Often you might be asked how well you know another person. But rarely would you ever be asked how well you know yourself, for of course it is assumed that you would be the person that understands yourself best.

But how well do you really know yourself and how much attention are you actually paying to YOU? What are you naturally good at, what do you love doing and what do you want to achieve?

According to Tom Rath, author of number one wall street journal bestseller, Strengths Finder, the primary goal of almost any learning program is to help us become who we are not. Think back to when you were in high school. Each subject that you didn’t like and were not good at, you were naturally encouraged to concentrate more on. This may have been effective in marginally raising your marks, but the sacrifice was greater time and labour on your part.

Now if instead, you had spent more of your time and effort in areas and subjects you were naturally strong at, think of how much better you could have performed. Understanding yourself and applying yourself appropriately is key to realising both success and your potential for greatness.

When your key strengths and abilities are honed and applied at the centre of your life, you will not only find that you achieve your goals with greater ease, but you will also be more eager, motivated and personally satisfied. According to Tom Rath, studies show that people who have the opportunity to focus on their strengths are “six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general.”

If you allow yourself to use your strengths and natural talents unreservedly, you will be in a position to truly offer the best you have to give and chances are that you will definitely succeed in whatever you are aiming to achieve.

Let yourself be who you were meant to be. Know and accept your limitations. Know and accept your strengths. Invest in your strengths, focus on your strengths and build on them. This is a core principle at EGAMI. We encourage you to focus on your best assets.

Knowing your unique strengths, making the most of them and projecting them through your image can make a world of difference in your career. By drawing on your key strengths and experiences, you can create a unique identity, one that speaks volumes about who you are and what you have to offer. At EGAMI, we seek to help people market their finest strengths and abilities, to build a strong brand and personal profile, and to most importantly fulfil their potential for greatness.

You have everything it takes. All you need to do is to be more of YOU.

Women have made leaps and bounds in their pursuit of equal rights and treatment in the economic, political and social realms. With greater legislative rights, less social biases, the freedom to work in almost any industry and position, the world is seeing an increasing presence of women in high powered leadership positions and more women being recognised for their outstanding abilities and achievements.

This year’s celebration of women’s achievements marks the centenary of International Women’s Day. Organisations across the world have been getting involved to commemorate this special occasion. In Australia, premier fashion magazine Vogue, has teamed up with channel SBS to bring everyone a thrilling season of special screenings, celebrating exceptional women.

EGAMI STYLE also joined in on International Women’s Day celebrations with a presentation to the National Australia Bank in Perth that empowered their female team to create a confident and powerful image that reflected their unique style within the boundaries of their industry and enhanced their visibility. EGAMI STYLE was proud to partner with the Ready to Work team, which assists disadvantaged women in the community to secure a job through their employment preparation services.

At a parliamentary level, the world’s leading ladies, Julia Gillard, Michelle Obama, and Hillary Clinton gathered at a gala function in Washington to award women of outstanding courage from around the world who had fought to empower women. Julia Gillard has also expressed her desire to push the boundaries for a greater presence and visibility of women on company boards and is prepared to address this through legislation.

EGAMI STYLE thinks that this encouragement for Australian corporate companies to increase the admittance of women to their boards is great progress, however it is important to recognise that career advancement and visibility extends beyond exceptional skills and education. In order for women to achieve rapid career advancement, they should consider enhancing their relationship skills and be more active in networking and self-promotion. One woman in particular, from the mining industry, that EGAMI STYLE has had the wonderful opportunity of working with and alongside, who has experienced outstanding success and who has been inducted to the WA Women’s Hall of Fame, is Kate Sommerville. Congratulations Kate on your commendable achievement!

Oprah is coming to Australia! No doubt we are all excited about this famous icon paying our continent a special visit.

As a figure, she is as iconic as the Sydney Opera House or a red soled Louboutin heel. Forbes 3^rd most powerful woman is about to touch down in the country, and it’s causing a stir. I mean who doesn’t love Oprah? She has the most vivacious personality, is so down to earth and is well-known for her incredible generosity.

But it hasn’t all been easy for Oprah. Throughout the years, Oprah has endured a constant battle with her image. We’ve watched her transition through the decades with many a makeover and make under.  She was often overly conscious of her body type, and selected styles to conceal her body. Oprah’s clothing  choice was reflective of where she was physically.

But now, in the last five years, Oprah’s self perception towards her image has changed. She has progressed as an individual and has established her own unique style; a clean silhouette with classic colours, ranging from neutrals to deep, rich hues that convey elegance and sophistication. Oprah has become more confident in herself as a person, both mentally and physically and this clearly reflects in her new approach to image and styling.  We at EGAMI STYLE can see that she has embraced and embodied a spirit and style that is all her own.

Take a look below at a timeline of Oprah through the ages, from present to past.

Well take a step into the shoes of a young woman who has low self-confidence and is struggling to step out of her shell.  There is no denying she’s a smart woman, after all she’s excelling academically at university and has the potential to accomplish great things in life.  But having potential can only get you so far if you’re shy and unsure of yourself.  So it’s not surprising that the thought of attending an interview, which even a self-assured person can find nerve-racking, is petrifying.  Not only that, but this lack of confidence can prevent someone from achieving their future goals.

Unfortunately, she’s not alone.  This somewhat daunting and over-whelming feeling is a reality for many young people who are just starting their careers.  Imagine the surprise of entering the big world of corporate and professional organisations after just having graduated university.  Or having the potential and skill, but not being able to portray yourself visually in the way you want to be perceived.

We all have career goals and aspirations at some point in our lives but making them happen is another completely different story.  And that’s why projecting a confident image is such an important and powerful tool.  We also all have positive qualities, but what many people don’t realise is that confidence defines who you are and helps you in pursuing your career.

EGAMI STYLE recognises the importance of nurturing talent and working with young people to build their confidence, establish an influential image, help cultivate their leadership ability and develop life skills.  For this reason, we are thrilled to be involved in helping young people achieve their career goals through our image programs and workshops as well as supporting the WA Miss Universe event.

From a holistic perspective, our approach enables young people to develop their own unique brand and create a memorable presence that goes beyond first impressions.  For the WA Miss Universe participants, what’s really important is that this is a life skill they will be able to take with them beyond the competition and greatly assist them in their future endeavours.

Kelly’s overall image reflects her position as a leader. The use of primary colours in her wardrobe, such as a dominating red, sets apart from the uniformity of grey. Simply wearing red will dramatically enhance positive attributes such as confidence, strength and energy, in comparison to grey which is a psychological neutral and evokes a limited response.               

Kelly’s image is complemented by her body language and powerful gestures, as you can see in the image contained within this recent article.  This not only allows for effective communication but conveys confidence and leadership.

By self-packaging her positive attributes, Kelly demonstrates a strong holistic image of confidence and success. As you can see, investing in your professional image and personal brand and influencing how you want to be perceived are powerful steps in creating your own success.  Congratulations Gail, what a great achievement for an Australian Executive!