Have you ever noticed what happens when you have a friend who suddenly ups their game in terms of how they are dressed? It can completely change the way you and other people perceive them – which, in turn, means they change the way they see themselves too. It’s just like when someone loses weight or starts building muscle, they become more confident, and this confidence in reinforced when they get more positive attention, which creates even more confidence, and the person ends up in an upward spiral of building confidence.
Confidence is like a snowball, in that, the more confidence you have the more you attract, and whilst confidence is something internal, dressing well is like packaging up a gift. The most important thing is the gift that’s inside, not how it’s packaged, but does the packaging affect the way you view the gift that’s inside? You bet. We can’t help but judge things, and particularly people, on their outward appearance.
There’s a part of your prehistoric brain (your reptilian brain) that is called your reticular activating system which is responsible for your survival. Think back to caveman days, where this part of your brain would always be on the lookout for danger, subconsciously scanning your surroundings, to determine whether there were any subtle clues to alert the rest of your brain to the risk of danger. Today, we don’t have much need to use this part of our brain for working out whether we are about to be eaten up by a dinosaur; but the reticular activating system is still a very active and fundamental part of our brain that looks for subtle clues when dealing with people as to who that person is. This part of the brain is often looking for incongruencies as to what the person is saying and what their body or appearance infers on a subconscious level. The point is, we all judge and we are all judged on our external appearance, and a large part of that is based on the clothes we choose to wear and the style we portray. That said, as we get older, and particular with the pressures of fatherhood, fashion is one of the last things on our mind, which is why this article looks at two simple principles to help you have more confidence without needing to be ‘ultra cool’.
There are two core areas of having more confidence in your style; the first it to pick clothes that express your personality in the sense that they are focused on your own unique tastes, and secondly, ensure you are dressed in a way that allows you to relax.
Focus on your own tastes
Try not to be swept up with current fashion trends, as these are ever changing, and subject to the opinion of the masses – rather than your own personal opinion. Make sure you choose clothes that you, personally, love. Don’t rely on someone else’s opinion. Have an opinion of your own and flesh out your wardrobe on the basis of what you like. Agreed, you might want to get a second opinion particularly if you’re prone to fashion nightmares but the fundamental principle of wearing what you want.
Relax and be comfortable
You don’t want to feel uptight about what you’re wearing. Imagine, going to the gym, and knowing that your t-shirt is a little too small so that when you put your hands above your head, the base of the t-shirt rises, revealing your stomach. Similarly, in a smarter setting, you might want to check out Comfy Clothiers that offer devices such as shirt stays which apply downward pressure to ensure your shirt is always tucked in and kept tight. The key point is that you want to feel relaxed and comfortable in what you’re wearing – don’t wear trousers that might be super fashionable because they are so tight on your legs, but make it hard to move, or just make you feel uncomfortable.
So, there are the two fundamental principles to having more confidence with your style – dress in a way that expresses who you are according to your tastes (rather than following the fashion lemmings) and make sure what you’re wearing is comfortable enough to allow you to relax and be the person you truly are.