My morning ritual, as does many of yours, includes coffee. And lots of it. As I was leaving the bistro where I get my morning fix, two people were walking in with their PJ’s on. It made me begin to think of how far we have come (or slipped) as a society and why dressing for success is important. Just 50 or 60 years ago, people would wear a shirt and tie to a baseball game, never left the house not fully dressed, and would never think of going to get a coffee in their pajamas. Today, people show up for job interviews in blue jeans, sneakers, unshaven, smelling of cigarette smoke, hair unkempt, etc. There is nothing wrong with Blue jeans or the rest of the list I mentioned, but there is a time and place for everything under the sun. There is a logical order of things in human nature. We were not given noses on the top of our head, as it would get tricky when it rained out. There was order in the way we were created and there is (or should be) order in the way we live in society. If you absolutely need to wear your PJ’s (and the only reason I would think that you NEED to wear your PJ’s in public is that your house was burning down and you needed to escape the flames) to the coffee shop, go through the dang drive through.
What is my point? Glad you asked. My point is directed to the people looking for more out of life. Invest in you. First, invest in a good set of clothes that make you stand out from the crowd (not too hard these days when all you have to compete with is people who are sleep walking in their jammies). Better to buy one custom fit suit, a couple sharp well fit shirts, a tailor fit skirt, a sharp accessory, one or two ties that will yield you compliments, and a good pair of shoes, than to buy quantity for quantity sake. You will be far better off, feel better about yourself, ultimately spend less money due to the lifespan of quality garments, and gain the attention of others, if you dress sharply for success rather than just blending in with everyone else who buys any old shirt, coat, pants, skirt, cheap shoes etc.. In an interview, you will have a leg up on those who show up looking ordinary. In sales, you will have the respect of the client, rather than the judgment of the client. Coco Chanel said “Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman”. Good advise for anyone wanting to stand out from the crowd.
Next I would encourage investing in books. Harry Truman said “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers”. Start reading about people just like you, who started out just like you, but became much more than you. It is almost impossible not to pick up wisdom and nuggets of success when you read books from other ordinary people who overcame adversity and became successful in their own right. I have heard some people say that they cannot afford books. I say you can’t NOT afford to buy books. You must change your thinking in order to move forward in life. If you keep doing what you’ve always been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always been getting. Others say more commonly that they do not like to read. I do not like to brush my teeth but I still do it numerous times a day. Get over what you like and don’t like and begin to do what is necessary to change into the person you are striving to be.
So, when all else fails, you can still wear your PJ’s. Just wear them at home while you are reading a book that will help you get to where you want to go in life and take the time to get dressed before going out in public. You never know who you might bump in to. You’ll never get a second chance to make a first impression.
EBTGains 