Would you like to deal from strength when it comes to business? Many business women take courses to improve skills and constantly learn new lessons from their experience. All these things are empowering.

However, improving your image can empower you in more ways that you might expect. My clients often write to tell me how changing the way they look and dress impacts them in areas other than business.

For example, a client from California sent me an email a few days after her image workshop. She explained that the purpose of the workshop was so she could be certain she looked pulled together at all times.

This woman negotiates with power brokers in New York and L.A. and needed to come across as authoritative and self assured. When you’re not certain about your appearance, you don’t come across as confidently as you could. It is empowering to look in the mirror and know not only that you feel good about yourself, but that everyone you encounter will, too. This kind of ultimate self-confidence frees you to concentrate on the business at hand.

Here’s the note I received from this woman: “Everyone continues to remark how I look younger and prettier! Yesterday I went to my favorite designer-closeout store in Manhattan, armed with my trusty color-swatch wallet. One-third of the clothes we discarded together came from there. They were worn once or twice and always self-consciously.

“This time I found things I like but remembered that you warned me to stay away from certain colors.  At least 50 times I tried to will the color swatches into matching the color of the garment I was looking at and lusting for. That didn’t work! I bought only four garments. This morning, back home in the stark light of day, in front of the mirror I stand before always, they look even better than in the store! I saved SO much money and time!

“This powerful experience got me to thinking about other places in my life where it’s crucial to know just what I want, what works best for me personally—and then to simply ONLY buy that.

“The principle of the swatch card applies to men, houses, cars, daily habits, etc. I was really stunned at the realization. It hit me hard that if I just exclusively matched all potential houses/men/cars/habits against what I KNOW absolutely that I want, I would not have to waste any more time with the things that are wrong for me. This is so simple, but it was a powerful Aha for me. When I shopped in Manhattan, I was laser focused and got astounding results with very little investment of time. It was incredibly transformative!”

If you’d like to have a closet full of clothes that wow others and make you smile when you look in the mirror, you need to be laser focused when you shop. Here’s how:

1.  Take the time to discover the colors that make you look great. Don’t buy things just because they are in the “color of the season.”

2.  Educate yourself about the styles that suit your body type. That way, you’ll be able to quickly dismiss many of the garments that seem so enticing at first glance. If they accentuate your tummy, thighs, derriere, or whatever it is you want to camouflage, you’ll never feel happy when you look in the mirror.

3.  Before you shop, make a list of essentials that are missing from your closet. This will save you time and money because you won’t have to visit every single department in a store. 

4.  When you shop, never make a compromise with either color or style. That’s how you end up with a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear!

5.  Shop alone, unless you’re with your image consultant. Your friends may not have knowledge about your colors or styles, and they usually pick things that suit them, not you.

Life is simpler when you don’t waste your time or money looking at things that aren’t appropriate for you. Ultimately, discovering what suits you is liberating in terms of time and money, but also in emotional investment. It’s utterly empowering to be in charge of your life and have feelings of certainty with every decision or move you make.

When you know for an absolute certainty that you look good, it enables you to walk into a room and own it. That’s because the way you look and dress announces the outcome other people can expect from you—and you’ll know your image announces you’re the absolute best. 

Sandy Dumont is a speaker and internationally known image consultant who has been changing people’s lives for 30 years. She has presented on three continents and produced numerous books, DVDs and boxed sets on the subject of image. Contact her at 757-627-6669 or www.theimagearchitect.com.