Does perception affect our choices and opinions? Heck yeah!

Most of us care how we're perceived by other people. (Who wants to be thought of as a jerk?) So we have to think before we act and convey an image of ourselves that reflects how we want to be seen. Nothing wrong with that! We have to do the same in business as well. Though in our professional lives, the image part might be planned and executed more carefully than in our personal lives. You may find this especially true if you're in business for yourself. You don't have to have Kardashian-type fame to know that your business brand is closely tied to your "you" brand, particularly if you're the face of your company. We all know that perception matters, whether it's our customers looking at us or if it's our own decision making.

This week I shared a few quotes about perception and how it affects purchasing decisions (a lot!); the way we judge others versus ourselves (more harshly it seems! Shocking!); even what people wear (female execs wear lots of black apparently!). I hope you found these quotes interesting and that they gave you something to think about as you shopped online, planned your next 12 Instagram pics and which black outfit to wear... and as you tried to not judge other people so harshly!

Be very quotable at your next cocktail party!

As I often am, I was online looking for inspirational business quotes when I stumbled upon (ha!) OneMinuteList.com via StumbleUpon.com. What I love so much about this site, also aptly named, is that it really takes one minute to read their posts... and you'll learn some great information for business strategy or cocktail conversation! Over the next few weeks I will share quotes from their post, 18 Most Powerful Quotes, to hopefully inspire you to keep going in your business. For other interesting quotes, take a look at Stats & Curiosities from Harvard Business Review. Also, check out 57 Fascinating Business Facts That Will Blow Your Mind from BuzzFeed News.

Check out the summary of last week's business tips and motivational quotes from my Instagram page which you hopefully got to see in real time! If not, let's make sure we're following each other on Instagram!! So...here is this week's roundup of Instagram images of My Top Business Tips and Motivational Quotes.

Perception Matters – Tip #1:

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"The reason why we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else's highlight reel."  – Steven Furtick
We all do this! It's like comparing an unretouched selfie to a painstakingly photoshopped photo of a model. In life and in business, we shouldn't fool ourselves into believing that everyone else has a smoother path to the finish line than we do!

Perception Matters – Tip #2:

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"Black is the attire of choice for female senior execs. 51% typically wear black!" Not sure if that means that you should wear black to improve your career advancement, or if it just means that you'll be in good company if you do. Either way, perception probably plays a role in the color choice.

Perception Matters – Tip #3:

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"True success is overcoming the fear of being unsuccessful." – Paul Sweeney
If you don't try, you won't be a failure. But if you don't try, you can never succeed either. Oh so true!

Perception Matters – Tip #4:

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"We judge ourselves by our intentions. And others by their actions." – Stephen R. Covey
How true is this?! We tend to judge others more harshly than ourselves because we know what we intended to do, even if we didn't manage to do it. As for others, all we have to go on is what they actually did. This is a case of perception being affected by reality.

Perception Matters – Tip #5:

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"64% of consumers have made a purchase decision based on social media content." We like what other people like and we trust the opinion of others who have come before us, so to speak. Social media is such a powerful and influential platform, and clearly the perceptions generated there affect buying decisions.

The Bottom Line? I want YOUR stories on how you've been successful in your business!

So, what do you think? Does perception matter? Which tips above did you find helpful? What role has perception played in your decisions? I would LOVE to hear from you!

Anyhoo...I publish these business tips and motivational quotes to get you fired up for your work week! And, if you want more business tips, get my book, But Are You Making Any Money? or contact me to really take your business to the next level!

xoxo M

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