David Brett Williams
  • About David
    • About David
    • Start here
    • Contact David
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Boost Your Strengths
    • Boosting Your Resilience
  • Work With David
    • keynote speaker
    • Motivational Speaker
  • Shop
    • Mentoring
    • Online seminar
  • About David
    • About David
    • Start here
    • Contact David
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Boost Your Strengths
    • Boosting Your Resilience
  • Work With David
    • keynote speaker
    • Motivational Speaker
  • Shop
    • Mentoring
    • Online seminar
  •  
  • 0

Home / 2020 / July

July 2020

Easy Ways To Make A Big Change In Your Life

My right foot slowly nudged my bedroom door open, and I had to stop. Clothes were spewing out in two dozen different directions all over the floor.

Waistbands of tracksuit bottoms were trying to explode from underneath the bed. There was no way to walk in without stepping on something. And I spied the faint outline of a running shoe underneath a pile of crumpled tee shirts.

My disbelief lasted for at least three commercials. Then I heard Cerce Lannister call to me from the iron throne.

After wrestling with a mountain of clothes, I managed to close the door. I flung myself back on the couch, feeling faint and slightly exhausted.

I will tidy my bedroom soon. Definitely. Maybe even tomorrow night. I promise.

Procrastination stifles goals

Procrastination kicks in when our goals are greater than our energy levels, our time and even sometimes, greater than our courage. Click To Tweet

When we look at something that seems insurmountable, it is easy to stuff everything back under the bed or into a closet and shut the door. Just close that door, again.

Easy Ways To Make A Big Change In Your Life

“Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.” – Wayne Gretzky

It’s the same way with pretty much everything we want to change in our lives.

We imagine our ultimate end goal, running a marathon let’s say. But when we see ourselves at the first mile, we are already exhausted by our thoughts and drowning in our stress sweat.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Find out how to cure your procrastination HERE.

The realisation that John Snow eating a rabbit in the woods and the Red Witch looking at herself in a mirror is a pathetic excuse for not doing what needs to be done hit me. Off goes Game Of Thrones and I started to deal with my mess piece by piece.

This post has six pieces of advice to help you find the courage, motivation, momentum, support and perspective to leap into the unknown.

What is your motivation to change

When deciding to make a change, you must first identify and understand what you want to change. In essence, what are your reasons for making the change in the first place?

Associate Professor Anthony Grant, from the University of Sydney, suggests you should start by identifying what is important to you. This means defining your core values.

Easy Ways To Make A Big Change In Your Life

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama

Grant suggest you need to be able to identify what about your goal that makes you feel better and more expansive. What about your goal adds to you as a person?

The logical premise is that when your core values and goal align, thinking of your goal will trigger a positive gut feeling.

Practice getting outside your comfort zone

I used to dread the uncertainty that comes with change. And that was one of the main reasons I used to avoid change. Because when you make a change, you don’t know what will happen.

Related Post: How To Become The Best Version Of You in 2018

If we let this fear stop us, we may never create the opportunities to experience some of life’s most fulfilling experiences.

A simple way I found to fight this fear is to practice doing more things that scare me. Think of it like exercise: when we do more things that scare us we are strengthening our emotional muscles.

Imagine how it will look after the change

For many of us, the idea of making a change brings up feelings of fear and discomfort. It takes a lot of motivation to push past those emotional obstacles and keep going.

In these moments, having a clear picture of how much better things will be on the other side can spur us on.

Suggestion: Jump forward in time and imagine a day after you have reached your goal. Write down three ways that day will be awesome. Make it as sensory-rich as possible.

 

Most of us respond well to visual stimulation so you might want to find a few images that represent how that day will be outstanding. For me, a song can make it more sensory-rich. Other people might associate a smell. The sweet smell of success. Do whatever makes it compelling for you.

Take one small step, and then another

Taking action, however, small a step it is will boost your energy and optimism. Identify one small, manageable thing you can do today to move toward your goal. Then take action and do it.

Take a moment to notice the positive feelings you experience when you take action on your behalf.

