Justice is Aspirational: Judgement is Inevitable

On passing my local court quite early in the morning, two young men were standing at the entrance obviously waiting for the doors to open so that they could go in.

One was dressed in a dark, pin-striped suit.  In one hand he carried a briefcase, the other held a mobile phone to his ear, his shoulders were back and he was obviously paying attention to whoever he was talking to on the other end of the phone call.

His companion was dressed in jogging bottoms and a grey hoodie. He was hunched over his cigarette, looking totally disengaged from everything and everyone around him.

We might think we don't judge, or even try not to pre-judge on appearance but it was impossible not to make the assumption that here was the defendant and his legal representative. 

We all make instantaneous judgements, often on only a few seconds of visual input. The more we are aware of this the more we can be in control of the judgements people might make about us.   We know this!

However, appearance isn't the whole picture.  Amy Cuddy gives a Ted Talk illustrating how body language shapes who you are and how you can change it to cause a different outcome.

 

Awareness is the first step in being able to change and influence anything.  Being aware of who you want to be, gives a starting point for addressing all aspects of your appearance in support of this goal.

"Progress is impossible without change."   George Bernard Shaw

And practice makes perfect; Objectively reviewing any changes you make will give you the ability to know whether you're making a change in the direction you want to, or not.

Good luck!