There are three major mistakes I see men make when trying to improve the way they look...

STARTING WITHOUT A PLAN

I'm going to guess that you dislike shopping...

That's okay. Most men do, and I'll tell you a secret: shopping was not designed with the men's experience in mind.

Does this sound familiar?

You know you need some new clothing, but you're not sure where to start. You walk into a couple of random stores, not knowing what to look for, and try a few different things on that seem "fine," and so you buy them. It takes way too long, the stuff you get is "meh", and you can't figure out what it goes with.

The reason you don't like shopping….

Is that you don't have a plan.

Imagine walking into a store and knowing exactly what to grab. It looks fantastic on you. You walk out of the store confident in your choice, actually excited to wear your clothing for once. That's the power of having a plan.

If you can know precisely what you need, where to get it, and how it should look, shopping can actually become an enjoyable experience. It provides you with the stuff that gets you looks, compliments, and respect.

TAKING OTHERS’ ADVICE

I have a female friend who I've known for over a decade now: gorgeous gal - long brown hair and a great figure.

She gets a lot of male attention. Over the decade, I've gotten to meet a fair share of her new boyfriends.

She doesn't have a type; in fact, all the men she's dated all had unique personalities and different body types.

But something funny always happened after a guy had dated her for a couple of months. I picked up on this after about the third time it happened...

The guy she was dating started to look like all the other boyfriends...

While all the guys had their different tastes, she didn't. She had her tastes. She liked it when guys dressed a little preppier, and she made it known.

So no matter the guy's personality, he always ended up looking like the boyfriend before him.

When asking for female advice, realize that she's not thinking about what looks best on YOU - she's thinking about what SHE likes best.

Burn this in your head:

She is generally looking at you from the standpoint of what is sexually attractive to her, not what looks best on you.

When you ask her opinion, realize you might just end up looking like the last guy who asked her that question.

This is one of the primary reasons I only work with men. This approach loses me thousands and thousands of dollars, but it's the right thing to do.

Now, listening to your lady's advice is not always a problem.

I like wearing clothing that my girlfriend likes. But I'm not going to sacrifice my entire closet over to her. I know what colors look best for my skin, hair, and eyes. I know what brands work incredibly well for my body type and which ones I can't fit into. I know my tastes, and I stick to them.

"What about store associates?" you may be wondering.

Store associates are not trained to know what looks best on you. They're trained on their products, and they're trained to sell them. A suggested item might just be something they're going to make a good commission on or something their manager told them to push this week.

This is not always that case. There are often very helpful people that work in clothing stores, but again, they don't know you, your tastes, your closet, your budget, and haven't done the work to figure out what colors look best against your skin, what clothing will make your body look better, etc.

You need to stay firm with store employees; otherwise, they'll be making suggestions left and right that burn a hole in your wallet.

Go in with a plan. Knowing exactly what you need and communicating that to store associates can make them very helpful to have around.

Don't default to your wife, partner, girlfriend, or nearest store employee to dress you.

You need to understand this stuff for yourself. Getting dressed is a skill.

Like any skill, it can be developed.

We weren't gifted this skill. It wasn't something our parents taught us. It's up to you to develop.

The good news is it's not very hard, and once you know it, it's like speaking another language. You'll be able to understand it (getting dressed and looking great) for the rest of your life.

NOT TAKING THE RIGHT ACTIONS

Next time you go out, look around you. You're going to notice something… a lot of men are poorly dressed.

I'm not talking about wearing a suit everywhere; I'm talking about everyday outfits worn to work or on the weekend. Things fit poorly; they look "off" or "cheap," their colors make them look old and sickly; their clothing makes their body look "puffy."

Let me tell you something:

It's never been easier to look terrible.

If you wanted to give up, it's too easy. And most men look like they have.

But here's another secret you probably didn't know.:

It's never been easier to look good.

We have more brands now than ever with an emphasis on quality. You have guys like my colleagues and I educating men on what to wear. Thanks to modern innovations, clothing is more affordable. You can shop online from the comfort of your couch. There are more fits nowadays to suit every body type.

If you know what you're looking for, it has indeed never been easier to be a well-dressed man.

So, where does that leave you? If most men look like they've given up, think about the immediate benefit you'll have when you look better.

By dressing well and handling your grooming, you can be in the top tier of men.

It just takes a small amount of effort.

Most men don't realize how easy it truly is, and they put it off now because it's been hard in the past.

Don't.

I promise you it will all be worth it. And there will come a time where you look in the mirror, and it clicks. You understand why everything works. You see the matrix.

You're getting compliments left and right from women, friends, and co-workers. You're getting respect wherever you go. People understand what you're about before you open your mouth. You look good, and you know it.

Congratulations. You've made it to the top of the mountain - the top tier of men - where all of life gets a little more enjoyable.

Apply yourself. Put in the work to look good. Enjoy the benefits for life.

I promise it's easier than you think.

Cheers to your Style Journey,

-Patrick