Elegance is not about being
noticed, it’s about being remembered.
Giorgio
Armani
It’s easier to be remembered if
you’re at least noticed.
Being
Caballero
I have to admit that I am an avid
people watcher. No, that’s not a nice way to say creepy stalker. It means that
I love the crowded cityscape, as it allows me the benefit of watching the
social interactions of people, their urban behavior, and watching the city as a
vibrant ecosystem worthy of any wilderness setting. As the costs of parking and
the never ending traffic jams have turned me into a diehard Metro user, here’s
where I get my daily fill of this fascinating environment.
As soon as the metro reaches on of
the business center nodes along its route, you become witness to one of the
most amusing spectacles of the modern city, the migration of the navy/dark grey
sea. As the subway cart comes to a stop, an army of almost identical men all
stand in unison and hurriedly move towards the stations exit, all dressed in
either a Navy Blue jacket and khaki pants or a dark grey suit with a white
shirt. Sure, you see that minor splash of color within a tie or a pocket
square, the reality is that it gets lost within the unison of monotone patterns
of the semi-sentient mass. These same men are left wondering why they feel so insignificant
within the expansiveness of the urban crowd.
Well, maybe it’s because they CHOSE
to get lost in a crowd.
Have you noticed when the main
protagonist within a movie walks within a crowd, yet you can still single him
out? How is this done? It’s a simple artistic trick that has been done across
history. When you have a repetitive pattern, insert something different,
something that breaks the monotony. By its own, that singular element might not
be much. It might even be absolutely boring. Yet when you drop it within a repetitive
pattern, it becomes the exception.
Suddenly, that simple change stands
out!
Am I saying that standing out is
important? Only when you want to stand out. You are sitting in a room with 4
other gentlemen, competing for the same position. Do you really want to be seen
like just another contender? You might have the best pitch, but if the person
see’s you as just another candidate, it might be lost before you even start.
Does that mean you should pull out
your loudest Hawaiian shirt and those pants that look like you were assaulted
by a cartoon unicorn? No. You want to stand out, not scare them away or become
their source of comedic material for the next week. It’s all about being
different enough to be you. Work within what works, but within your own flair.
Instead of wearing a navy blue suit,
try light gray, or tan, or basically any other color as a base tone. Instead of
using the tie as your color accent, use your shirt and go for a toned down tie.
Instead of khaki’s, get something in another color…Any color. In a society that
has lost its use of hats, get a flip cap or a fedora. Would Indiana Jones be as
memorable without his hat?
It’s not about standing out simply
to stand out. It’s about standing out to show the world you are more than
another faceless drone plodding along in a faceless existence. Stop hiding your
existence behind the comfort of the crowd. When you stop hiding behind the wall
of anonymity, life can find you.
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