Okay, first impressions are a pretty big deal and some will argue all day long that they don’t care what other people think. While I admire and understand that point of view, you really do care, even it’s just a little bit and I can prove it. Say you work on a construction site, wear a ballerina dress to your job site tomorrow and tell me you don’t care what anyone else things or says. Work in finance? Wear a garbage bag or clown costume to the office tomorrow and tell me you don’t care what your boss thinks. Now I know, this is a bit extreme but it does prove my point that in the right context, we ALL care to some extent how we’re seen by others.
Real men don’t care what people think.
I can already hear the comments now saying; ‘Real Men’ do whatever they want and Real Men don’t care what other people think. Like I just said, I get it. I understand that. But in the right context, Real Men DO care and should care. Are you going out to a nice dinner with your lady? You should care about your appearance. Not only for you, but for her. Anyway fellas, I invite your opinions on this and we can have that conversation down in the comments section.
Poor grooming.
Okay, starting off my list no particular order is poor grooming. People notice poor and lazy grooming. Ask yourself; when was the last time you checked your nose hair situation? What about your ear hair? What about the hair on the back of your neck? Take a look at your fingernails and depending on your line of work, do what you can to keep them clean and trimmed. I’ve been in conversations with guys that have major nose hair poking out and it’s pretty distracting. Look, I get it, we all have nose hair, but you’re in control of how long it gets. You see yourself in the mirror every single day. Just take a closer look every few days and keep it trimmed up.
Bad breath.
Next on my list is bad breath. Sometimes it’s more avoidable than others, but if you’re going to a social setting, try to have breath mints with you. I carry the Listerine pocket packs. I like the pocket packs better than the Altoid mints for several reasons. First is the noise of the metal container. When it’s in my pocket, all the mints clanking around is annoying. Secondly, the size of the container. Even with the Altoid Mini’s, the container is too bulky in my opinion. Lastly, the pocket packs dissolve really fast and they last a long time. And personally, I’d rather not be crunching on a hard mint while I’m in conversation with someone. I used to be a gum chewer, but in most social situations, chewing gum isn’t all that appropriate. I also keep a bottle of mouthwash in my bathroom at home and use it from time to time.
Sloppy shirt collars.
The next little detail people notice is sloppy shirt collars that don’t stay up. This is super annoying in my opinion. But the good news is, today’s video sponsor Slick Collar has a solution. Ever since I got mine, I’ve been seriously wearing it all the time. And the best part is, nobody even knows it’s there. The really funny thing is, and I’ve told this story before, is I was out to dinner with some friends and we somehow got on the topic shirt collars. I asked my buddy Brian how his collar looks so good, and he whipped one of these things out. It totally blew my mind because I never realized he’d been using one. Up until that point, I had of slick collar, but seeing Brian with one totally solidified it for me.
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Wrinkled clothing.
Staying on the topic of your clothes, people notice wrinkled clothing. I’ve talked about ironing and steaming a lot before, and I encourage both. Another thing you can do is look into performance fabrics and wrinkle-resistant fabrics. In my experience, wrinkle-resistant or wrinkle-free still wrinkles, but they iron out super easy. If you’re more of a steamer guy, don’t skimp out if you buy one. I’ve used several different kinds of steamers and the cheap ones just spit water all over the place. The larger standup ones take up a little more space, but in my experience, they do a way better job than the cheap $20 hand held ones.
Dirty or scuffed shoes.
The next detail people notice is dirty or scuffed shoes. Depending on the situation of course, but if the place or gathering you’re going to requires a nice pair of shoes, make sure they’re in decent shape with a decent polish job. Even if you’re wearing casual sneakers, make sure they look decent. Get a cleaning kit like this one from Crep that I’ve talked about before and keep the white soles looking nice and clean. If the shoes have cotton laces, run them through the wash and use bleach if you have to. If the laces are too far gone, just replace them with new ones.
Your fragrance.
Next on my list is your scent. This is one of those details that can leave a lasting impression, especially with the ladies. I made a video a little while ago where I listed out my entire fragrance collection. The fact is, most guys don’t even wear fragrance. So this is an area where you can take advantage of that to stand out and make a long lasting impression on the people you meet and interact with. Fragrances can spark memories with people. So if you can have a unique signature scent that sparks positive memories, or at least one smells nice to most people, you can make a positive impact before you even say a word.
Okay gentlemen, please don’t forget to hit that link in the description to score yourself the same Slick Collar product that I use. If you’re a subscriber, that means I’ll see you in just a few days for a brand new video, but until then, live well, stay healthy and I do hope to see you soon.
