We continue our discussion on things that get you ready to meet your Ruth and Boaz.
The third secret to finding your Boaz or Ruth is to dare to dress for success. Dress for the job you want, not the one you’ve got; dress to be respected, recognized for honour.
Once again, let’s look at Ruth 3:3 in the Amplified Bible which says:
“Wash and anoint yourself therefore, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking”.
When you were young and going on a date with someone you really wanted to impress did your Mom offer advice on how to make yourself look the best? Did she say you looked very sharp in a particular outfit? We may have resented certain remarks only to grow up and realize she was right in so many ways.
Ruth was told to put on her best clothes and she willingly listened. She respected the fact that her mother in law knew what the customs were in the land where they now lived.
If you read the book of Esther, you will notice she asked and took the advice of the man in charge of the women who appeared before the King (Esther 2:15).
“Dress for the job you want, not the one you’ve got.” That’s a quote I learned several years ago, in reading a book entitled, “Dress For Success.”
Namoi wanted Ruth at her very best before the very wealthy Boaz, a man who could obviously have his choice among any women in the city including those who had never been married.
So single Mommas, take heart your Boaz is out there waiting for you.
One more thing, the way you dress will partially determine the kind of man you get.
What type of man do you want to attract? What kind of woman would he be proud to have by his side?
Pastor Creflo Dollar at World Changers Church in Atlanta says something like this: “What a girl shows … a guy thinks she’s willing to share.”
I think that is a nice way of saying: Women who dress like hookers are going to attract pimps.
Every woman whether married or single should think about what they wear and the message it sends. Your dress puts a value on who you think you are as a person.
The Law Of Dressing
The law of dressing states that you are addressed the way you dress. Following a particular dress code in the workplace is a fairly common norm that most people in an organization tend to follow. But, what most people seem to be unaware of is the fact that what we wear has a pretty significant impact not just in our personal lives, but also at the professional level as well; both in terms of our performance as well as attitude.
In other words, dressing appropriately, or as per office decorum, is basically one of the most crucial factors that will be of great help in achieving professional success.
The reason is that self-perception basically has a tremendous impact on how an individual is perceived by many others that he or she interacts with on a regular basis, especially in a professional capacity. Would you go out on a date with your crush dressed in clothes suitable only for lounging? On the contrary, you would want to make as good an impression as possible and would do your level best to ensure that the person is impressed, even if you have to shop for clothes beforehand.
Much the same principle also applies to professional attire as well. Once you start feeling that you are ‘dressed for success’ and therefore have the capability to make a really great impression on someone, not only will it give your self-confidence a tremendous boost but at the same time, you will make a great impression on whoever it is that you really want to meet, thus leading you to give your very best at the meeting.
Let us take a quick look at how dressing for success can help you in achieving your goals in life.
Impressions Matter
The law of first Impression states that you don’t have a second chance to make the first impression. The age old adage that ‘the first impression is the last impression’ still holds true to this day. This is because the first impression of an individual certainly does play a really significant role in helping other people develop a favorable opinion with regard to the person they are meeting. This is indeed, precisely why the visual aesthetics that we tend to present (with regard to our professional selves) with the help of suitable dressing is extremely important. Regardless of how hard we may try to deny or avoid it; the fact of the matter is that we live in a highly judgmental world and others often judge us on the basis of how we are dressed and, therefore, how we look.
Self Respect Is Very Important
When a person takes the time and puts in considerable efforts for the express purpose of dressing up appropriately, then yes, such a person will undeniably radiate an image of both self-respect and well as self-worth too. And since dressing nicely also boosts one’s confidence levels to a large extent. This in turn, will also help you to tackle the various really difficult tasks in your day to day work life with much greater ease, to say the least.
It helps you draw attention to yourself.
There is a reason why peacocks have such magnificent plumage. The thing is the sharper and better you are dressed, the more noticeable will you be. If you are in the sales and marketing or public relations department, then dressing up appropriately is a practice that will help you to get noticed easily enough. Furthermore, a really sharply dressed individual will quite easily stand out in a large crowd. Thus, the clothes you wear (as well as how you wear them) can help you in attracting the right level of attention.
Positive Impact!
Creating a positive impact on the individual’s overall mood is an advantage. Being authoritative will help as well. Here, dressing better and as per your own surroundings is now almost universally known to have a highly positive impact on an individual’s overall mood. And by staying more polite, positive, and confident, it is possible for just about anyone to take the path of true professional success while simultaneously overcoming all the barriers in the way.
