You are a director of first impressions

It's interesting, but in all the motivational and self-help type books that I have read over the years, no-one that I can recall has ever linked procrastination to a person's image. Well I'm going to change that today.
 
What has procrastination got to do with the way a person looks you might ask, and it is an interesting question. Well here are my thoughts on the subject I hope you find them of interest and more importantly of use to you.
 
First of all I want you to do me a favour and go and stand in front of a mirror. Now what do you see? More importantly what are you wearing? What does your hair look like? Ladies are you wearing make-up, what about lipstick? Do you look good, and more importantly do you feel good about yourself and what you look like?
 
Today is a Friday - a work day for most people. In Australia Friday is classed as dress down or casual Friday. Have you become too casual in your pursuit of comfort? Or could you still meet a client and be comfortable in your choice of clothes.
 
But what has this got to do with procrastination? Well consider this. Those people who tend to procrastinate about work and other projects also tend to be lax in other areas of their lives too. Have you started using the time log yet? Have you linked the boredom factor to the amount of food that you eat and the time(s) of the day that you succumb to the "i'll just have a cup of coffee" syndrome before you start?
 
Well image is another very good indicator of where you are in your lives and what you get done each and every day. If you can't be bothered to get up and have a shower and wash your hair in a morning, guess what - you can tell!! Not only do you look crumpled, but your attitude is likely to stink too. Did you press the clothes that you are wearing today? Or are they as crumpled as the rest of you? You see, we all have an image that we portray, some people can wear a garbage bag and still look fantastic - why? because their attitude is one of confidence and assurance, they know they look fantastic and they are showing the world that they do. Now try wearing those same clothes when you are feeling down and depressed about where you are and what you are doing. You guessed it, you will look down and depressed and lacking motivation. Your clothes and the image that you portray to the world is just a reflection on where you are in your life at the moment.
 
And whilst we are on the subject of being a director of first impressions, have you noticed that when you don't look good you don't smile, your eyes are dull and lifeless, your hair and skin don't glow, and you hold yourself as if your whole body is wracked in pain. Don't believe me, then become a people watcher. It's a fascinating exercise.
 
I was in the local supermarket the other day and the person being served in front of me didn't look the check-out chick in the eye. When asked how she was - the woman replied "I'm feeling a bit down". A bit down!!! any lower and she'd have been sitting on the floor in a nice big hole. Everything about her screamed depressed, unmotivated, can't be bothered. From the lack of smile, makeup and poor choice of clothes, to the rounded shoulders and clenched stomach. And when her card didn't swipe through the machine, she got angry and swiped harder which of course didn't work either. She wasn't just a bit down, she was annoyed at life and everyone around her.
 
You are a director of first impressions, if you feel good about yourself and where you are in life, then it will show. And the opposite also holds true for you too.
 
So what can you do?
 
Well you can play the "what if" game. What if I were feeling good about myself - what would I wear today? What would my skin look like, would I be smiling? Would I look happy? Would I get more done today if I felt good about myself? The answer to the last few questions is yes. It's a shame we can't video tape our day's performance, because only by seeing ourselves through other people's eyes can we see where we are at this point in time.
 
Now and this is the hard part - but I need you to keep a wary eye on what you wear each day for a couple of days, Does your choice of clothes and your "look" reflect your motivation? And if it does, can you change the way you look so that you feel good about who you are, and does that make a difference to the amount of work that you do.  Have fun.