Now take another small step forward. Before you know it, change starts to happen.

As the saying from Lao Tzu goes, “Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Contemplating the enormity of all that’s before you isn’t going to propel you forward.

Change a matter of perspective

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

The primary motivator that leads us to keep on persevering is taking baby steps. When we look at the big picture, we can get overwhelmed with all the intricate stages involved in achieving that goal.

Alternatively, try breaking the big picture goal down into manageable and systematic baby steps. And then work your butt off to achieve them.

Celebrate and document your wins on a regular basis. I suggest you do it daily. The achievement of your baby step goals will help you achieve the change that you’ve been seeking.

Being in the moment

There is a saying from Karen Salmansohn that illustrates this point very well, “The grass is always greener on the other side – until you get there and see it’s AstroTurf. Symbols are never reality. Someone might have amassed material success and fame, but that doesn’t mean they’re happy. So, don’t go judging a person’s life by the cover.”

How many of think that the grass is greener on the other side? Often, when we get to the other side, we find that this is not true.

Our desire to be happy provides the motivation to change our lives. Too frequently, we are so busy focusing on our pursuit of happiness that we miss the joy of actually being in the moment.

When we become consumed by all our challenges, problems and unhappiness in the present, we miss the precious beauty of being in the moment. Click To Tweet

An attitude of gratitude

Sitting on a bench eating an ice-cream or walking in a park with a friend is a moment of happiness. Appreciating and showing gratitude on a daily basis is experiencing happiness in the moment.

This is what living our life in the moment is all about. Don’t miss these moments because you are too busy focusing on your pursuit of happiness.

Easy Ways To Make A Big Change In Your Life

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” – William Arthur Ward

We all possess a tendency to resist change. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Change is beneficial for us in both our personal and professional lives. It exposes us to new experiences and people and makes us more flexible and opens up the doors to more opportunities.

Suggestion: Write down one thing that are committed to doing in the next week that scares you or at the least makes you feel uncomfortable.
It can be rock-climbing, saying “no” to someone, or going out to a movie or dinner alone.

And then do it again next month. And the month after that. Then you  keep on until you embrace change and look forward to it.

Now get out there and live an OUTSTANDING life.

  • 27 July, 2020
  • Personal Development
  • More

Learn The Secret Habits Of Highly Effective People

Every single one of us wants to succeed. And every single one of us has habits.

Some of our habits will help us and others will hurt us on our path to success. Would it help to identify the habits that will help us on the path to success?

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, in my opinion, is a masterful piece of work. And I recommend you read the entire book.

Feel you don’t have the time to read all 432 pages of this bestseller?

I understand. A lot of us don’t. That is why I have summarised the book for you.

Dr Steven Covey didn’t invent the habits, he observed them through reading success literature over centuries and brought them together into a sequential flow of 7 habits that helps us become more effective in our lives by living them.

The book opens with an exciting premise. Covey believes our perceptions dictate the way we see the world.

Playing this out, if we want to change any given situation, we must first change ourselves. And if we’re going to change ourselves, we must change our perceptions first.

These days, people want shortcuts to success. We all ask, “How do you do it?” We hope to save time and effort and still achieve our desired outcome.

Habits to create excellence

“The key to valuing differences is to realize that all people see the world, not as it is, but as they are.” – Stephen Covey

But these shortcuts we seek only provide short-term solutions. The drawback is that they don’t address the underlying condition.

Covey writes, “The way we see the problem is the problem.” He suggests that we must change ourselves on a deeper level, called paradigm shifts, to achieve true change.

And that’s where the seven habits of highly effective people come in.

What habits do highly effective people have?

  • Be Proactive
  • Begin with the End in Mind
  • Put First Things First
  • Think Win-Win
  • Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
  • Synergize
  • Sharpen the Saw

When I read this book years ago, the massive benefit to me happened from the first habit. It changed my thinking on mindset forever.

Habit 1: Be Proactive

We all have a fundamental choice, we can choose to be reactive or proactive. Covey stresses this is true whatever situation we find ourselves in.

