Getting started. . .

A jaunty looking Frank Sinatra in the recording studio.  Love him or hate him, the guy always looked like a million bucks.

Let's be perfectly frank for a moment.  Blunt.  To the point.  No B.S.  Guys, do you w

ant people to take you a little more seriously in your personal and professional life?  Start dressing more nicely every day, and that'll happen.  Not only will you feel better about yourself, but other people will notice too.  And that will be reflected in how they react to you.  Believe me.  I've experienced and noticed it in my own life over the last 20 years.

Don't judge a book by it's cover, you say?  It shouldn't matter how you look.  It's what's on the inside that counts, right?  Maybe.  And that's a nice theory, but reality is sometimes very different.  However much we might pretend we don't notice it.  However much we'd like to think that our own appearance doesn't matter.  However much attitude, loud bluff, and "Screw you!" bravado we might put out there in an attempt to distract ourselves, personal appearance  matters.  And it will register very quickly with others, whether they are aware of it, or not.

To cut to the chase, a sloppy appearance forms an invisible barrier between us most of the people we come into contact with.  A guy might be the brightest, liveliest, most interesting person in the world.  A terrific guy.  A mensch.  A man's man.  The life of any party.  But routinely looking like he rolled out of bed five minutes ago and pulled on whatever was handy from the top of the laundry basket will eventually catch up to him.  Nope.  Looking like he doesn't care about his appearance for more than a couple of years after high school or college will eventually become a millstone around the average guy's neck, shaping his life in ways that he probably doesn't want.

So, what might average guys do to (re-) start off on the right foot personally, socially, and professionally?  One HUGE way to change for the better -- influencing others positively, how they react to us, and how we feel about ourselves in the process -- is through our choice of attire.  How we present ourselves to the world.  In plain language, the clothes we wear.  Now, lots of average guys out there are extremely nervous about seeming over-dressed or feeling stiff and uncomfortable.  Well, we're not necessarily suggesting that you start dressing in three-piece suits, twelve hours a day,  five days a week, but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.  

Here's the point to take away from this particular blog entry.  Dressing more nicely -- better, with more style, becoming more image conscious, call it what you will -- starts with your attitude.  So, here is the first tip for kicking up your style a notch or two from The Average Guy's Guide to Style.  Ready?  Here it is.  Adopt a new, bolder attitude about your appearance.  Relax.  No one is telling you to become a flashy dandy, or to dress like a grandpa with your pants hitched up to your chin.  But make a concerted effort to develop the subtle, quiet confidence to leave that indistinct, sloppy appearance behind and adopt a more polished look.  Choose to make a few necessary changes in how you think about clothes and the image you present to the world.  A well-dressed, polished guy who exudes a quiet, confident air is someone people will notice, perceiving you as more capable, competent, worth knowing, worth hearing, and worth having on their team.  And that carries over into so many other areas of our lives and our interaction with people.

Ok, next time, we'll start looking at a couple of concrete ways that average guys can start improving their 'look.'