Dressing For Success

Here's a quick little tip you can use to quickly transform yourself and the intensity of your energy in mere seconds. This can be adjusted to apply to any business presentation, athletic event, hot date, or virtually any situation. Here's one example:

My family recently celebrated my nephew's birthday. Miles counted down the days until he turned 5 years old. In America, that's a milestone age because it means you will soon enter kindergarten. It's a rite of passage into the next phase of becoming a big kid.

As I arrived at the party, Miles saw me walk in and a huge, warm glowing smile overtook his face. It seemed every cell in his little body was smiling. You could just feel his happiness. I melted in his glow. His smile radiated pure joy and he lit up every time someone walked in the door because he knew it was his special celebration and his special day. Throughout the day, that smile never left his face and I thought, THIS is what every person should feel on their birthday. Miles is a sensitive sweetheart of a boy, very gentle and very affectionate. He is also quite a cuddler.

Miles reveled in his party and went crazy every time he opened another gift. He loved and was grateful for everything he received. I have to credit my sister with hitting the jackpot in the favorite gift department. She got Miles a Spiderman outfit that was bold and sleek and came equipped with built in bulging muscles! We played with his toys one by one and finally we put him in his Spiderman costume. I was in awe how his energy instantly changed the very second he put the Spiderman costume on. He suddenly became strong, fierce and intensely confident. His posture transformed, his chest stuck out and he held his head high. He walked with a slow menacing pace. He was silent and his body language did all the talking for him. It seemed like the piercing look in his eyes alone could overtake any foe. He literally became a superhero right before our eyes.

The fact is that anytime we want, we can transform ourselves in the same manner. Not necessarily with a Spiderman costume, (although if that's your thing then go for it), but with our best suit for a big presentation or a sassy party dress for the big ball. I have my own rituals that I utilize to get myself into a focused state of mind. Before I workout, I stretch and visualize my outcome and I have a bandanna that I put on to keep my long hair out of my face when I run. That's the ritual and tool I use to program myself to attack my workout and achieve my goal in a champion's state of mind. My rituals leave me feeling ten feet tall and bullet-proof. I know I can do anything. That is the mindset you want to be in when you invest time and energy into a goal or activity. You will achieve far greater results.

Every great athlete has a ritual they perform before they begin. Michael Jordan put on his college shorts underneath his NBA uniform throughout his entire career. Many professional athletes listen to a certain song to get pumped up while they're putting on their uniform. Remember that it is sometimes one or two little things that make the biggest difference between doing merely ok or experiencing a totally rocking kick butt SUCCESS!

If you don't already have one, come up with a ritual, something that will help you ignite a certain hyper-focused state of mind. Whatever you do, have fun with it and use this approach to achieve your desired outcome by dressing for success in every key activity!