How To Dress To Impress

During this huge journey I've had (and still am going through) of finding who I am and embracing my true self, I realized something.

Something I hate to say.

But something I found to be terribly true. And this fact is one reason I became so gung-ho on doing what I could to look and feel my best, every dang day of the week.

To save you the "inspirational story" that gave me this realization, as it's lengthy, I'll sum up the gist of the story with this:
People will not respect and honor you if they see that you don't care and respect yourself. 

I realized that I could be talking the wildest, weirdest, wackiest stuff, and if I'm confident and looking my best, as well as flattering and kind to the person I'm talking to, they'd be more likely to believe me than if I showed up insecure, frumpy, and unkempt.
On the flip of that, I could be speaking truth, and if I look ratty, I'm less likely to be heard and believed or I'll be heard but won't leave any impression and the conversation will be forgotten.

Like I've mentioned time and again, my self esteem was pitiful in my younger years and yet, I hated that no one gave me the time of day or gave me far less respect than I felt I deserved. I silently demanded respect by those around me, friends and strangers and could not figure, for the life of me, why I was being considered less than the expectation of respect I had for myself to give them.

While I still run into those that have hurt me, taken advantage of my kindness, hated me from the beginning, or don't care to hear anything I have to say, I have found in gaining respect for myself, that I have been given more respect...or maybe since I give myself more respect, I don't care to compare how others treat me anymore to how I treat them. Whatever it is, having respect for myself has been far better than not.

What I wish is for everyone is to be seen as the person they are on inside. To be seen as the Child of God that they are, the good-natured person that they are. I believe the majority of people in this world are good and yet news, stereotypes, and body/clothing (FIRST IMPRESSIONS) has us all making incorrect assumptions.

Until we can change people's lasting remembrance of first impressions, here I give a few ways to give your best first impression.