Confidence Totems

My entry in the what-not-to-wear (at the same time) category: My go-to St. George's Cross necklace and favorite Under Armour gear. August 25, 2014.

We all have them: Little, perhaps mostly unnoticeable to others, confidence-boosting lucky charms.

When I want to invoke confidence in different aspects of my life, I have go-to clothes and accessories that make me feel strong, powerful, on my game—attractive, even.

In most cases, these totems fit one life facet more than another.

For example, in business, I have a necklace I made from a Cross of Saint George, which my mother found in an antique shop during a trip to Russia. The cross harks from the country’s imperial era, when it served as a military medal recognizing “undaunted courage” in the lower ranks of soldiers.

I don’t know who originally received the medal I have or why he received it. The cross’s engraving includes his military number; I think about him when I wear it, although I have nothing to go on in fashioning his story. I can figure that he did something brave, though. Going into a tough meeting or big presentation wearing his medal makes me feel tougher.

Also, in business, especially for important meetings and presentations, I won’t wear a skirt of a dress. Whether rightly or wrongly, I feel that pants put everyone in the room on the same business footing. In fact, avoid anything overly feminine when I need gravitas at work. Dresses may feel comfortable and even pretty, but they don’t give me corporate-level confidence.

I don’t have many personal-life totems, although certain items of clothing do make me feel more attractive than others. (An important consideration for early-stage dates.)

And I do feel stronger and more athletic in my favorite Under Armour gear, although I know no one’s clothes make her workouts better—and although I’ve often felt amusement that we spend so much good money on attractive high-tech workout wear in which we still look ridiculous exercising and never use to its fullest. (I’ve never seen a race picture of me that I could stomach, no matter what I wore for the event.)

Do you have confidence totems?