations have come into play with the modern world. Behaviors which would have been appalling in the past are now socially acceptable.
Regardless of the trends we see in the deterioration of morality, respect, and values, wise people will still strive to take the high road to rise above the ever-increasing rudeness and stand apart from the crowd.
The elegance of etiquette is a timeless expression of class which transcends social status, demographics, educational level, and ethnicity. Good manners say more about you than the person who is on the receiving end.
All manners are not created equal and can conjure different interpretations based on the environment in which they are being displayed.
ASK YOURSELF: Are you presenting yourself in the best of all lights, online and off, and demonstrating the dignity of good manners? Make sure of it! If not, it may come back to haunt you.
Ernest Hemingway was a champion of the common man. He once said, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man. True nobility is being superior to your former self.
When it comes to meeting new people, playing well with others, and connecting on deeper levels, there are inherent gaps which can be closed only by being brave. When is bravery needed?
It’s not bravery unless you are doing something which causes you to feel afraid. Unless there is some degree of fear or apprehension involved, bravery is not even needed.
Being brave requires taking deliberate action and doing something new that stretches you beyond your comfort zone.
Any time you put yourself on the line, you risk (and maybe fear) failing, falling, being embarrassed, or looking stupid—none of which are comfortable.
Being brave is not for the light-hearted. Bravery takes fortitude—the very act of bravery prevents anyone from knowing you were ever afraid in the first place.
Fear is the number one reason why people do not take action. The divine irony is that most of the fears we experience are self-generated and born out of our own imaginings, hence the acronym False Evidence Appearing Real.
To cultivate bravery and courage, ground yourself in your character values:Building a solid foundation of integrity and character will fortify your confidence to face down fears and take bold action.
To cultivate bravery and courage, take a deep breath & relax:When you feel fear, your body tenses up and your thoughts lead you down an anxiety-ridden path. Stop, breathe, relax.
To cultivate bravery and courage, avoid the bystander effect.Rather than standing on the sidelines watching other people achieve their goals, jump in with both feet and get involved.
To cultivate bravery and courage, build upon your strengths and talents. What are you good at? What makes you feel confident and personally powerful? Your competencies will ground you and build your strength.
Seek to make others feel comfortable by demonstrating respect for their individual needs as well as their cultural norms. Your consideration and heightened awareness will guide you well—and help you make a great first impression.
Approachability. Being warm and inviting demonstrates comfort, care, and emotional safety all of which encourages engagement. Your openness says, “I’m happy to meet you and am glad you’re here.
Handshakes, Hugs & Other Touching. Learning how to touch appropriately can elevate your presentation, demonstrate respect, and convey confidence.
Orientation & Proximity. Be aware of the orientation between yourself and others so that you can be sensitive and responsive to their comfort zones.
Smiling and Expressions of Emotion. A genuine smile is inviting, contagious, and encouraging. People do read a book by its cover and your expressions provide a glimpse for what they’ll find inside.
Eye Contact. Direct eye contact is one of the best compliments you can give to another. You are subliminally telling them that you are listening, they matter, and that what they have to say is important.
Energy & Aura. You release your own distinctive energy signature which naturally produces a physical presence. When you emit positive energy, thoughts, feelings, and vibrations, you attract more positives into your life.
Life rewards action. To get from where you are now to where you want to be requires forward movement and momentum. Although you may already know what it takes to bridge the gap, simply knowing what to do is not enough.
The Art of Action explores specific action steps you can take for personal and professional transformation. Start by taking the initiative to be kind, courageous, and polite.
Become a ‘good finder’ and seek to acknowledge the best you see in others.
Move beyond yourself to serve a greater purpose and vision. Learn to mix, mingle, and glow, thus helping others feel more comfortable, at ease, important, and connected.
By being fully present and engaged you will maximize your moments to make every encounter count.
Being proactive and intentional will enable you to create a positive experience for yourself and others.
Nice is a little word with a big meaning. How many times did your mother say, “Just be nice?” It’s basic manners, yet in our negative world today people often neglect to extend random acts of kindness and simple acts of courtesy.
