Tall Poppy Basics Lesson 1: Confidence

Tall Poppy...

Is not the braggart, not the bully or the crowd follower. She is just confident and comfortable.

Is confident enough to let others bask in the spotlight without feeling that she is losing an advantage.

Is rarely envious. When Tall Poppy finds something she wants, she improves her OWN resume' in order to attain it instead of complaining about or criticizing those who already have it. Envy is Tall Poppy's motivation to grow.

Is a master of self-deprecating humor. She understands that if you laugh at yourself, the world will always laugh with you. And Tall Poppy loves nothing more than for everyone to have a really good time!

con-fi-dence n. 1. Trust or faith in a person or thing. 2. A trusting relationship. 3. That which is confided; a secret. 4. A feeling of assurance, especially of self-assurance. 5. The state or quality of being certain.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am going to focus on bringing out the Inner Tall Poppy in all of us over the next 10 days. If you're a Tall Poppy, you can just smile and nod. If you're looking to grow a little taller in 2005 (Tall Poppy or not...), this series will hopefully help you get on the right path. I believe that there are 10 traits that all Tall Poppies share, without exception. Nine of those traits build on one another to give Tall Poppies the single most important characteristic they carry: Confidence. There are lots of very successful people with loads of bravado and very little inner confidence. They are not confident. And they are NOT Tall Poppies.

If you are confident, you will have little space in your life for envy or conceit. Envy and Conceit come in all shapes and sizes and wear an astonishing array of disguises. They are not always easy to recognize, but most often are cloaked as gossip, mean-spiritedness and narrow-mindedness.

If you remember little else from this first Basics Lesson, remember this: When Tall Poppies are envious of others, they set about IMPROVING THEMSELVES. When Weeds are envious of others, they set about tearing down and belittling them. The way someone deals with Envy and Jealousy is what separates Tall Poppies from every other 'flower' in the Field of Life.

Since future lessons will focus on building your Confidence from the inside out, I thought I would share a few links today that can help us build confidence in our appearance. Many people may think that in order to be a Tall Poppy you have to be extremely attractive. Au contraire! The transformation to Tall Poppy happens in your head, not in front of the mirror. Your level of confidence is certainly affected by the way you feel about yourself, though, and your appearance is, of course, be part of that equation. However, in the same way that many attractive women are incorrigible Short Poppies and Weeds, most Tall Poppies would never consider modeling as a possible career choice.

But Tall Poppies do know that first impressions are crucial and are formed within 3-15 seconds. In little more than a blink of an eye, a person who is seeing you for the first time is deciding whether or not they want to meet you, get to know you better, hire you for a job, etc. First impressions are life and death in social, professional and political circles. If the people around you are turned off by your appearance, they may not take time to notice how clever and fabulous you are.

Here are a few links that you might want to peruse if you're aiming to increase your Confidence quotient regarding your appearance in 2005. Remember: Tall Poppies choose to always be APPROPRIATE in the their appearance. Their choices are NOT BORING. But they aren't slaves to every trend, either. Tall Poppies FOLLOW the trends and adapt them to reflect their OWN style. Above all, though, they set themselves and others at ease by always being dressed within the range of appropriateness. It builds your confidence if you are comfortable in your skin AND your clothes. So check out these links and make sure that the First Impression others get from you is as FABULOUS as YOU are!

Winter 2004-2005 Fashion Trends (this one broke my heart...But be brave and read it. My favorite velour yoga pants and jackets? Passe'. (tears...) And your French Manicure? Also out.)
How To Assess Your Look
Changing Trends for Handbags (To this one I say, "Thank Goodness!" Tacky is SOOO passe')
Fashion Trends for 2005
Clues to Spring Fashion 2005
New Hair Trends for 2005
The Perricone Prescription for Aging Beautifully
Anti-aging Makeup Advice
A Face-Lift in Your Fridge