Always Be Prepared
“Be prepared” is not just the Boys Scout motto, but also the means through which you can come out on top even when taken by surprise. The thing is, you might never know who you will suddenly bump into at a seminar or the neighboring coffee shop, or the bank. However, should you be dressed professionally and exude a neat and well-groomed look in the bargain, no matter who you meet and irrespective of precisely where you meet them, chances are greater than ever, that you will almost always leave a really great impression. What is more? Suitably apt dressing will also give you the required confidence to steal the show while simultaneously boosting your personality.
Boosting Productivity
It also leads to an increase in overall productivity
The truth is that it is almost always really easy to feel pretty comfortable when one is wearing sweatpants and t-shirts along with flip-flops, but these have the purpose of putting you in your own comfort zone. Unfortunately, such comfort zones make the average person pretty lazy. However, when one is smartly and professionally dressed, he or she will feel really motivated from both within and without and thus, will be more productive and perform better. As a matter of fact, dressing smartly is widely accepted to be one of the best possible means of enhancing one’s overall performance at the workplace thereby emerging as an exemplary performer.
Being a sharp dressed professional is not just the need of today, but the central cornerstone to any well thought-out plan for the accomplishment of your professional aims and objectives in life.
The Superiority Of Commitment Over Convenience
The fourth secret to finding your Boaz or Ruth is to choose commitment over convenience
Commitment beyond convenience.
Ruth 1:11-13 in the Amplified Bible says:
11 “But Naomi said, ‘Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that may become your husbands?
12 “Turn back, my daughters, go; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband tonight and should bear sons,
13 “Would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; it is far more bitter for me than for you that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.”
In that passage you see the difference between a daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-love.
Orpah was the former. . .she turned around and went back to her people. That was not a wrong response… it was a typical response.
Ruth on the other hand has a conversation with her mother-in-law (Ruth 1:15-18, Amplified Bible) which says:
15 “And Naomi said, See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.
16 “And Ruth said, Urge me not to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God.
17 “Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts me from you.
18 “When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said no more.”
Ruth was committed in her desire to honor Naomi and truly that makes her a daughter-in-love. She chose a higher calling-one that would put her in a position that attracted the kind of attention that brings rewards.
If Ruth had neglected Naomi’s instructions and tried to find a husband on her own, chances are we would never have heard from or about her again. Instead she has a book of the Bible named after her.
Ruth was a young woman of principle and character; it showed. Not only did it endear her to Naomi, the scripture says it endeared her to Boaz and I think it endeared her to God who brought her success.
On a side note, your future mother/father-in-loves will be important to the marital bliss of you, your children and grand-children, as the case may be. So let your character shine through as early as possible.
Convenience Or Commitment?
Convenience is easy and it waits for things to happen. Commitment is rough and tough and makes things happen.
A life of convenience is about choosing the easy way-doing that which is easy and familiar following trends, going according to your feelings and emotions and taking the path of least resistance.
It’s about allowing things to happen and then responding to them accordingly. If you feel like doing something, then you do it. If not, don’t bother. If it’s comfortable, then go for it. If it gets tough, sweaty or mind-numbing, then give up and stop trying.
In contrast, a life of commitment is about honouring and sticking to your commitments and promises despite your feelings or circumstances.
Need to lose weight? Then get up before sunrise to clock some mileage, while fighting the urge to sleep in and hit the snooze button. Need to confront an unreasonable co-worker? Then prepare yourself mentally on what you’re going to say, despite having to put your reputation and work relationship on the line.
Essentially, being committed means pressing on and putting one foot ahead of the other even when the odds are against you, when you feel like throwing in the towel, when others are cynical or skeptical about your efforts, when you just don’t feel like doing it. It’s having the tenacity and staying power that will set you apart from others. If it’s easy, everyone else would have done it, right?
So strap on your boots, roll up your sleeves, dig in and press on. Even though your efforts may feel futile and the journey unending, every step you take is bringing you closer to fulfilling that goal or dream of yours.
Are you living a life of convenience or commitment?
Take a deep look at your life? Where do you fall in? Are you satisfied with where you see yourself? Does it flow with the life you really want to live? Will God be proud of your life if not, that means there are gaps which you need to identify and workon.
The Father is a merciful God and has left the Holy Spirit with us to help us through challenges. Invite the Holy Spirit to come in and help straighten up the crooked parts, refine the unrepentant ways in you to create a noble, impactful you that will be ready to meet your Ruth and Boaz.
