Walk It Like You Talk It: What Your Walk Says About You

What does your walk say about you? Apparently, a lot more than the mirror is saying. You are, after all, standing still when you look into it.

I was walking up to my building elevator today when I overheard the doorman say, “He’s definitely a broker.”

I had a long wait for the elevator, and really nothing better to do, so I interjected.

“What kind of broker?”

“A real estate broker,” he said.

“How do you know?”

“He gives off that vibe.”

Vibe? It’s a word that can have so many meanings. It’s like when a woman says, “He is charming” or a guy says, “She’s hot.” It really can mean different things based on where you are from or what context you use. I needed more than just a word like “vibe.”

“What is that broker’s vibe? Can you tell me how you know he’s a broker?”

What your Walk Reveals to Strangers

The doorman was more than happy to elaborate. I could tell by his “vibe” that I was probably the first person of the day to ask him a question.

“His walk. Brokers all walk the same. They also look the same. They wear the same clothes and enough brokers have come through this building, that I know one when I see one.”

Okay, his description wasn’t exactly descript, but he did pique my curiosity.

“Let’s put that sociology to the test. What do I do for a living?”

He looked me up and down. I was wearing jeans, a button up shirt and a blue suit coat. I was also wearing a brown leather belt and brown shoes.

“You give off a casual vibe,” he said.

Sure, my clothes were fairly casual, but this doorman has seen me at my best and at my worst. He’s seen me hungover, wearing sandals, all dressed up in a suit and tie.

“I would say you’re a businessman,” he said. “You’re also in sales.”

I’m not a businessman – just a freelance writer. I have to constantly sell my editors on ideas and if they don’t buy my idea, then I don’t get to eat pizza.

Has anyone ever talked about you in your presence? It’s fun listening to what others say and think, especially when they’re being honest. A lot of thoughts went through my crammed head as he described me. Maybe I am a businessman, I thought.

I’ve figured out how to get free drinks and dinners based on stories. I’ve learned how to get meetings with the COOs and CEOs of large corporations. If you look up the definition of businessman, you will see “owner” is usually fit into the description. And I do think I am the owner of my own life.

It may sound silly, but lots of people don’t own themselves, especially in New York. I went on a short vacation to the West Coast a few weeks ago and one of my friends was constantly on conference calls. He makes a lot of money, but I don’t think he owns his life. I think the company that signs his paycheck owns his life.

When it comes down to it at the end of the week, I think I’d rather be an owner of myself than to be a high-leveled corporate suit who has to answer to another person.

Maybe that is why I have taken up the life of a freelancer. It’s a way for me to decide who I talk to and what I want to write. That, my friend, is a vibe that will make anyone look casual and relaxed, especially if they have a slice of pizza in their hand.

So what do your sunglasses say to women? Or what about her hairstyle? Click here to read those articles.

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