LOA Lesson 10 - Dress for Success

Appearance is the key factor in attracting others to you. Shallow, but true. The first impression anyone will ever make about you is based upon your appearance, and your appearance is determined in large by the type of clothing that you wear. Your clothing should give the impression both of who you are and who you want to be.

The most important part of using your appearance to create a positive first impression is to appear clean and neat. No one is attracted to a slob; a lack of attention to self is often indicative to a general apathy with regards to other people and life in general. In addition, keep in mind that members of the opposite sex are most attracted to the individuals that they believe to be at the top of the metaphorical food chain. Needless to say, no one is going to believe that you are at the top of the food chain if you look like you cannot get yourself dressed without your mother's assistance. Your clothes should be clean, neat and properly fit in order to present the image of yourself as someone who cares about themselves and their belongings-and by default, the people that are around them (after all, you can care about yourself and not care about those around you, but it is very rare to care about those around you and not care a bit about yourself.)

This should by no means be taken to mean that you have to spend a small fortune on a wardrobe or take three hours getting dressed in the morning in order to ensure that you have the appearance of a runway model every time that you leave your home. That is impractical and does not allow the essence of your own personality to shine through. It is possible to attract the attention of the opposite sex in comfortable clothes, and for most people jeans and sweatshirts are much more comfortable for daily wear than their dress clothes. It is merely important to assure that these clothes do not make you appear to care more about comfort than you do about how you look.

If you are unsure about how to take your own taste in clothes and use it to maximize your appearance there are a wide assortment of resources at your disposal. Sales clerks, particularly of retail establishments that only deal in clothing, are trained to have a good eye for the size, color and style that will do the most to enhance their customer's appearance. Most people do not truly know what looks good on them, and what seems appealing in the store dressing room often loses its appeal when it is placed in ordinary circumstances. If a customer is not happy with the way that their clothing makes them appear they are likely to blame the store (after all, it could not possibly their own fault) which will cost the store business. On the other hand, if the sales clerk is able to steer a customer towards the perfect ensemble they will bring their business back.

There is never a second chance to make a first impression, and if that first impression is a negative one you are likely to have a great deal of difficulty in convincing the object of your affection to reconsider; therefore, the best thing you can do is make sure that you have taken all possible measures to ensure that you place your best foot forward when stepping into the dating pool.