Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.

Clothes, possessions, titles and habits of speech all say something about a person, and they work best when they express what is actually there. Choosing them first and hoping the self will catch up tends to produce a costume that has to be kept up under strain. The order matters, since understanding your own values gives every outward choice something to be faithful to.

Before your next purchase, makeover or new role, ask what it is meant to say about you and whether that is true. Let what you know about yourself decide, rather than what you would like others to assume.