How To Present Your Best Self

Although the benefits of presenting your best self are surely self evident, many either don’t know how to or fail to (myself sometimes included).

• Take care of the nonverbal image you give. The way you dress and maintain yourself is a direct reflection of who you are and your values. Is your hair unkempt or nicely styled? Are your shoes scuffed or shined? Although we all know that these indicators don’t necessarily reflect who a person is, nor should it, an impression is undoubtedly made. Be conscious of your appearance and take steps to craft it to your liking.
• Along with your appearance, also be careful of body language. Posture is huge in my book; slouching can make or break you. I sometimes struggle with keeping myself standing and sitting tall, especially when I’m alone, so I leave little reminder notes for myself. Take time to identify any problems you may have, such as folding your arms, using your hands excessively when you talk, or not making eye contact, and make a sincere effort to amend it. 
• When it comes to interacting with others always be positive. Being positive in good situations is pretty easy, but the mark of a truly great person (which you surely are!) is being positive even when things go wrong. Do your very best to be a person others want to be with in the easy and hard times.
• Never talk badly of another person. When conversation turns to gossip and not very nice things are being said, do not participate! Since you are reading this you want others to think highly of you, so why would you bring down someone else? If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. 
• Know what’s going on in the world. Be able to converse on a plethora of topics so you can effectively make a connection with anyone you meet. I stay up to date on the news by reading theSkimm. 
• Always strive to do your best and be humble when you are met with success. No one likes a braggart nor does anyone like a sluggard, so for your own sake and for your value in the eyes of others, work hard and don’t rub it in when you do great. I’m not suggesting that you downplay your success and kill yourself with work, but rather put in the effort due to a task, speak about it with modesty when asked i.e. don’t go shouting from the rooftops that you got an A on your final paper. 

These are just some things to keep in mind when evaluating the message you are sending. There are so many more facets which can be addressed so let me know in the comments if you’d like to read more!