The central premise is that by choosing to be proactive, you are choosing to increase your circle of influence.

Increasing our awareness and our freedom to choose aligns us with the principle that each of us has that freedom.

It is our job to change our situation, create the opportunity, then live proactively and responsively in the opportunity we are proactively creating.

It all hinges on your level of control. There are things that you can control in life. And there are things you can’t directly control. These include things such as the weather, your place of birth or decisions made by your company.

One of the most important things that

you can control is how you react.

How you react to events and situations may be the only thing you can truly control in your life.

When you become upset when the weather is gloomy, you are being a reactive person. You are letting the environment control you. You are simply reacting to external stimuli.

When you are reactive, your focus is on things that you cannot control.

Learn The Secret Habits Of Highly Effective People

“Without doubt, you have to leave the comfort zone of base camp and confront an entirely new and unknown wilderness.” -Stephen Covey

Covey stresses the secret to being proactive is to focus on what you can control. And this, in turn, increases your personal effectiveness.

You bring more power into your life by making a choice to focus on the things that you can control. And this widens your circle of influence.

In my view, the single most proactive thing that anyone can do is increase his or her own proactivity.

How do we do this? By practising habits of awareness, healthy conscience, imagination, and independent will.

Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind

We can achieve our goals.

Awareness is crucial to goal achievement. And the central premise here is that it is easier to achieve our goals if we are aware of what we truly want.

People frequently have conflicting desires. What I wanted yesterday is sidelined by the new thought I have today.

If we can synchronise and unify the functions of our mind, we achieve inner synergy.

Thus, when we develop a vision of what we truly want, we lead from the right side of our brain. This is the more artistic and creative side of the brain. And we allow our lives to be guided by our inner intuition and sense of rightness.

Then we manage from the left side of our brain. This is the more academic and logical side of the brain. And allows us to rationally lay out a schedule of activities that will shape our character and achieve our goals.

Covey uses the terms right and left to refer to two different human capacities: Creative experiential living and rational, committed planning and action.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Several principles come into play in putting first things first, where we turn our long-term goals into a weekly schedule, week after week.

The first principle is that the priorities in our mind create the priorities in our lives.

The second is that work fills the time allotted.

The third is that success comes through first planning, and then carrying out the plan.

The fourth is that unexpected things happen.

The first step of the solution is to set a weekly goal towards our long-term goals. Then we make a schedule where we put what matters most first in our minds and, as much as we can, first each day.

Then we live that schedule and rearrange as needed when unexpected things happen.

Doing this for 52 weeks, we achieve our goals for the year. Doing this year after year, we create our destiny.

Habit 4: Think win-win; win-win or no deal

The underlying principle is that only what is beneficial for everyone involved is beneficial for each one of us.

There is no real case of “I win; you lose.”

Even in competitive sports, the real benefits come from participating more than from winning, so, when competitive sports are done in a healthy way, everyone wins.

Understanding this is challenging because each of us carries a very deep paradigm of competitiveness.

Some feel they must win; others that they must lose. To achieve win-win, we take responsibility for our own individual adaptation of the competitive mentality of our society, and we seek something better.

We seek relationships where everyone benefits. We even come to a place where we engage only in such relationships. That’s called win-win or no deal.

Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then be understood

Principles behind seek first to understand include:

Humility. Let us not rush ahead thinking we understand when, in all likelihood, we do not understand deeply enough.

Easing of anxiety and fear. Everyone lives with some anxiety and fear, often a lot of it. The principle here is that people listen better when we feel safe, and we feel safe when we know we are heard.

Learn The Secret Habits Of Highly Effective People

“The more we see people in terms of their unseen potential, the more we can use our imagination rather than our memory.” – Stephen Covey

Speak within another person’s language and way of thinking so they can work with what they hear. This post will help you speak their language.

Putting these together, we listen first. We understand first. We ensure the other person feels safe and feels understood. Then we ask permission to share our view.

Once we do this, we have their attention, and genuine communication is possible.

