Packaging

The old adage is, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Like most pieces of wisdom this is widely known, largely repeated, and seldom put into practice. People judge "books," as it were, by their covers all the time. So few people take time to examine each other. Be it good or bad. Often times we make moves that have drastic consequences and examine the situation after the fact. However, our examination is of little use to us because we don't apply what we've learned from these experiences.

As a lover of books I can't lie. It is the cover that catches my attention. I decide what books to examine by the way the cover speaks to me. On many occasions I've picked up a book with hope of having found another gem only to find that it's not at all what I thought it would be. We do the same with people. Many times I find that we pick up people by their covers. Unfortunately, that's not all we tend to pick up.

I don't begrudge those that make first impressions or immediate judgements on what they see with the naked eye. We all do it. The general presentation of a person tells you quite a few things about an individual. Things such as body type, taste in clothes, possible interest, and even lifestyles to an extent. I have a problem because I am a victim of poor packaging. In many ways I don't have anyone to blame but myself. I've never been much of a fashion guy. I lack motivation for body sculpting apart from athletic goals (sports have long passed by me). To add to that, I just don't give a flying flip.

I'm a plane old guy. I like to be comfortable and I don't put a great deal of stock into my wardrobe. The only area I've ever been a fan of fashion is when it comes to suits. Unfortunately, my job does not call for such styles of dress and I don't have any outside interest that would make it appropriate either. Hence, I'm very simple in presentation. Most days I'm in jeans, a golf shirt, and tennis shoes (and I don't mean Jordan's or LBJ's).

Although I'm comfortable with myself I am starting to think that my presentation is a deterrent to romance. I hear it over and over again how I'm this great guy. Or, how I'd make a perfect husband. And of course, you're a real nice guy. Yet, you don't see women aggressively making moves to gain my attention or affection. I think I hold my own if I have time to unwrap myself without seeming more strange than I am by nature. Most opportunities don't offer such time. Much like the books I pick up to see if I'm interested, the packaging much be right.

Truth is, most folks won't buy a great product if it's in a bad package. We don't work that way. As I've said before, we are an image heavy society. A great deal of energy and resources are put into how we look. Little is put into what we are. I think as a person I'm pretty solid at my core. That's not to say I'm perfect. I mean I'm as messed up as anyone. But relatively speaking I'm pretty good. I'm honest, caring, kind, and considerate. However, those are products inside the box.

A recent picture of myself really showed me how fat I am. I did not like the presentation at all. For a woman to look past that she would have to be of exceptional character. Hence, I hit the gym this past week five days in a row. I even hit the gym twice at 5:30am. I didn't eat out all week. And I've only had one beer (empty calories). I hope to keep up this trend.

I do this under the belief that once the package has been properly prepared that woman I'm looking for will reveal herself. I must say this raises a question for me. Do I even want a woman that can see the quality that I bring to the table? Would their be anything their if I were to pursue a woman that was high on fashion not only for herself, but for her mate? Am I really a messed up individual and no matter what the package looks like there won't be any buyers? I don't have answers for these just questions.

Nevertheless, I'm on a quest to change the appearance. Worst case scenario, I lose weight, don't get the girl, but I'm still in great shape. I'd be satisfied with that. Not completely, but satisfied nonetheless. I will let you know if my prospects improve as my packaging improves. This is merely a hypothesis. I'd like to be able to beat folks at the game. In this case I'm going to join them.