Image courtesy of Kalandrakas/Flickr Creative Commons License

First impressions are important and the simple truth is whether or not we admit it, we judge books by their covers. The manner in which we carry ourselves and the way we interact are factors that create and leave a lasting legacy.

Walking along a street, you are likely to avoid people with shoulders hunched and heads down, while naturally gravitating towards those who appear less threatening. Conduct an experiment and smile or make eye contact with people walking by. The reactions spurred by your friendly gestures will undoubtedly have a mutually uplifting effect.

Consider this carefully – the Law of Attraction states like attracts like. If you give out positive and abundant energy, then positive and abundant energy will come flowing back to you. Perhaps you know someone who constantly offloads their problems onto you and seldom has time to listen. Do you feel sombre and drained of energy each time you meet that person? If the answer is yes, then it’s time to make a conscious effort and shift your energy in a positive direction.

Surround yourself with positivity and watch it multiply. Keeping discussions upbeat creates a ripple effect onto those around you. Further inspiring information on this topic is contained in Jack Canfield’s book, Chicken Soup for The Soul, which illustrates how, by changing the way we communicate with others – no matter how low we feel at core level – we can dramatically influence our surroundings positively. The bottom line? Positive communication creates harmony.

Make sure your legacy represents where you’re coming from and where you’d like to go. As life coach Carole Ann Rice would say, “Leave a room like a beautiful fragrance drifting from the fibres of a chiffon scarf.”