Self-confidence is like a mental muscle: Everyone is born with it, but not everyone flexes it. If you want your muscles to grow stronger, you need to exercise, right?

I find an immeasurable amount of self-confidence in dressing well. There is no right or wrong regarding how to boost your self-confidence.

This topic is entirely subjective, as some people don’t feel the need to dress their best, but do other things, instead, to grow self-confidence.

Perhaps it’s pretentious to place such a high value on the power of dressing your best, beyond other obvious characteristics. However, I believe what an individual considers to be aesthetically pleasing attire can contribute a big portion to his or her self-confidence.

When I speak of dressing well, I mean what YOU, as an individual, feel portrays your own style in the best way possible.

It could be a simple button down shirt and jeans. It could be a maxi skirt and a crop top. It could even be a hoodie and basketball shorts. It could be anything that makes you feel your best.

Now, I know you may be thinking, “How does dressing affect your attitude and confidence?”

Well, your self-perception has a tremendous impact on how others perceive you. Perception is an ideal reality; the more self-confidence you have, the more likely it is you will do your best.

Think of a time when you didn’t feel well. You probably put on whatever and dressed the way you felt – not that well. Now, take yourself back to a day when you had an important exam or interview. How did you dress and how did it affect your mentality?

I remember pulling all-nighters for my finals during college and sporting pajamas when taking exams the following day. I felt exhausted and did not waste any of my energy even getting ready, especially because it was exam day, and I couldn’t care less about what I wore.

The following week, I found the motivation to look effortlessly put-together for once. Yes, I decided to dress my best so I could test my best; I took away thirty minutes of sleep and made an effort to look my best. And, honestly, I felt good because I looked good.

I was anxious, yet felt unstoppable going into my final. And, I ended up doing better on the final than the week before. Since then, I dress up more often – not for others, but for myself because it makes me feel optimistic, confident, and just so good.

The point is if we change the way we dress, the way we feel will also change. When we are dressed well and look good, we automatically feel better.

When we feel good on the outside, we are more likely to feel good on the inside, which boosts our attitudes and self-confidence, and supplies us with more energy to treat ourselves and others around us better. This ultimately makes us the best version of ourselves.

I’m definitely not saying that dressing well makes a person, but it certainly affects how someone feels about him or herself. No one is more conscious of your physical appearance than you.

Face it: When you don’t look good, it changes how you carry yourself and also the way you interact with others.

Remind yourself every single day that dressing your best isn’t just a device of perception, but also a tool that affects your confidence. Plus, what do you have to lose?

Dress yourself with confidence so you look good, feel better, and do your best.

“Fashion you can buy, but style you possess. The key to style is learning who you are, which takes years. There’s no how-to road map to style. It’s about self expression and, above all, attitude.” – Iris Apfel

“Style is the only thing you can’t buy. It’s not in a shopping bag, a label, or a price tag. It’s something reflected from our soul to the outside world – an emotion.” – Alber Elbaz

© Sheena Amin. All Rights Reserved.