Habit 6: Synergize

This habit is tough to write about. The underlying spiritual principle is harmony.

Related Post: Easy Ways To Make A Big Change In Your Life 

When each person is in harmony with himself or herself, and true to himself or herself, and we share common goals and are responsive to one another, unexpected and wonderful results arise.

Habit 7: Sharpen the saw

All people, all living systems, are always changing. We need renewal. And this habit is about self-care and self-improvement.

Healthy habits create a healthy body and mind.

Related Post: How To Become The Best Version Of You in 2018

We are creative and self-creative. If we are not being creative, we get sick or get tangled in unhealthy habits of time-wasting and even addiction.

Thus it is necessary to develop and maintain healthy habits of body, emotions, mind, energy, creative soul, and spirit.

Hope you found this summary of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People useful. Choosing to perform the right actions will make them habits and further us on our path to success.

If you are looking for some inspiration, this may help: How To Find Inspiration With Four Simple Thoughts.

  • 20 July, 2020
  • Professional Development
  • More

Find Inspiration With Four Simple Thoughts

This post is about inspiration and is about you. Just as you are right now.

It won’t suggest you become someone different, or tell you that you have to gain anything of material significance.

It won’t because your most valuable gifts are already within you.

And once they are uncovered everything in your life will flow more smoothly. When you change your inner world, the outer world will change around you.

There is no need for me to tell anyone that the road of life is never easy. All too frequently we encounter detours, speed bumps, and U-turns.

Instead of being negatives, I like to think of these challenges as necessary to appreciate the full scope that life has to offer. Without experiencing the lows would we truly appreciate the highs?

Find Inspiration With Four Simple Thoughts

“Once I decide to do something, I can’t have people telling me I can’t. If there’s a roadblock, you jump over it, walk around it, crawl under it.” – Kitty Kelley

Sometimes it is too easy to only focus on the challenges. They occupy our attention and become all we can see.

Related Post: How To Become The Best Version Of You in 2018

In the past, I would lose sight of goals because I could not see past the obstacles in the way. I then began to fixate on the obstacle instead of the goal.

I was quickly and continually derailed from achieving my goals.

Goal setting and the subsequent derailment became sources of frustration for me. I had to find a way of breaking the cycle.

I had to find sources of strength, inspiration, and perseverance to keep my focus on the outcomes I wanted.

In this post, I offer four simple thoughts that will help you find the treasures that are within you to uncover your greatness.

Inspiration: Your greatest love affair should be you

There is one person who stays with you your entire life. One person who needs your love more than anyone else. One that, if you love, they will always return your love. Click To Tweet

That person is you

Your greatest love affair should be with yourself. And you need to view your relationship with yourself as your most important relationship.

How often do you see people giving their love freely to others, but they don’t provide themselves with respect let alone love.

Many of us are happy to speak up and defend people we care about but let that critical inner voice in our head continue unchecked.

Find Inspiration With Four Simple Thoughts

“Our first and last love is self-love.” – Christian Nestell Bovee

Will you indulge me and allow me to tell you a story? I am working with a wonderfully giving single mother.

She does everything she can to support her children, emotionally, financially and psychologically. All the things that you would say a good parent should do.

But if you listen carefully to what she says you will note that her conversation is plastered with self-deprecating comments. She is continually putting herself down.

The critical inner voice

After seven minutes of chatting, I paused the conversation. I read out the first 15 negative and scathing comments that she made about herself that I had listed. After fifteen, I stopped writing them down.

“Would you tell anyone those comments over the course of an entire day?” I asked.

“Never. I couldn’t be that cruel.”

Yet she was that cruel to herself. And not over twenty-four hours but seven minutes.

Before we started working together, she had no idea that she could control her inner voice. And her inner voice is toxically damaging.

 

We are working together to build her relationship with herself. If want to improve your relationship with yourself Self-Esteem Develop More Of It is a good starting point.

Is it time that you built your relationship with yourself? To train that inner voice to compliment you and to show appreciation to yourself?

