ou.
Therefore it is of the greatest importance that you study the
significance of _discriminated movements, gestures, and facial
expressions_ as aids or hindrances to the making of true impressions of
your best capabilities. You should _restrict yourself to acts that make
the best impressions._

Movements, and their results, may be analyzed under three heads: _Poise,
Pose_, and _Action_.

[Sidenote: Poise]

It is a phenomenon of psychology that the balancing of the body suggests
mental balance. Conversely, if the body is out of balance, there is the
suggestion that the mind is no better poised. That is, if a man cannot
keep his balance physically, we have an intuition that he is mentally
off his equilibrium. Correct poise of course involves correct body
support, and suggests a rightly supported mind. _Hence you can make the
impression, merely by the way you stand and walk, that you are a person
of well-poised judgment_. You may hurt your chances very much if it
seems necessary for you to prop your body with your legs. The man who
stands with his feet wide apart is out of balance, and is easily tipped
over. The impression made by the incorrect poise is that such a man must
be unable to stand by himself like normal men. The law of the
association of ideas then immediately suggests that his thoughts are
similarly unable to stand unless propped.

Incorrect poise of the body has another bad effect in the sale of ideas.
It makes the impression of _abnormality_. Being unusual, it distracts
attention from the salesman and his capabilities, and turns it to his
lack of balance. You realize that in order to sell your ideas
effectively you need the _concentrated attention_ of your prospect. It
will help you to succeed in life if you perfect yourself in the
skillful poising of your body and its members so that you will be able
to appear perfectly balanced in any normal position.

If you teeter from side to side, or rock back and forth on your heels
when you are talking to a man whom you want to impress with your
stability of character, you will undermine everything you _say_ by what
you _do_. Of course you should not stand stiffly. Your leg posts are
designed to serve as a flexible pedestal for your body. Your ability to
shift your weight from one foot to the other easily without losing your
balance suggests associated capability of your mind to keep your
judgment in balance. If you have a correctly poised mind, it _can_
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