How to Look Like a Big Winner Wherever You Go

Do you remember the lyrics to the old Shirley Bassey song? "The

minute you walked in the joint, I could see you were a man of distinction—a real big spender. Good looking, so refined. Say

wouldn't you like to know what's going on in my mind?"

The goal of this first section is not to make you look like a

real big spender. Rather it is to give you the cachet of a real big

Somebody the moment people lay eyes on you. To that end, we

now explore the most important technique to make you look like

a very important person.

When the doctor smacks your knee with that nasty little hammer, your foot jerks forward. Thus the phrase knee-jerk reaction.

Your body has another instinctive reaction. When a big jolt of happiness hits your heart and you feel like a winner, your head jerks

up automatically and you throw your shoulders back. A smile

frames your lips and softens your eyes.

This is the look winners have constantly. They stand with

assurance. They move with confidence. They smile softly with

pride. No doubt about it—good posture symbolizes that you are

a man or woman who is used to being on top.

17

How to Look Like a

Big Winner Wherever

You Go

✰4

01 (001-042B) part one 8/14/03 9:16 AM Page 17

Copyright 2003 by Leil Lowndes. Click Here for Terms of Use.

Obviously millions of mothers sticking their knuckles between their kids' shoulder blades, and trillions of teachers telling

students, "Stand up straight!" hasn't done the trick. We are a

nation of slouchers. We need a technique more stern than teachers and more persuasive than parents to make us stand like a

Somebody.

In one profession, perfect posture, perfect equilibrium, perfect balance is not only desirable—it's a matter of life and death.

One false move, one slump of the shoulders, one hangdog look,

can mean curtains for the high-wire acrobat.

I'll never forget the first time Mama took me to the circus.

When seven men and women raced into the center ring, the

crowd rose as though they were all joined at the hips. They

cheered with one thunderous voice. Mama pressed her lips against

my ear and reverently whispered these were the Great Wallendas, the only troupe in the world to perform the seven-person

pyramid without a net.

In an instant, the crowd became hushed. Not a cough or a

soda slurp was heard in the big top as Karl and Herman Wallenda

shouted cues in German to their trusting relatives. The family

meticulously and majestically ascended into the position of a

human pyramid. They then balanced precariously on a thin wire

hundreds of feet above the hard dirt with no net between them

and sudden death. The vision was unforgettable.

To me, equally unforgettable was the beauty and grace of the

seven Wallendas racing into the center of the big top to take their

bows. Each perfectly aligned—head high, shoulders back—standing so tall it still didn't seem like their feet were touching the

ground. Every muscle in their bodies defined pride, success, and

their joy of being alive. (Still!) Here is a visualization technique to

get your body looking like a winner who is in the habit of feeling

that pride, success, and joy of being alive.

18 How to Talk to Anyone

01 (001-042B) part one 8/14/03 9:16 AM Page 18

Your Posture Is Your Biggest

Success Barometer

Imagine you are a world-renowned acrobat, master of the iron-jaw

act waiting in the wings of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Soon you will dart into the center ring to captivate the

crowd with the precision and balance of your body.

Before walking through any door—the door to your office, a

party, a meeting, even your kitchen—picture a leather bit hanging by a cable from the frame. It is swinging just an inch higher

than your head. As you pass through the door, throw your head

back and chomp on the imaginary dental grip that first pulls your

cheeks back into a smile and then lifts you up. As you ascend high

above the gasping crowd, your body is stretched into perfect alignment—head high, shoulders back, torso out of hips, feet weightless. At the zenith of the tent, you spin like a graceful top to the

amazement and admiration of the crowd craning their necks to

watch you. Now you look like a Somebody.

One day, to test Hang by Your Teeth, I decided to count how

many times I walked through a doorway: sixty times, even at

home. You calculate: twice out your front door, twice in, six times

to the bathroom, eight times to the kitchen, and through countless doors at your office. It adds up. Visualize anything sixty times

a day and it becomes a habit! Habitual good posture is the first

mark of a big winner.

You are now ready to float into the room to captivate the

crowd or close the sale (or maybe just settle for looking like the

most important Somebody in the room).

You now have all the basics Bob the artist needs to portray

you as a big winner. Like he said, "great posture, a heads-up look,

a confident smile, and a direct gaze." The ideal image for somebody who's a Somebody