Review: Being Yourself
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 23, 2012
When I was a kid, I remember watching Saturday morning cartoons as part of my weekend ritual after a particularly stressful week learning about the Vikings in fourth grade.In between episodes of Bugs Bunny and the Herculoids, there would be a couple of those cloying commercials that featured various celebrities encouraging us kids to be ourselves and have some fun. One of those commercials that I recall showed Magic Johnson, Paul Newman, Carol Burnett, Robby Benson, Scott Baio, Kate Jackson, Bob Hope(!) and John Schneider singing with a large contingent of kids (who are now about my age) singing the following memorable lines (at least, they were to me):"You can be somebody with a plan of your own/You can say no and you won't be alone/You can make yourself higher than you have ever known/When you're making up your own mind/Doing things your own way/Setting up your own style/Bein' yourself, bein' yourself."Even now I still hum that catchy ditty. As an aside, the commercial can be downloaded on YouTube, for those of you who may have an interest in doing so.As corny as it (and the video) may come across to some people, the message behind the aforementioned words is an important one, especially when relating to others: it is good to accept ourselves for who we are, and if we can succeed in doing so, then any true friendships and love interests we cultivate will be deep and long-lasting.This is particularly true with the latter---all of us want to make a good impression upon others, and invariably there is someone to whom we feel and experience a strong physical and emotional attraction. Once again, Stephen Williams has written an interesting book entitled "How to Impress a Girl: Get Ahead of Everyone" that addresses the underlying anxieties that men might have should they find themselves in close proximity with a beautiful woman to whom they find an immediate and unspoken attraction.Again, it is all about being yourself.Ultimately, if the woman finds the guy attractive, looks will no doubt play a certain role. But it's important to remember that other intangibles are at work here. Humor is a big factor. So what if you tend to crack weak jokes? Ever hear of being able to laugh at yourself? Self-deprecation can help, provided a guy doesn't fall into the all-too-common trap of putting himself down repeatedly and with ever-increasing savagery. Then there's little hope of extricating yourself, and you end up looking like an unintelligent sap.Don't forget manners. Being polite and adroit in most social situations is always a plus for making a guy look good for his prospective love. Simple but powerful actions such as standing up when a woman walks into a room; holding a car door open for her; pulling out her chair and then helping to seat her in a restaurant; saying "please" and "thank you"---all these examples are so easy to implement, and don't cost anything except a few seconds of your time. Really, it's not a bad investment.Intelligence also plays a part in wooing the woman of your dreams. Since there are numerous types of intelligences, I would submit that it is emotional and social intelligence that counts the most: being able to demonstrate empathy; developing and practicing various forms of communication; having strong listening skills; apologizing with sincerity when you make a serious mistake and then subsequently learning from that error; and maintaining an even-keeled temper, which demonstrates emotional maturity and acceptance of life as it unfolds in the present."How to Impress a Girl" makes many valid and timely suggestions; however, what is even more important is how we see ourselves in the grander scheme of our daily lives and our relationships. By accepting ourselves for who we are, we are able to apply Williams's suggestions within "Impress" with an even greater degree of success.