Surely you know her: that woman you met at a business meeting or the dry cleaners who was delightfully friendly, upbeat about her life and glowing with confidence? Didn’t she radiate like a 150-watt bulb? Everything was just terrific – her individual style, her warmth and most importantly, her genuine interest in you. (She even let the cell phone go straight to voicemail. Imagine that!) She was FAB-U-LOUS!
How did she do it? Let me count the ways:
1. Fabulous style has wit and originality, not necessarily brand-name labels. Plaids with plaids, stripes with stripes, clashing color combinations indicate a person unafraid to be noticed.
2. Leave the pave diamonds to your mother and shop on www.etsy.com for felted wool accessories. Their huge red dahlia felt flower made by an artist in Lithuania is unmistakably chic.
3. Start every day convinced you’re going to meet someone who will change your life. Dress, act, and think: this is your moment.
4. Don’t chew gum unless you’re on an airplane and need to pop your ears. It dilutes your fabulousness.
5. Build a tribe of people who are as focused and driven as you are so you don’t need to underplay your accomplishments. You’re a super-performer with ambition, not a “whatever” kind of woman.
6. Always be the first to initiate a hello, offer a strong handshake in greeting and introduce people to one another. Those actions have ‘confidence’ written all over them.
7. Make sure your online persona is as fabulous as your in-person persona. Close the loop on all emails to ensure that the recipient knows you have the information and you’re “on it.”
8. Fabulous people bring oxygen into every room – they don’t suck it out. Extend yourself, introduce yourself, show interest in others, listen when people speak, acknowledge others, bestow a compliment (or two), and laugh easily.
9. Make everyone feel good about themselves.Spend more time celebrating when things go right and less time dwelling when things go away.
10. When leaving a voicemail message, don’t slur your words, don’t say “me” instead of your name and don’t expect anyone to call you back. Fabulous people are tenacious – they take action when they need something.
TGATP is happy to feature guest contributor, Ellen Lubin-Sherman, the author of THE ESSENTIALS OF FABULOUS: Because “Whatever” Doesn’t Work Here Anymore.
You can find her book on Amazon and find her at: http://essentialsoffabulous.com/ or on Twitter at @ElleTellsIt.