You make it easier for others to love you when you love yourself. It is never too late to start to love yourself.

Inspiration: If you are in a hole stop digging

We can all fall into a rut. The key is when you find yourself at a low point, not to dig the rut even deeper by beating yourself up. Many people fall into a hole and then dig it deeper without even realising it.

Sometimes, giving up is perhaps the most natural thing you can do. Whatever we repeat often enough becomes a habit. If you give up then giving up becomes a habit.

Find Inspiration With Four Simple Thoughts

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan

The problem is giving up becomes our default solution. Our automatic response to pretty much everything.

Related Post: Easy Ways To Make A Big Change In Your Life 

Do you want to have giving up as your default option?

To get out of that rut, we must first accept our current position. Yes, we are in a hole.

When we recognise the behaviours and decisions that lead to us falling in, we will be capable of avoiding similar pitfalls in the future.

Inspiration: Show up even when you don’t feel like it

Some days, life gets the best of us. There is no helping it. These occasions will continue to test our resolve.

I remember the Woody Allen quote, “Showing up is 80% of life. Sometimes it’s easier to hide at home in bed. I’ve done both.”

Imagine it is Monday morning at 6:00am, and you are on your way to work. Nobody told you that you needed to be there that early.

If we were being honest, we would all prefer to be in bed right now. It’s a cold morning and just staying curled up under a warm duvet actually sounds really nice right now.

But you don’t want to let yourself do that.

Why? Because you have got to show up.

Find Inspiration With Four Simple Thoughts

All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” – Walt Disney

Several years ago, a friend used the analogy of life being like a photo album. Your task is at the end of each day, to put a photograph summarising that day into your album.

What would each picture look like? Would yesterday be any different than today? Or would tomorrow be different from any day next week?

Most of us settle into routines and ruts in life that allow us to take the path of least resistance. It’s easier that way.

It is easier to stay in bed, to not to do the work. It’s easier just to hope and wish it all works out.

Related Post: Get Wise: How To Make Better Decisions in 15 Minutes

But doing so will only reproduce the same picture of what your life has already given you.

Let’s be honest… most things worth doing in life are never easy. If it were easy, everyone would do it.

The act of showing up is 80% of life. If you can master showing up even when you don't feel like it then you have cracked one of life's big challenges. Click To Tweet

Inspiration: A stumble does not have to be the end of the journey

How hard we fall is not important, the critical part is continually picking ourselves up. The challenges and obstacles we face in life are momentary occurrences in an enduring adventure.

It made me think about people I’ve known who have stumbled and stayed there. Not to mention the times I’ve stumbled and wanted to stay there…

Find Inspiration With Four Simple Thoughts

“For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.” – Mary Kay Ash

The road of life can be long and challenging. And the path may twist and turn. There will be potholes and obstacles in the way. Some days it may seem more comfortable to sit down and make camp where you stumbled. Don’t do it! Don’t!

Keep your goal in focus and keep moving forward until you get there!

We will slip, trip and stumble. And making mistakes is an essential part of learning how best to handle recurring situations. With experience, we learn to recognise these potholes in advance and deal with them before they cause us to stumble.

How will you use these four simple thoughts to find inspiration that will help you push through and not give up. Developing perseverance is an integral part of living an outstanding life, click HERE to find out more.

  • 13 July, 2020
  • Personal Development, Professional Development
  • More

Make A Great First Impression Every Time

Have you seen someone and got that first impression that they were not friendly? Or have you ever met someone that was warm and inviting and you became friends with them immediately?

You judge a person the same way you judge a book, by its cover. Our parents and teachers told us not to, but it is what we do.

It is how we evolved. We needed to know who was trustworthy and who we needed to avoid.

The adage that you ‘only get one chance to make a first impression’ holds true now as it did generations ago. That one chance lasts less than ten seconds, and some theorise that first impression is only two seconds.

Impressions Friends

“It’s easy to impress me. I don’t need a fancy party to be happy. Just good friends, good food, and good laughs. I’m happy.” – Maria Sharapova

Like it or not, human beings make snap judgments about people they meet, even if it is for the first time. People start forming a picture of you in those opening moments.

