Do you wish to achieve success in your life?
Do you wish to succeed in every arena of your work?
And do you think there is a formula for the same?
Well, there is a simple formula and I refer to it as MOB(Master Outlook Blueprint).
It talks about mastering your outlook most simply.
To achieve this we must understand what Outlook is and how can outlook unlock success?
So, let’s begin…
COMMON PERCEPTION
What is Outlook as per you?
Do you believe the outlook is the same as your perception of the world?
If you think outlook means the perception of the world, then it is of primal importance to bring to you the true concept of it.
Since outlook goes way beyond the perception of the world, a deep dive into it is required.
DECODED
Outlook is the most common word we listen to every day but its understanding is most uncommon.
Due to this, most people are unable to improve and achieve success in what they pursue.
Now, does this sound like a life success mantra?
If so, yes it is but don’t worry!!
This is the most obvious thing we miss out on every day and it impacts our lives tremendously and if we set it right, the target is just next door waiting for us.
So, coming back to the question “What is the outlook?”
It simply means how we perceive the world along with how the world perceives us.
Does that mean it is different from perception or does it mean the same?
Let’s simplify it…
Outlook if talked in mathematics would mean we add up the places of the alphabets and find out the total.
The total would be 109
We have heard several times that knowledge is 96, hard work is 98.
Similarly, Outlook is 109.
So, any number above 100 must be broken down for ease of understanding.
Hence, we arrive at 100+9 also annotated as 100 and 9
We know that Attitude is everything as it corresponds to 100.
So, we arrive at Outlook as 100(Attitude) and 9(I).
Hereby, we simplified it as I and my attitude constitute my Outlook.
Now, if I were to master my outlook, what should I do?
For this to happen, you are required to possess a strong foundation of both aspects of Outlook i.e. Attitude and I.
For me, “I” is more vital as compared to Attitude.
But now you may ask, why are we discussing it?
What’s in it for me?
This brings me to the best question I may ask you…
Who are you?
Like “success” is what everyone knows but can’t define similarly “I” everyone knows but is difficult to define.
It is said the most difficult battles are with yourself rather than others and hence, the most difficult thing to define is yourself rather than others.
And the answer is not something intriguing or complex, rather it is obvious which you already know.
“I” would simply mean the Name you have acquired at birth complemented by your identity and your personality.
Your identity would be your profession and things that define you whereas your personality would be your inherent nature.
If you are confused about your personality, you may open this site and find out yours. It’s a gamified process whereby you discover your inherent character and how it can act as your strength.
Do you know that your personality would be different at different times?
It’s the MOOD you are in i.e. the emotional state and it changes the way we look at things.
But we would park it aside for now and come back to it at a later stage.
Apart from Mood, certain things about you remain constant while others change.
What’s constant?
That’s too obvious – it’s your name.
What’s changing?
It’s your identity and personality.
But why do they change?
Identity changes every time we add skills to ourselves as we become more proficient and adept. It also changes with the change of profession and interests.
Personality though referred to as inherent is largely affected by our mood.
And you know that mood is the thing that changes fastest in the world based on what we think and believe at the moment.
So, with name constant and all other variables, can outlook be mastered?
Yes, it is possible.
For that, we must move on to the next part of Outlook – the 100 (Attitude)
What do you think attitude consists of?
Well, it is our mindset and actions.
We must not forget in the process, the reactions guided by our beliefs and thoughts.
Hence, Attitude would be a culmination of my mindset and actions and going further encompassing my reactions.
How do we define mindset then?
Well, it is my beliefs guiding my thoughts and in the process guiding my actions.
Both the theories are correct as to whether thoughts guide your actions or your actions guide your thoughts because nothing exists in isolation and everything is interlinked.
So far we have talked about our perception of ourselves but have forgotten an aspect that deals with how the world perceives us.
And it would be completely acceptable to mention that the world perceives us the way we perceive and present ourselves.
What do you think is the crucial element of your presentation?
Our presentation is represented by our style.
This style could be developed and enhanced to become a better version of ourselves either referred to as 2.0 or the achiever or one similar to your ideal.
THE STYLE
The style consists of two important elements namely Conduct and Outfit.
What according to you is more difficult to alter if given a choice?
Yes, you are correct – it’s your conduct.
