As you know, the most common resistance I get to what I teach is guys saying “Real men don’t care how they look”

It’s something I’ve tackled here, in the Appearance of Power, and in almost every podcast interview I’m part of.

But there’s a very close second and it goes like this,

“But Tanner, look at how successful guys like Mark Zuckerburg are and they dress like crap!”

The guys who really think they’ve figured out the key to the problem will even quote Zuckerturd when he talked about having a personal uniform in order to limit the amount of decisions he has to make every day and free his mind up to focus on more important things.

There’s two parts to this.

One – yes, he succeeded in spite of his style.

He’s the exception.

If you’re already worth billions, lead a fulfilled life, and don’t care how you look – then that’s fine.

But until you’re there, this can help.

(Side point – No one wants to be Zuckerburg. I’d love his money but nothing else about his life)

And point number two:

He’s totally right about the benefit of a personal uniform.

If you’re someone who needs to save your mental bandwidth

Or easily gets decision fatigue

Or just really doesn’t care that much about style and wants to put in as little effort as possible

Then creating a personal uniform can do absolute wonders for you.

But nowhere does it say that a personal uniform has to look absolutely sloppy, ridiculous, or pathetic in order to be effective.

If Zuckerburg had a closet full of pink gorilla suits, he wouldn’t use up any more or less mental energy choosing what to wear each day than he currently does.

Same goes for something much better like simple jeans, a well-fitted henley, and a pair of classic sneakers (my own personal uniform).

So here’s your challenge for day 5

I want you to create a personal uniform

It needs to be simple, repeatable, effective, and stylish (no, stylish does not mean formal)

I don’t want you to create it out of what you already own, nor do I want you to go buy something.

I want you to do a little bit of digging online and create it there

You may have to piece together photos of a few items

Or you could get lucky and find a photo of someone who’s already wearing your ideal personal uniform and just use that as a model

Point is, assume you have to create a personal uniform.

What does it consist of? How does it look? And why do you choose what you do?

Post up those photos on Twitter and tag me with them along with your rationale for deciding on this particular uniform.

Style is all about assumptions

It’s about knowing the assumptions we and others make and then leveraging those assumptions through your appearance

But, as you already know, not every assumption proves true

And when we act as if it does, we can get into trouble

Here’s a big assumption I see a lot of guys make when it comes to their style

“To look better I need to buy new clothes”

While improving your wardrobe often does involve adding some new pieces and getting rid of old ones,

It’s not the only or even the most effective way of getting better

There are two other techniques that are quickly overlooked but often have much better results.

The first is getting clothes you already own tailored.

Maybe those jeans are just a hair too long or that shirt is a bit too full through the waist.

Rather than replacing them outright, you can get things like that altered at the tailor.

It’s typically cheaper and less of a headache.

The second option is to wear what you have in a different way.

You’d be amazed at how much style can be added by cuffing some jeans, rolling up your sleeves, adding a layer, popping a collar, etc.

I’ve seen this while out shopping with clients.

I’ll recommend an item they’re on the fence about.

They’ll try it on, come out of the dressing room, and feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Then I’ll maybe undo another button, or roll something up, recommend they tuck/untuck it and

BAM it all of sudden looks better and feels authentic for them.

So here’s today’s challenge

If you have something that doesn’t fit great and you want to keep, take it to a tailor.

That’s the main priority

If you don’t have anything that can be or needs to be tailored, then experiment with wearing what you already have in a different way.

Like the other days, post up photos and tag me on Twitter

I want to see what you’re tailoring and how

Or before/after of how you’d normally wear something and the new way you’re trying it.

Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

One of the most interesting things about teaching men to dress better is the mental gymnastics I watch guys go through.

Their ability to rationalize their poor aesthetic decisions is pretty mind blowing.

And one of the most common ones I see is justification for a bad haircut.

There’s really no excuse for it.

For you guys who are starting to lose your hair – we can see it.

There’s no reason to think we can’t and all of your tricks to try and hide it make it look worse.

Lean into it and embrace it.

For you guys who have hair but think seeing Linda down at the GreatSuperSportClips once every two months and having her cut it however she thinks

You look like a little boy

Or a Lego person with a hairpiece attached

Bad or bland hair is so incredibly common that having a dialed in hairstyle from a good barber is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your appearance.

Here are some tips

If your style is fairly safe and Refined, you can add an edge by going with a shorter, more aggressive haircut

If you lean more Rakish then going with something that looks a little longer and natural can add to your overall persona

Even you Rugged guys who like the simplicity of a military cut, you can at least have a simple fade so it doesn’t look boxy and one dimensional.

I hope you took some time yesterday to schedule an appointment with a real barber and are ready to go in today.

Yes it’s going to cost a bit more than what you’re used to

Yes it’s going to be worth it.

Some are better for guys with thinning hair

Others for those with widows peaks

Some look aggressive and dominant

Others look nonchalant and relaxed

Pick out two or three you like, take them to the barber, talk to him about what you want to do, and get his opinion on what will look best.

Then pay him to cut it for you and tip him for doing a great job.

I don’t care how you cut your hair, but get it cut well and by a real professional

Post up a photo and tag me like the past two days so I can see the new look!

Alright day one is done and it was awesome.

I loved seeing all the photos you guys posted up.

Every one of you had things you were doing well and you all had some things to improve on too

Which is great and it’s why we’re here.

So let’s get on to day two.

I want you to find your favorite thing in your wardrobe

Could be a shirt, a tie, some shoes, whatever

You know you have something you feel better wearing than anything else

Something that, when you put it on, you feel like you’re just killing it.

I want you to find that thing today, snap a photo of it, and post that picture up on Twitter

Tell me why it’s your favorite and what you fee like when you’re wearing it.

Does it have sentimental value?

Does it fit you better?

Do you get more compliments when you wear it?

Do you feel like you can conquer the world in it?

Just like yesterday, tag @tannerguzy and use the hashtag #stylechallenge for this.

Now, before I let you go today, tomorrow’s challenge is going to involve getting a real haircut (don’t worry I’ll have some tips for you).

So today I want you to spend some time finding a real barber near you.

None of this SuperGreatSportCliips crap – a real barber.

Even if it’s a bit more expensive than what you’re used to paying, I want you to see a real barber at least once.

So find one and schedule an appointment for tomorrow.

I’ll give you the rest of the details in the morning.

See you on Twitter!