Okay, so I flat out stole this title from Clinton Kelley’s book called Freakin Fabulous but I’m giving credit to him so it should be okay. Yes – you should go get that book now. It is hilarious. I had it on the counter one weekend when all of our family was in town to visit and my 70 year old father in law from the Philippines got his hands on it and read it cover to cover, chuckling the whole way through. It has the best tip ever on how to bust people who are snooping through your medicine cabinet!

Okay – so back to looking freakin fabulous. The bottom line here is do the best with what you’ve got. Sometimes my best is a pair of shorts and running shoes and sometimes it’s an insanely cute skirt I bought at a high end resort shop when I had nothing else to wear and I didn’t want to go on stage wearing my shorts and Chacos! Whatever is your best, go flaunt it. It does matter.

Most people fail to recognize how important first impressions are and how fast people make judgments about who you are, what you do, and the kind of life you lead. Did you know that most people will make a judgment about you in less than 30 seconds? They will assess your visual and behavioral appearance. They will notice the watch you are wearing, the brand of scarf you have around your neck, your shoes, the bag or briefcase you are carrying, the healthiness of your hair and the color of your teeth all within 30 seconds. Yikes!

Why Do We Do This?

We all do it, even if we don’t know we are doing it. We do it because when we meet someone we are looking for that common ground. We want something to relate to and we are attracted to those who are similar to us physically, intellectually and socially. (This is why when I hang out with my best girl friends we all look like a walking advertisement for Title9 or Athleta rather than Banana Republic or Neiman Marcus.)

This is true whether we are interviewing for a job, hoping to meet someone special, working the room at a party, or just going out for groceries.

5 Tips to Looking More Freakin Fabulous

1. Ask people who know you well. There is often a gap between how we think we are perceived and how others actually see us. Ask people what they thought of you when they first met you. Ask them what they think you are showing to the world. I was recently at an event and no less than 10 people told me that I looked and appeared exactly how they imagined me. I love that!

2. Ask yourself these questions:

• What do you want to project to the world?

• What message do you want to send about who you are?

• What do you want others to see and know about you?

• Assuming you could judge a book by its cover, what would you want yours to say?

• When someone walks away from you after meeting you for the first time, how would you want them to feel? What would you want them to say?

3. Be remarkable. There are probably hundreds of people trying to get the job, multiple people eyeing the person at the other end of the bar or on the next treadmill, and countless others with whom you come in contact on a daily basis. Never settle for being average. Wow them and inspire them by putting your best foot, or shoe, forward.

4. Get your colors done. I had mine done and a whole new world opened up to me. Shopping got easier (and, I hate shopping) and I never had to guess what color was best on me. When you wear the colors in YOUR palette and not just what’s trendy this season, you will stand out because you will look absolutely radiant.

5. Take pride in your physical appearance. People who dress well and look as though they care about their appearance, will draw people to them. Whether you like it or not, people respond more openly to those they see as attractive. This doesn’t mean you have to be a super model; however, it does mean that you should take care in how you present yourself to the world. So if running shorts are your best piece of clothing, make sure they are awesome!

Confession: The whole looking freakin fabulous thing is my biggest challenge. I hate getting dressed up and always have. When I was 10 I yelled to my mom in the store “I will not wear a dress, I will not wear a bra, and I will NOT wear deodorant.” I have no idea what prompted it but obviously from a young age it was clear I did not get the girly genes. I am happiest in my sandals or running shoes and shorts and I dread getting “dressed up”. Having said that, when I do get dressed up I get a really great reaction from people which tells me most of the time they think I look like a total mess! I’m a work in progress. I’m looking forward to the fashion week that finally declares fleece and sweats to be the new black.