My top ten tips on looking and feeling good
Be yourself. Don’t try to copy others in terms of looks, behaviour, and attitude. Work out who you are, what you want to do, and how you want to look. Don’t waste valuable time trying to be somebody you’re not. It will end in tears. Be authentic.
Don’t worry too much about what other people think. Life is not a popularity contest. If you show up for a job interview wearing a blue suit and fail because the interviewer thought you should have been wearing grey, forget about it. Some people will like you immediately and some people will never like you even if you devote your life to trying to win them over. Don’t bother trying.
Goals are great but don’t mean much if you don’t have a plan. With a modest amount of skill and intelligence, you can go far provided you have a well-thought out plan and have the self-discipline to keep to it. Advanced yoga and marathon running are two activities that everybody can do successfully if they commit to following a daily routine/training plan. If you apply the same discipline to your life, you will attain your goals.
Look after your body. Life is a long race and it pays to stay fit and healthy. You don’t have to exercise like a demon or torture yourself with faddish diets, but you do need to exercise some moderation around food, alcohol and drugs. There is always a price to be paid for over-indulgence even if it isn’t obvious when you are young. Trust me, nobody gets to leave the nightclub without paying the bill.
If you want to preserve your youthful skin for as long as possible, it’s important that you drink enough water, get plenty sleep and don’t go crazy in the sun (as everybody under the age of thirty tends to do). Try to drink water throughout the day, control your coffee and tea intake and avoid fizzy drinks. If you want a good night’s sleep, don’t look at any screens (phone, computer, TV) immediately before going to bed. Take time to dis-engage by reading or meditating.
It’s okay to be a nerd. Everybody needs some time to relax and do something that is important for them. It could be anything from repairing vintage cars to coding computer games. It really doesn’t matter. What is important is that you have a hobby or an interest that you can pursue on your own which is sufficiently absorbing to take your mind away from your day-to-day issues.
Never, ever, ever chase love. That’s not your job. Your job is to be the most attractive person in the room, the one who is authentic, has a plan and doesn’t give a damn about anybody else. In a world where most people can’t work out what they want to eat for dinner, you’ll be a beacon in a sea of indecision. In the game of love, it is the hunted not the hunter that holds all the options.
Don’t be seduced by the fashion industry into buying clothes that you will wear once and never wear again. Whatever your budget, you will be better served by buying classic ‘forever’ pieces that you can mix with other pieces/accessories and continue to wear for a number of years. Great pieces are far more important than ‘fashion’ pieces.
Plastic surgeons are like your neighbourhood drug dealers. They would both like to ensure that you embark on a life-long addiction at as young an age as possible. They are not your friends. Personally, I don’t think anybody should volunteer for cosmetic plastic surgery until they are at least 40. There simply is no need. We all change as we grow older and what was compelling in your twenties will not even be interesting when you hit 50. I have no problem with people having facelifts later in life but advise everybody to steer clear of phonies who want to turn you into the Hadid sisters.
Avoid reading long lists of tips from people like me and get on with living your life as you want to live it.
