Have you ever been admonished about the way you dress? Or perhaps about the way you don’t dress? Have you ever asked why it is so important? Well, it actually is. I talked about some of that in a previous post. Now, I’d like you to reflect on the oft-quoted “Dress for success” mantra. When was the last time you dressed for success? Was it for an important function? Was it because you were meeting an important client, sponsor or someone of like stature? Why did you dress up? To impress them? Because it’s expected, because it’s the norm? Now, check your calendar. How many times did you dress up the last month? The last year? Perhaps you dressed up once in the last year or so. Perhaps you dress up whenever you leave your stately abode. Perhaps you never bother to dress up. Whatever it is, do you dress in order to gain success, or do you dress simply because it reflects your ongoing success? Of course, it then becomes important to define what genuine success really means to you. Let’s assume that’s been squared away. I ask you again, why do you dress up?

I wore camouflage for many years. I felt absolutely comfortable in it and I would never have felt out of place even when in the company of people in gowns and tuxedos. Dressing is not about desire. Dressing is about expression. If you don’t remember anything else I say, remember this question: Is a champion a champion only after he gets the gold medal, or is he a champion because he has the mindset of a champion and lives like a champion? The same can be said about success. Do you dress because you yearn for success so badly that you are willing to fake it till you make it? Or does your dressing reflect the fact that you are already on Success Highway, relishing in your journey because you know your final destination? Be deliberate about putting on that mindset. Then you will never need to worry about what to wear, when to wear and how to wear. Those questions would have already been addressed by your dress.