We’ve all heard the phrase that it’s important to “dress for success”, especially in the workplace. The phrase has practically become a modern day chant for many old school thinkers who still believe that clothes make the man. I can still remember my first boss telling me how things work in the business world and that if I really wanted to stand out and get a jump on the track to partnership, I needed to start shopping at more expensive stores that some of the senior partners were frequenting - even if my salary was only a fraction of what they were making. I had been there less than a month, owned two “name brand” suits I had bought at TJ Maxx ( which clearly didn’t make the cut for the high end stores) and at the time was barely making enough to pay my rent and the monthly payments that were required on my student loans which were the equivalent of a mortgage. I needed to prime the pump he would say! And so I did...my mental pump that is.
Don’t get me wrong. I did go shopping, and I even got some nice suits. Because to an extent, what you wear - especially in a corporate setting - can make a difference. But I didn’t go to any extravagant stores and I definitely didn’t spend thousands on them. I spent about $100 on each. And then I wore them like they were worth thousands. Correction - I wore them like I was worth thousands. And not that there’s anything wrong with spending thousands on suits - especially if you have the money and you want to - but there’s no reason you HAVE to. Yes it’s important to look the part and dress the part, but none of that will matter if you don’t FEEL the part. And in my case, I was able to feel the part in my $100 suit. And that’s what ultimately made the difference in my being able to also act the part. Because at the end of the day, if we don’t feel as if we are worthy of anything on the inside, it doesn’t really matter how expensive or glamorous of a look we create on the outside. Exterior shine is just that - exterior. Until we can learn to shine from the inside, nobody will believe the glow is real, least of all our own mind. And that's why every success story starts with a well dressed mind.
The truth is no matter how hard we work on fixing our perceived exterior flaws and limitations, if we neglect to upgrade and replace the internal thoughts that created them in the first place, and then accepted them as being a representation of who we actually are as a person as opposed to a mere aspect of our thoughts, we will never truly rid ourselves of them. That’s why in some cases, even after the unwanted physical scars or extra pounds are no longer visible on our bodies they continue to define our actions and understanding of who we are as a person because they remain falsely etched in our brain and in our heart as part of our identity. That’s why, along that same vein, if we don’t do the inner work necessary to create lasting success, any outer work we do to promote the appearance of success will only lead to a temporary feeling and realization of success which will soon be replaced by the old insecurities and feelings of unworthiness causing us to start the process all over again and look for yet another way to create success - usually in the form of doing and being more than we were before. So how do you create lasting success? By creating transformation from the inside out. By digging deep and throwing out existing beliefs and patterns that have been holding you back and replacing them with new ones that propel you forward and more importantly... inspire you to keep going because you know you can and not because you feel like you have to. In essence, you do it by dressing your mind for success so it feels capable of producing the result long before the result even becomes an actual reality.
The more I set and accomplish goals, the more I’ve learned that the inability to achieve a goal isn’t necessarily tied to the difficulty of the goal (although that may be what we tell ourselves to have an excuse for not having achieved the goal.) Sometimes, an underlying lack of belief in ourself and an inability to see - and feel - the goal as being within our reach is the real culprit behind frustrated goals. That’s why mindset is the key to accomplishing any goal whether big or small. Yes some goals may simply be beyond our reach given our current level of ability or knowledge - I probably couldn’t just go run a marathon tomorrow without having trained for it. Not without hurting myself anyway! But with the right training and mindset (especially around mile 20), even a marathon comes within reach for most people. The same is true for most other goals in life. If we start with a mindset of confidence and anticipated success we are much more likely to achieve the goal than if we view the goal as difficult with a high probability of failure. Our mind believes what we tell it. If we tell it we will fail, it will find a way to take us there. If we tell it we will succeed - guess what..it will take us there. A key factor to believing is to really feel as if we are already there an visualize ourselves accomplishing the goal we set for ourself. In the marathon example for instance, imagine yourself crossing that finish line, feel the wind against your face and hear the sound of the spectators cheering and clapping as you finish. And most of all, allow yourself to feel the pure joy and excitement of having succeeded in what you set out to do - as if it was happening NOW. The closer you can bring yourself to the feeling of having achieved something before it happens, the easier it becomes to actually make it happen. Countless entrepreneurs, athletes, executives and speakers use this strategy daily and have been for years.
And while this may all seem like it’s a little hokey or possibly even far removed from what the average person can do, I promise you a success mindset and the visualization techniques I’m describing aren’t reserved for geniuses and millionaires. I’ve used them and they work. They are available to all of us who are willing to go deeper, and do the work that we need to improve on ourselves and our minds. The key is to make sure we are working on our mindset consistently and refusing to allow negativity or failure as an option. There may be times along that way that you have to rethink strategy, change your plans and maybe even learn some lessons, but that doesn’t mean you failed or that the process isn’t working. It simply means you’re learning and growing. And that’s one of the most beautiful side effects of all that comes from cultivating a success mindset. So remember, no matter what your goal, whether it’s to lose a few pounds, land that promotion, start that business or just get through a day without cursing out the driver in front of you - the key is to empower your mind with the tools it needs to get you to the finish line of that goal. Your mind truly can’t differentiate between a feeling that’s real and happening in the outer world, and one that’s being created by your mind and only happening in your inner world. So let yourself dream and go ahead and create the reality you want in your mind, and then watch those dreams takeover and actually BECOME your life.
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