|
How to be cool
Friday, 2 February 2007
Yes, yes I know. The title of this article is a little immodest. I'm not saying that I'm the world's coolest man or anything like that. In fact, underneath it all I'm a bit of a geek. I have spent a lot of time hanging out with people who would generally be considered cool though. And I've often been part of the hip crowd in many environments.
That's given me a pretty good understanding of what makes cool people tick and how to change myself chameleon-like into someone with it when necessary. Here are the key components to concentrate on if you want to join the cool crowd.
Have a good understanding of the pop culture cool women like
Coolness is mostly about pop culture. What movies, TV shows, magazines and particularly music is currently in defines what's cool. You can't just figure this out by looking at the charts. Uncool stuff becomes popular all the time because uncool people spend money too.
If you really want to know what's important to the hip crowd, look at what the women are into. While the producers of hot products may be men, it's the women who generally call the shots on what's in and what's out.
Things that appeal almost exclusively to men are generally in the uncool category. Think Dungeons and Dragons, thrash metal and Star Trek. There's nothing especially wrong with these things, but if you're a devoted fan who wears your obsession on your sleeve, you're unlikely to be able to break into the hip crowd.
Look after your appearance
There's nothing cool people like better than appearance. If you dress well, stand tall, and groom properly, you're probably already half-way there. Of course, your appearance has to be fashionable. Grey-suited accountants generally aren't perceived as cool, no matter how well-pressed their trousers.
A good place to look for fashion tips is music videos. Concentrate on the ones that are popular with the women in the hip crowd. If you can dress like those in the videos, you'll probably do well.
One word of warning on this, wear clothes that are appropriate for you. If you're overweight, skip the crop-tops. If you're skinny, don't go in for muscle-shirts.
Become a good communicator
Cool people are generally expert communicators. They use the language of the street, but it's not just about knowing the currently popular slang. You have to be able to manipulate it better than your peers.
Practice making things sound sexy and enticing. Look at how the cool people in movies do it, and try to learn their tricks. Don't just repeat movie lines verbatim - that's uncool - but try to figure out the techniques people like Quentin Tarantino use to make their characters sound hip.
Relax
Cool people are comfortable with themselves. Panic and stress are not typical emotions for them. If you can train yourself to keep a chilled head and a sharp wit while those around you are losing it, you're most definitely cool.
Cool people also aren't desperate for approval. If you're running around trying to impress everybody in a panic, you'll just look like an idiot. Cool people know how to impress people while looking like they're putting in no effort whatsoever.
So there you have it, my key tips for being cool. I hope they help you.
 | How to work out if you're better off renting or buying a place to live | | It's a decision we all face sooner or later: Should I rent or buy? We all need a roof over our heads - somewhere to have some privacy and bring up a family. |  | How to hook up with members of the opposite sex | | A man and a woman meet each other at a singles bar. He bowls her over with his conversation, she dazzles him with her beauty. Within moments, they fall in love. Three months later they're married. |  | You have to run pretty fast in this life even just to stay still | | The Red Queen is a character in the Lewis Caroll fantasy story "Through the Looking Glass". The main character in the story, Alice, comes across the Red Queen and finds her always running in the same spot. |  | Keep your ears and eyes open, and your mouth shut | | Who wins in life? Often it's the lucky, but just as often it's the best informed. The quality of our decisions is directly related to the quality of our information. Therefore, it's important to make sure your information is top-notch - this isn't as easy as many people think. |  | Most of the big advances are made simply by trying stuff out | | Most of the people you meet day-to-day think they have a pretty good idea about how it all works. Or at least, how all the bits they care about work. They've made up their mind long ago about things, and regard anyone who's willing to think otherwise as a dangerous idiot. | | The eleven biggest mistakes single men make with women | | I have spent time around a lot of women, had a few girlfriends and am now married, so I've learned a few things along the way. From my own experiences and what I've observed from those around me, here are the eleven biggest mistakes men make when dealing with women. |  | Find the right balance between improving your situation and enjoying it | | There's a funny scene in the film "Thank you for smoking" where the main character, a public relations shill for the cigarette industry, is asked how he can do such an unethical job. "Everyone's got to pay the mortgage", he replies. | | Improvement usually requires suffering | | We all want to be better people. We want to be smarter, wiser, stronger and more beautiful. Look at any magazine rack in any supermarket, and you'll see that self-improvement is on a lot of people's minds. | | Be generous to the future | | The future is like a giant spiritual bank account. You can invest in it, or withdraw from it any time you like. How you treat this bank account plays a big part in deciding how successful you are. |  | Don't let others manipulate you by making you feel uncomfortable | | We all want others to do things our way. If we can persuade those around us to somehow bend to our will, we feel that life's riches will be provided as a reward. So people can become very sneaky when it comes to trying to manipulate others. One of their most cunning tricks is to create uncomfortable situations that they hope you will be desperate to get out of. |
New articles are being added all the time, so make sure you bookmark Paul's Tips and come back.
|
|