Here I will be covering seven tricks to create a great first impression whether you are on a first date, job interview or work reception.

1. Confident body language

Let’s start with a statistic. 70% of communication is transmitted non-verbally, according to the University of Pennsylvania. That is body language. And only 23% is voice tone and inflexion, and 7% being your spoken words.

Earlier studies by Mehrabian suggested that 55% of communication is transmitted via body language.

If you are are meeting someone for the first time, you want to be comfortable with confident body language so you will need to practice it first to make the right first impression.

Numerous studies suggest that your body language not only influences your physiology but also the nature of the people around you.

If you have your arms crossed across your chest and your feet tapping nervously, you will be seen as timid and closed off.

Related Post: Self-Confidence The Harvey Specter Way

Effective body language goes beyond merely standing up straight and having a firm handshake – although those two things are fundamental. If you are are meeting someone for the first time, do it with an open posture.

That means arms are uncrossed with open hands to show that nothing is being kept hidden. Legs are parallel and not crossed. They may even be stretched apart.

The head will be upright or may be looking around. Eye contact is likely to be relaxed and prolonged.

Lean in closer to the person you are talking with to show you’re engaged in the conversation and actively listening. If you are usually expressive with your hand gestures to communicate, don’t hold back.

What behaviours should you avoid to make a good first impression? Refrain from blinking excessively, tapping, touching your face too often, placing objects in front of you, and standing or sitting too close to others.

Impression Closed Body Language

“For me it’s always about first impressions. I trust my instincts.” – David Brett-Williams

Nonverbal cues make a compelling impact on the other person’s subconscious. So it is always beneficial to be aware of your posture and body language in general, but particularly when delivering a sales pitches or being interviewed.

Stand confidently, make eye contact, and when in doubt, take cues from the other person’s body language.

2. Smile

When making an initial judgement about someone, their facial expression is typically the first aspect that gets noticed. So it’s essential to appear both happy and engaged.

Your facial expressions influence people’s impression about whether or not you’re a “trustworthy” person.

These judgements are done instantly, after only 34 milliseconds of looking at your face. That according to research from Princeton University.

Want to be judged as trustworthy? Then, you need to smile. But if you have an angry-looking face it gets judged as untrustworthy.

Psychologist James McConnell, put it simply, “People who smile tend to manage and sell more effectively and raise happier children.” You can find other gems in his book Understanding Human Behavior.

3. Be on time

If you want to make a positive first impression, demonstrate that you’re respectful of the other people’s time by being on time. This applies to many situations. Whether that is a job interview, business appointment, coffee date or lecture.

Surveys frequently show that a lack of punctuality and being kept waiting nearly always feature in the top five of lists of gripes from potential employers.

If you tend to be late, then get up earlier to allow time to get ready. Or if you think travel may cause a delay, allow more time than you need to get there. If you are early, you can always use the extra time to prepare.

The take-home message is that being on time or early shows you are taking the other person seriously.

4. Use your tone

This is one you need practice beforehand. Unfortunately, a high-pitched voice is interpreted as nerves or childishness.

It has been shown that people perceive those who use a rising inflexion at the end of their sentences as less knowledgeable, no matter what they are saying.

Not sure if you’re guilty of this? Try recording yourself reading aloud. Whenever I do this, I am always stunned by the difference between what I think I sound like and what I actually do.

Having a higher pitched voice is beautiful. And if you learn to use it effectively, it can be a fantastic tool as long as you use it confidently.

Being Canadian, I have a tendency to talk quickly. But you might say I jabber! According to a study from Brigham Young University faster speakers are considered to be more confident.

Whatever speed you talk at, be sure to avoid using filler words. Typical filler words are “um,” “ah,” “like,” and other similar phrases. It shows hesitation and suggests nervousness.

Related Post: How To Keep A Conversation Flowing

If you learn and use these four little magic words: “And how about you?”