It is no mystery why nice people are well-liked and get along harmoniously with others. Being nice makes people feel emotionally safe, allowing for more authentic, trusting, and happy interactions.
ASK YOURSELF: Have you found that being nice to some people is simply not effective? When might it be wise to throw down the gauntlet and get tough or confrontational?
A smart way of using your hands to make you look more interesting, thoughtful, and self-assured is to steeple your hands and fingers. Try using it strategically in formal environments or workplaces to show confidence and consideration.
As you seek new opportunities to make favorable first impressions, be ever aware of the subtle effect that physical positioning and distance/closeness can have on your interactions with others and use this understanding to your advantage.
To touch or not to touch . . . that is the question. Handshakes, hugs, and other touching all have their appropriate space and place. The key to success in this area is to know when, where, and how to best put these into action.
Smiling is one of your most powerful non-verbal behaviors. People do read a book by its cover and these expressions provide glimpses into what they will find inside.
What are you projecting? How are you showing up? Are you aware of how your expressions are impacting your communication with others?
At any moment, you can use your face to open doors of opportunity if it demonstrates interest, enthusiasm, respect, understanding, delight, agreement, and more.
Be aware, putting on a poker face can backfire during your first impressions because it can make people uncomfortable and make you more difficult to read and harder to get to know.
ASK YOURSELF: Are your facial expressions in alignment with your true personality? Are they working on your behalf to project the best impression possible?
Since non-verbal signals have five times the impact of verbal signals, paying attention to the image you are projecting is crucial to your first impressions.
Proper posture conveys that you are ready to take command and master new situations. When you project this level of confidence, you will instill confidence in others.
The next time you have a high-stakes meeting, a presentation, or an important social engagement, practice power posing beforehand to potently and powerfully impact your confidence.
As we explore this valuable non-verbal language, please note that these principles do not apply in many cultures around the world. In some cultures, direct eye contact may offend, affront, violate, or threaten.
Have you heard that a smile is the shortest distance between people? I love that! There is nothing like a genuine smile to create a first impression with positive impact.
A genuine smile is inviting, contagious, encouraging, and brings joy into the world. It instantly tells others that you are glad to see them, that they are important and you are approachable.
Accompanied with good eye contact, a smile serves as an immediate icebreaker to warm up relations and turn a stranger into a friend.
You can transform your entire physical appearance, personal experience, energy, and social success simply by smiling. And it is also good to do just for you!
Smiling is truly one of the most generous gifts you can give to another. You never know when your smile may inspire the sad, encourage the hopeless, heal a heart, or change someone’s world for the better.
Your smile draws people to you as it simultaneously brings out the best in you both.
Your smile is a kind hello and a sincere invitation that opens the gateway to engage others and begin conversations.
Your smile is a magnet for goodwill and positivity. In unison with your attitude, people gravitate to happy people!
As the saying goes, “Smile and the world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone.” Smiling is a universal symbol of happiness that transcends language and communication challenges.
A smile is one of the most powerful and important body language cues we share with others—and as such a heartfelt emotion, it’s impossible to express its effect on others in words.
A genuine smile is your best fashion accessory and the most important thing you can wear.
A friend recently shared that even if he is in a rough mood, when someone smiles at him it enhances his kindness and encourages him to project a better attitude.
When you see people smiling, does it give you a sense of connection with them? The law of reciprocity illustrates it is hard to not smile back when someone smiles at you.
There are new habits you can adopt starting NOW that make you approachable and encourage other people to engage with you.
The approachable individuals are the first ones that I introduce myself to because they make me feel emotionally safe.
Mirroring is a powerful neuro-linguistic programming technique that can be used to bond with others, build rapport, and reach mutual understanding more quickly. You may already be using it instinctively without even being aware.
Coordinating your gestures with someone’s subtle behaviors, can help you gain understanding, realize comfortable compatibility, and develop mutual trust.
Mirroring provides social cues through body language and behavior which enable us to develop more empathy and understanding for others.
Becoming aware of what you are doing and how others perceive you will provide you with instant insight for making changes where necessary.
