There’s always that girl.  You’ve seen her.  She saunters by and the backdrop of life just dissolves because she has arrived.  Tasks are momentarily abandoned.  Lips hang slightly ajar. For about three seconds, every surrounding eye takes her in.  As you watch her, something inside of you smiles.  You can’t help it!  She’s got that thing.  But what is it?

More importantly, how can I get some?

Some women are born with this type of aura, and then some of us can cultivate a countenance of confidence.  You can ooze moxie with these 5 easy secrets.

1. Walk… On Purpose

Are you shuffling through life?  Schlepping down the street overwhelmed by all the bags you carry?  Slow down and think about the impression you’re making! Don’t lumber down the sidewalk, cell phone in hand, frightening the elderly and scattering debris behind you!  You will also elicit some strange stares if you’re skulking along like any small thing could frighten you off your path. You will not meander.  I will not allow it.

Your stride is your first message to the world about who you are and how you feel about you.  It’s our at-a-glance first impression.

At my previous school, an older gentleman worked bus duty each morning and he would greet all the teachers at the door.  Being that he was too far away to recognize faces, his first impression of us was communicated through our stride.  And, oh boy, when I walked up… ‘Ooooo weeee!’ he would croon.  ‘You got that walk!’  He began to call me Vanity Fair and the nickname stuck! You’ve got to hit your own personal Vanity Fair!

The confident woman walks deliberately.  She’s got a destination and a visible geniality to her gait.  She plants one foot solidly in front of the other at a moderate pace that says to the world, “I’m coming, kindly step aside!”

She doesn’t walk too fast in short hurried steps, and she’s not a sloth either.  She hits her Vanity Fair withconviction!

2. Improve Your Posture

Ok.  Easy exercise:  Align your earlobes with your shoulders. Vy-oh-lah!  Perfect posture! Standing up straight has been known to improve mood.  You feel better instantly!  And when you feel good, the world notices… then they want some of what you’ve got!

Your posture mirrors your emotional disposition and the key to confidence isbelief.  Are you feelin it?  Slouched =  Sad.  Lazy.  Tired.  Erect =  Alert.  Aware.  Ready.  Confident.

Never mind the wonders this does for your figure!  The more erect your posture, the more you engage your abs and, really, where’s the harm in that?  Perking up elongates your body and creates a lean silhouette.  So, perk up buttercup!

3. Make Eye Contact

Your shoes are not that cute!  Ok, maybe they are!   But still, stop looking at them!  Making eye contact with the people around you conveys a large amount of courage and awareness.

You are communicating to your surroundings, “I am present.  I acknowledge you,”  and people like to feel acknowledged.

When we fail to make eye contact we are inadvertently saying a number of things. People begin to wonder, can we trust you?  Are you hiding something?  Are you scurred!?

4. Add a Pop of Color

Colors speak a language all their own and that’s why I love love love them!  We gravitate to colors that make us feel a certain way. Adding a pop of color speaks to other people’s emotions and to your own.  My nail polish choices are always determined by my mood.  I won’t wear a specific blazer if it doesn’t reflect how I feel that day.  And just so you know how much of a genius that makes me:  this is my therapy. “Say what?  That ain’t no therapy!” Yes, boo.  It is!

Incorporating color into your wardrobe communicates to others exactly how you’re feeling without saying a single word.

My favorite ways to add color include a hot nail polish or a bright lip.  I keep my cardigans, scarves and ballet flats vibrant, and the rest of my ensemble very classic.

Color is a major variable in what we say to the world, so dare to make a statement.

 5. Smile

Smile, boo!  The world loves to see you smile!  Thee most important secret to exuding confidence is a smile.  They are truly contagious.  If people gravitate to the colors that make them happy, then of course we will gravitate to the people who make us happy.

A confident woman is a happy woman. 

This is the easiest  and most inexpensive way to improve your looks!  I was watching one of my favorite shows For Rent and I kept feeling myself relax deeper and deeper.  This smile came over my face as I watched the host of the show.  I kept thinking to myself “What makes her so pretty?  Why is she making me feel cheerful?”  I studied her face, her makeup, her outfit and there wasn’t anything super-spectacular going on, but the more I watched, the happier I became.  Then as the camera zoomed in on a close up, it hit me: She was smiling.  Always! Every word she said, she smiled.  Even when she was disappointed with the renters decisions, she smiled.  And her smile just made her face incredibly beautiful.

Your smile is one of the most valuable things you can share with the world.

Humanity is suffering.  People are more burdened by unhappiness, lack of fulfillment and depression than ever before.  People need happiness.  Be the one to share it with them.  Then when you hit your Vanity Fair you will not only dazzle their eyes, but their hearts.