I am going to a business presentation tonight and am coming straight from my writing haven to the event. I wear jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers in the Haven. I’ve noticed that the thought of going to the business presentation dressed like that is scary to me. Scary. What’s up with that? What am I actually scared of, just from wearing different clothes?
I try to be concrete with my answer. “It would be bad for my reputation” is the kind of thought I have. But what does that actually mean? Do I think I would lose business? Do I think people would say “That Stever, he wears jeans so he must not be any good at what he does.”? Getting concrete makes it clear to me that my fears are rather absurd in a lot of ways. I’ve decided to dress casually tonight just to see what happens–both with the other people, but more importantly, in my own head as I play mindgames with myself.
Would you wear jeans and a T-shirt to a business event? Why or why not? If you’d be scared to, what do you actually think would happen?