Watching my dad's friend Gok Wan on TV randomly one evening a few months ago, I was exposed to what he described as 'walking like you mean it'. (I think it was Gok Wan. Actually come to think of it, it might have been Trinny or Susannah. Which one's which? Does anyone know?).
Anyway, I thought to myself pfft, 'walk like you mean it' - how stupid. What else do you mean to be doing apart from walking? She got the guest to walk as they normally walked - it looked normal, a bit vulnerable, kind of low on confidence. I thought to myself that this lady was just a bit shy, and didn't want to poke herself out there for everyone to notice. However, under the instruction of Gok/ Trinny/ Susannah, the guest subsequently did the walk-like-you-mean-it-walk, as previously demonstrated by G/T/S. The woman, perhaps not surprisingly, looked a lot more confident, up-beat and self-satisfied. However, what was more striking, was that when asked by G/T/S, she said she felt more confident. Hmm, I thought, Hmm.
A couple of days afterwards I was still thinking about it. I have bad, misaligned shoulders, and generally on-the-low-side confidence, so I usually walk with a bit of an unhealthy hunch - the kind that I will regret in 70 years. So, one day at work, I kind of slyly checked no-one was in sight (although there are mirrored windows around...), and on my way back from lunch, tried to walk-like-i-meant-it. WELL! I tell you! I was amazed. Butt in, shoulders back, chest out, head up. It DOES make a difference.
It's hard in the wintertime, since hunching your shoulders seems to be a natural motion when trying to keep your body from icing up. But, whenever I remember, and now I try to, I walk taller.
It also makes me wonder more deeply about my confidence... if I had more, from childhood until now, would my shoulders be more healthy? Would the angles at the nape of my neck and in the small of my back be more reasonable?
Is confidence self-perpetuating? If it comes in the form of standing upright and 'proud', then yes, I think it is.
Thanks Gok.
Or Trinny, or Susannah.
2 comments:
I love it!!! Put a smile on my face on a day i needed it :)
I just love it too. Your blogs are always witty and amusing and hey, anything that gives us more confidence has to be good. I will be trying it!! Thank you.
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