Whatever you are putting out into the universe is going to be returned unto you and have a direct correlation to what you are getting back. In many ways, you are a magnet and manifest accordingly.
Your eyes are the windows to your soul” indeed. It is a cliché for a good reason—it is a timeless truth with universal application.
Your direct eye contact is one of the best compliments you can give another human being. You are subliminally telling them that you are listening, they matter, and that what they have to say is important.
Meaningful eye contact has the power to transcend time and space to connect us with others and can be one of the most gracious and important ways to demonstrate attention and respect.
When you make eye contact with another person, you can send thousands of silent messages without even speaking a word. No wonder eye contact can be both a direct form of communication and an elusive attribute at the same time.
What makes one person approachable and another one not? That simple difference alone can make or break your success in your life, in your relationships, and in your career.
Approachability is a crucial way of being that empowers you with an extraordinary edge to make a great first impression, invite interaction, build rapport, and win friends.
We’ll Leave the Light on for You! This Motel 6 slogan has been a successful marketing strategy for years because of its warm invitation and friendly welcome. They know that the comforts of home appeal to us all.
Expect good things from people; they feel it. You never know who you are going to meet, and projecting approachability will open doors of opportunity for you that you may not have discovered otherwise.
We are comforted when a person, place, or business is warm and inviting. Making us feel this way increases the likelihood that we will want to learn more, do business with them, or pursue a meaningful interaction.
Approachable people are “straight-up.” It is comforting to know exactly what to expect when you see them. What you see is what you get!
Being a keen observer, I would think to myself, who is approachable? Who is someone I’d like to know? Who is putting out welcoming vibes?
Are you being approachable when you are around new people? Ever not know what to say? Simply smile when you make eye contact. This is a subliminal invitation to help others feel safe—allowing a conversation to follow naturally.
As humans, we are all insecure to a certain degree, and we don’t want to risk looking stupid, being rejected, or feeling awkward.
An approachable person intuitively knows how to set new acquaintances at ease and create a safety net for them to be vulnerable and authentic.
Welcome” is a word to use often! Leaders who maintain an open-door policy inspire trust, teamwork, and healthier communication. They are more likely to earn respect, gain buy-in, and foster collaboration.
Unfortunately, unapproachable leaders create a tense environment that may prevent their people from bringing their best strengths and talents or challenges and solutions forward.
Since your habits and hygiene will all help you feel great, look great, and improve the quality of your life, isn’t it worth your effort to make them a part of your reality?
Punctuality has been called a “homely, but solid virtue.” Although it is not fancy, it is a strong reflection of a person’s character.
When you have scheduled an appointment, or have made a commitment, you have essentially made a promise. Keep your promises. Being punctual demonstrates your consideration for others and that you can be depended upon.
Be on time! If you have a 15-minute appointment—keep it at fifteen minutes unless there is mutual agreement to continue.
When beginning a conversation, ask the other person, “Do you have time to speak right now?” If they say no, you can say, “I have some valuable information to share with you. What time would work best for you?
What steps can you take to prepare before meeting others to ensure that when you do show up, you are bringing your very best to the table?
Wouldn’t you like to arrive to any event or situation with a sense of confidence and ease that things are as they need to be?
Get ready to take on the world from a position of personal power, strength, and intention!
Your first impressions will often occur within a limited window of opportunity—and if you blow it— the opportunity may be lost forever.
Why leave your success up to dumb luck or accident when you can take a stand, make a plan, and be proactive in your pursuits and possibilities?
Prime yourself for success and demonstrate to others that you are diligent, reliable, and trustworthy.
Care enough to take deliberate steps and get ready through thoughtful discipline, research, organization, and effort. It will impress others and give you the winner’s edge to live and give your best.
Are you ready to explore what it takes to move beyond where you are to where you want to be? You came to the right place.
Begin by asking yourself if you are currently showing up to your life, your business, and your relationships in a way that is cultivating an extraordinary life.
Like it or not, your life—what works well and what doesn’t—is largely the result of the first impressions you have created along the way.
If you want to be successful, how you show up to life matters.