by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Ok, it's time you acknowledged that inconvenient truth you've buried for so long. In high school, in college you were not the most popular kid on the block. And it hurt.
That acne!
That hideous hair!
Those clothes! Yikes!
And the nickname! (One of my room mates was called "The Worm" and for good reason).
The elect called you
dweeb
nerd
loser
They called you everything but on the telephone where the in-crowd disseminated the latest designed-to-exclude patois and invitations to its (unauthorized and therefore highly desirable) parties.
It is not a pretty story.
Still time for damage control
You can't erase those grotesque memories of yore (and your own psychological damages)... but you can significantly modify them IF (and it's a crucial if) you ace your class reunion(s). This primer of must-follow advice is just in the nick of time to do so. Kool.
You see, class reunions give you the opportunity to put unsettling ghosts to rest. They both help reshape your personal history while updating you on the have-to-know histories of your classmates, particularly the ones you didn't like.
The 18th century sage Voltaire wrote that "history is a pack of tricks the living play on the dead." If he'd had class reunions to attend, he might have added that such events are occasions where the olds play tricks on the young. As such, it's most important to play your reunions absolutely right.
It's still about looks, stupid!
Wise, empathetic teachers soothed you with the profound knowledge that when you got older, you'd be valued for who you were, for your many attainments and gifts to civilization; that it wouldn't be all be about looks and clothes and such superficial matters. Rubbish!
In writing this article, I asked several reunion survivors what points they'd like me to make. The first, a sensible Midwestern woman of a certain age, blurted out "weight"; she was immediately followed by another such woman, Canadian, who chimed in with "clothes."
These two items headed the most-agonized-over items in high school... and they still head the list, at least as class reunions go, today. Those soothing lines expertly delivered were just that... soothing lines. The inconvenient truth, irrefutable, is what we always knew: the superficials count as much as ever, maybe even more as time's winged chariot runs over and pulverizes our much prized little vanities.
Work it, baby, or it's not just the eyes of Texas which are upon you
Remember that great ball screen from "War and Peace" where the young countess Natasha Rostova ascends the grand staircase of a St Petersburg palace, certain that every jaundiced, aristocratic eye, particularly of the feminine persuasion, is looking at her, critically assessing? She was right...
This is a truth you cannot forget. Reunions are about assessments raised and lowered. They are about who made it... and who didn't. As such everything about you (and your dearly beloved) can and will be scrutinized and scrutinized again. Prepare accordingly, weeks in advance because the assessments your classmates will make start the very instant you appear. They are inevitable, withering, without mercy or chance of appeal. This is true whether your reunion is stylish and sophisticated, in an opulent hotel's grand ballroom... or at Billy's greasy pizza parlor.
To make the right entrance and start your reunion experience off right, the following features are de rigueur:
1) Weight. Every extra pound (the ones your careful spouse dances around denominating) detracts from the effect you must make. The Duchess of Windsor said, "No one can be too rich or too thin," and her grace ought to know. The weight loss and toning program produces far more than health benefits; it's all about making the killer entrance that the high school in crowd always had down pat.
2) Clothes. The effect you seek, whether man or woman, is unmistakable, immediately visible, always impacting casual chic; that is, clothes classically cut, elegant even when older and even worn. It takes a trained eye to produce the effect... but any eye can see it's there.
My mother, for instance, had a classic little black dress. One day I noticed a tiny moth hole. My mother's resounding response, "But, darling, it's Chanel!". Ah, yes. Of course. That's the perfect effect your ensemble should produce.
One 20-year reunion veteran claimed he didn't understand why the women made such an effort. Then, upon a moment's thought, he had that "aha" moment: "I bet they want to impress all the men!" My, my. Can't pull the wool over his eyes. So, tell me, do you think that's what those indomitable femme fatales are doing as they strut their stuff before the censorious and unyielding eyes of their sex? Every reunion veteran certainly knows.
3) Mandatory, chauffeur-driven limousine. This has many advantages: 1) designated driver already in place; 2) definitely come ups those peons who drive themselves; 3) causes all the necessary heads to turn... and wonder how you (of all people) turned out so well after all. Enough said.
By the way, should you need such a driver and equipage when in the Boston, Massachusetts area, contact me, and I'l refer Mr. Aime Joseph, who has driven me elegantly and always on time for many years.
Quick Reunion Tips
Item: Always come fashionably late. Act as if you are the person people wait for.
Item: Always have business cards. Writing particulars indistinctly on napkins is infra dig.
Item: Don't dance unless it's a tune you can fox trot to with elegant figures. Disarranging your clothes and coiffeur is indefensible, and unnecessary.
Item: Don't drink. As you can tell from this article, you need your wits about you. Don't let the sauce spoil all your plans.
Item: do take pictures. And do remember to write down at the time they are taken (not developed) just who's in them. If you don't, in time you'll forget and fail to note even your first high octane high school flame.
One more thing
If you intend that this reunion be your last, feel free to disregard any or all of these rules. Just go and have a helluva good thing, always remembering that when you do you'll confirm every catty thing your classmates have ever said. Party hardy, however, with the people you care about and have reconnected with, and it will be worth it.
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online. Attend Dr. Lant's live webcast TODAY and receive 50,000 free guaranteed visitors to the website of your choice! Dr. Lant is the author of 18 best-selling business books as well as a well known marketer and consultant.
Republished with author's permission by Lawrence Rinke http://ActionEqualsProfit.com. Check out Push Button Money -> http://silver45b.pbmoney.hop.clickbank.net
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