Assert yourself: The keys to becoming an imposing presence

BECOME AN IMPOSING PRESENCE

Éléna Fourès, a specialist in feminine leadership, encourages you to look after your posture. Stand up straight. Imagine that you are wearing a luxurious necklace that falls between your breasts. This is the secret to good posture. As dancers, work on how you hold your head: it has to be natural and graceful, so stick out your chin when you walk or speak. The idea is to be able to see the ceiling (or the sky) just by raising your eyes.

DARE TO SAY NO TO YOUR BOSS

Your boss asks you, at the end of the work day, to go over a big file. To save your evening, Gilles Azzopardi, a specialist in manipulation techniques, recommends expressing yourself in a more forceful way: “No, I cannot work this evening.” That’s it.

ESTABLISH NEW CONTACTS.

“Do one thing every day that scares you”, advised Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States. This is a great catchphrase to adopt if you have difficulty leaving the safety of your bubble. It could mean speaking to your neighbours or registering in a network of knowledge exchanges. It could even be used to demand a wage increase.

CATCH SOMEONE’S ATTENTION

Gérard Szymanski, a specialist in body language, suggests communicating with others through our four intelligences: our brain, with structured, logical and rational language; our heart, by calling on all that can arouse feelings; our body, with open gestures, turned to other, as if we need to touch them; our being, by connecting with our internal voice to join the other in their truth, without masks.

FEEL AT EASE EVERYWHERE

We may wear our most beautiful dress, but it is not easy to move forward with confidence when it’s time to shine. To combat the stress, it is necessary to learn to give way to yourself. When you learnt to swim as a child, if you were stressed, it didn’t work. But, as soon as you managed to release the pressure, you floated, as if by magic. Remember this experience. Relax, be open, available to what is happening and give your body the freedom to move. Released from your usual resistances, you will notice the ideas begin to flow, your spirit become nimble, and you will be over the moon!

LIKE YOUR BODY AS IT IS

Stop thinking of yourself as ugly. Come back to this truth: your body is your best friend. “And tell it to it.” Thank it for enabling you to live, spoil it to ensure it continues to work at its best and make it feel loved. Find colours and forms whose vibrations emphasise it. If you do these things, it will repay you well in return.

GET BACK TO SPORTS

The secret is to choose an activity that you really like; in other words, one that gives you pleasure. If you seek tranquillity, avoid group fitness classes. Do you like dancing? Opt for Zumba! But be careful: “To stay motivated, it is essential to limit the constraints”, explains the coach Clément. Choose an activity near your home or workplace. It is difficult to stay motivated if you have to make a 45-minute journey.

Stephanie TORRE