It invites the other person to tell you about themselves and to go in the direction they’re most excited to go in. After all, most people are happy to talk about themselves.

5. Eye contact

Eye contact is an integral part of every successful conversation. When approaching someone for the first time, look them directly in the eye as you meet them. Avoid looking at the ground or past the person.

You don’t want to appear as too intimidating or creepy when you are staring at someone. But you don’t want to seem meek or shy with no eye contact at all.

As the conversation develops, to maintain the right level of eye contact without staring try to keep eye contact for 50% of the time while speaking and 70% of the time while listening.

first impression

“I love almost everything about my work except conferences. I am too shy in front of an audience. But I love signings and having eye contact with a reader who already knows my soul.” – Paulo Coelho

If you make eye contact with someone say at the gym and you do it more than three times. Do not do it a fourth time without striking up a conversation or you will be the weird person at the gym or the office or wherever this is.

Also, if you are observing someone speaking or giving a lecture, go with the 70/30 rule. Look at the person for 70% of the time and look away for the remaining 30% of the time.

This is not an exact science, but having a guideline will help tremendously.

6. Appearance matters with a first impression

Appearances matter even more now in the days of social media. The images of the beautiful, the rich and the famous that we get bombarded with influence our definition of what is attractive.

It is important to dress to impress all the time. You can’t predict when you will meet somebody new and find yourself in the middle of a meaningful conversation.

More importantly, taking pride in your appearance helps you feel as confident as you should be at any given point in the day.

Back when I was a teenager, I had a friend who applied for a job at a grocery store. Kenny went for the interview wearing a button down shirt, cotton chino trousers and some polished leather loafers.

Now you can say that it is normal to look smarter because it was for an interview. However, that wasn’t unusual for Kenny. That was his look. Back then it was called preppy.

Related Post: How To Find Inspiration With Four Simple Thoughts

But he wears the same attire whenever he is working. Whether he was stocking shelves, sweeping the back room or bagging groceries.

In fact, during his interview, walking around the store with the manager he had a temporary name badge. Dressed like that and chatting to the manager the other staff thought he was from head office.

The amount of respect he got from the other staff and customers was unreal. All down to the clothes making the person.

The thing was, he hadn’t turned eighteen yet!

7. Know what you are getting into

You wouldn’t wear a t-shirt to a meeting, and you wouldn’t wear a suit to a friends’ house to hang out. Always do your research. Figure out who’s going to be there and what the theme of the event will be.

That helps you prepare for potential conversation starters and dress for the occasion.

If your meeting is planned, you have plenty of opportunities to know lots about the business and/or person that you’re meeting with before you arrive.

Google provides an incredible insight into the company, their competition, their primary products, and any other relevant information before you even set foot in the building.

You may find How Badly Do You Want To Turn Your Dreams Into Reality an asset too.

Nowadays, LinkedIn is also an excellent place to check out who you’re meeting with and learn more about them as is the Charlie App.

This app uncovers information about the person you’re meeting with and sends you a summary with all the details.

Hope you found this post interesting, but these seven tricks will only be useful if you use them.

Creating a great first impression whether you are on a first date, job interview or work reception, will increase your likelihood of living an OUTSTANDING life. Time to get out in the world and make it happen.

  • 6 July, 2020
  • Personal Development, Professional Development
  • More

Recent Posts

  • The Best Way To Take Advantage Of How You Define Success
  • 101 Superager Quotes That Will Inspire You
  • How To Win The Battle That Is Team Dynamics
  • 8 Ways To Unlock More Opportunities In Your Life
  • Need An Instant Confidence Boost? Here Is The Solution

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • June 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017

    Categories

    • Personal Development
    • Professional Development
    • Super Ager

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    About David
    Creatambitionate
    (Creative, Ambitious, Passionate)
    Mission Statement: "My mission is to empower every individual I interact with to achieve more."
    Privacy policy | Cookie Policy | Terms and Conditions | Sitemap
    Stay Connected
    © Copyright 2018 – David Brett-Williams