Conduct is governed by several factors that would include your beliefs and conditioning and your current mood and circumstances. Thus, it becomes difficult to change it quickly.
Whereas the other part- the outfits could be easily modified to enhance the style of the person.
So, we have come to a point whereby we know that outlook could be mastered by using the easiest of the tools – your outfits.
You might be confused as to even after changing the outfits, you weren’t able to master your outlook. Do you know the reason why?
It’s obvious. You have not understood your style i.e. the style you carry naturally.
Before we move on to an understanding of style, let’s not forget one important aspect of ours.
We earlier discussed that our name remains constant but there is one more thing that remains constant and that is your body structure after you have attained a certain age.
The things that wouldn’t change over a while would be:
- Neck’s height
- Shoulder’s width
- Foot size
- Torso structure
- Arm’s length
This means that the body size would remain more or less the same and hence the style that you possess must also not change.
It should not be like changing with every trend and every cycle of fashion.
Thus, the concept of Permanent Fashion was introduced by Alan Flusser, a great designer which must be adhered to while deciding the style you carry.
PERMANENT FASHION
As per Permanent Fashion, two factors must be mastered to own a particular style and carry it eternally linked to your identity.
These two factors must be chosen carefully and once it is done, your style is always going to remain in fashion.
These two factors are:
- Proportion
- Colour
Since the proportions of the body hardly change, hence the proportions of the garments which reflect your style must remain constant and it will enhance your personality eternally.
The second but more focused upon is the colour and so, if not cautiously chosen can devastate the style that you carry.
Now, you might ask that if we always wish to become a better version of ourselves or rather an ideal version then shouldn’t we change our outfits and style to match what we desire.
The answer lies in the question itself that since you wish to become a better version of yourself, your style would evolve in terms of elements you carry in your outfits but since your body would remain the same, your colour palette and proportions of the garments would remain constant.
The evolution of the style to match the newer and better version of yourself would be based on the theory of Fashion Psychology.
THEORY OF FASHION PSYCHOLOGY
The theory of fashion psychology is primarily based on Mood, which we parked aside earlier.
This states that MOOD, affecting our personality keeps on changing and hence the outfits must also change.
The theory has two parts:
- Mood Illustration
- Mood Enhancement
Mood Illustration always focuses on the current mood of the person till the time he/she is satisfied with the image he/she carries and feels blessed in the current state.
Mood Enhancement would pertain to a phenomenon whereby the person improves his mood and elevates to version 2.0. In the process, he/she evolves his style by upgrading the outfits. This shows the urge to change to enhance the current and become the ideal self.
So, it’s up to you to decide which zone you are in and do wish to switch zones as, after every turn of time, you would switch zones till the time arrives to evolve again.
Hence, so far we have learnt about our outlook and also the way to master it by adhering to the concept of Permanent Fashion and evolving every time in fashion with the urge to upgrade ourselves.
This means that we have been able to ace it so far, but I must warn you of the perils of the wrong decision which would be a natural occurrence if we don’t adhere and abide by this rule.
This rule is what I refer to as the 3F formula.
3F FORMULA
This formula is always going to guard you whether you wish to evolve or remain in the same zone of style.
The formula contains 3 Fs which are:
- Fit
- Fabric
- Fashion
The fit would mean that keeping in mind the body proportions, it must fit properly or otherwise, you would be referred to as a misfit.
This would not only make you feel embarrassed but also reduce your self-confidence.
The primal and the most important one which is Fabric is a must to check. If the fabric is not of good quality, the after-effects would be annoying and troubling for you.
Having a dress carved in a good fabric enhances the appearance of the individual and elevates the level of comfort.
Finally, fashion is the one which must be kept in mind while deciding the outfits to be chosen.
Fashion means the current trends but beware as if you don’t follow the rules of Permanent fashion, though in trend you would still be a misfit.
Hence, outfits could be based on the trends but Permanent fashion is a must to achieve your style and present in the best possible manner.
So, any mistake in any of the three factors would make you vulnerable to the perils.
Before I leave you with this, let’s reiterate and summarize
So, if you adhere to all these rules, you would be able to master your outlook and carve your style which may evolve but that would remain unique to you.
If you resonate and understand the formulae mentioned therein and would like to understand its implementation, you can write to me at [email protected]m or you can drop in a comment below.