As an image consultant, I naturally take care of my appearance – I put make-up on every day (unless I’m at home, cleaning or working in the garden etc.), I style my hair every day and I make sure I dress appropriately for the day ahead. I wouldn’t feel like me if I didn’t follow this morning routine.
Even during this last year I’ve still dressed for work every day as it puts me in the right frame of mind, and I’m always ready for an online meeting.
For me it’s about a number of things:
- Making the right first impression
- Feeling good about myself
- Self care
- Mindset
- Expressing brand and core values
I often talk about the fact that we need to make a good first impression, especially in business. The way we dress and present ourselves tells other how to treat us, as well as potentially indicating how we work. If we look unkempt, it may suggest that our work is also sloppy – that’s not necessarily the case, but for those that don’t know us well, it could be a judgement they make, based on our appearance alone.
Taking care of the way I look helps my confidence and self-esteem. When I’ve got my make-up on, styled my hair and put on something I feel good in, I hold my head a little higher, put my shoulders back and can take on whatever the day throws at me.
Self-care is also so important for our mental health. We can get overwhelmed by so much ‘stuff’ going on in our lives and forget to take care of ourselves. My routine every morning is a little bit of ‘me time’ before I address the tasks for the day ahead.
I’ve mentioned many times that although I only walk across the landing from my bedroom to the office, that is my journey to work (especially during the last year, when lockdown has kept us at home most of time). If I try to work in my jeans and a sloppy sweater for example, I find it more challenging to concentrate and get easily distracted by the latest cute animal videos on Facebook, etc.
Dressing appropriately for my business helps me to express my core values, as well as my business and personal brand. Depending on what I’m doing and who I will be meeting, I consider the colours and style of outfit I wear, to project the right image.
All of these points are important to consider from a business perspective, but not just for business or special occasions. Good grooming is absolutely not vain, it’s an important aspect of how we are presenting ourselves to the world and have a really positive impact on our confidence and wellbeing.
If you’d like to find out more about anything I’ve mentioned here, or would like to work with me, please don’t hesitate to contact me: judith@ulookgreat.net or take a look at my website, for more information.