Your Image: Don't End Up In Neverland

Your Image: Don’t End Up in Neverland!
Making your image your lasting first impression.
Article by Expert Image Consultant, Sandy Dumont

Image is a powerful thing. The people you meet and remember are likely to fall into one of two categories. They are so outlandish, clownish, or unusual looking that you can’t help but remember them. Then there are those who look so powerful, attractive, and important that you pause to gaze at them, and they linger in your mind long after they have disappeared from sight. Unfortunately the vast majority of people belong somewhere in the middle. They are neither remembered nor noticed, doomed to remain in Never Never Land along with those who were dismissed with a curt NO.

When you see a person for the first time, you make an instant evaluation, a permanent image of them that is rarely given a second thought. Most people you see are processed, literally, as “no.” The amount of respect you would have for them is “no,” and the answer to a question they might ask you is a polite but certain “no.” In other words, they are dismissed from your mind permanently.

On the other hand, there are a few people you meet who have honed worked hard to maintain an image that instantly says “yes.” They are attractive, they have taste, they appear to be healthy, and you like them. You may not even have spoken to them yet, but you have categorized them. Two categories that are popular with the “unconscious” is whether you are of high status or low status. Both humans and animals are wired to be attracted to the more powerful and high-status individuals.

If you want to avoid being relegated to Never Never Land, you need to look polished and classy from head to toe and on all occasions. Even in casual attire. In other words, if you want to register a Yes with those you meet, you must look like you just left the country club, a polo match, or your yacht. If it looks as if you are going to a garage sale, you will very likely be dismissed and be sent straight to Never Never Land.

We all want to be liked, and we spend countless hours fretting over being “dismissed” or not being liked enough. The solution is simple, if you want to be noticed and given deferential treatment, all you have to do is stand out from the crowd by looking polished and classy rather than careless and frumpy. Often the only expense involved is taking a little more time with your appearance. It’s an investment that will reap dividends that can be counted in terms of your bottom line as well as your self-esteem. nn