Airlines (not Southwest) make it very expensive to check a bag. So, many folks today carry their bags on the plane. What does the shape and color of the bag say about their owners?

The most popular luggage includes rollers that you can pull along. These are bag owners who are efficient and follow the rules found on http://www.luggageonline.com/about_airlines.cfm. The bags are typically black, brown or gray. They say I mean business. They say I am practical.

Then there are the owners who want to be different. Their luggage is usually in red, purple, yellow or orange. The business folks who are getting more hip are leaning to the orange and red bags.

There are the label bags, Gucci, Louis Vuitton or Tumi. These make a luxury statement for their owners.

The fun bags are the ones with all sorts of pattern that you either love or make your think— well, that bag will never get lost. Don’t allow your bag to look overstuffed. When it looks overstuffed and frayed you don’t like a world class traveler—only a worn out one.

Personal branding is even more important today than it was ten years ago. If you are in transition or trying to maintain a job you currently have, you must do some value proposition branding. A value proposition states why you are valuable in the work place or why some one should give you a job.

If you’re uncertain about what your brand stands for, ask yourself this question– what three words define you when you think of yourself? Then ask someone else what three words they think of when you come to mind.

Do the two answers match?

It is very important to be crystal clear about your personal brand. After all, you’re its steward.

President Obama is a good example of possessing a brand when he ran for president. If you recall, it was change. The folks around him could possibly be better stewards in maintaining his brand. It will be good to study what they will do to retrieve it. In fact, the recently passed healthcare legislation, may begin the road back to his brand.

A personal brand today is critical to differentiating yourself from the crowd. So, craft your brand and get everyone to know and understand your value proposition.

There are now four different generations in the work place. Matures are born between 1925 to 1945; Boomers from 1946 to 1965; Gen X from 1966 to 1985, and Gen Y (also called Millennials) from 1986 to the present.

Here are seven tips that will enhance your credibility with generations X and Y:

• Use your phone or blackberry as a watch.
• Send e-mails or text messages instead of a voice mails.
• Have lunch with others at work and not at your desk.
• Talk about current events, not what happened ten years ago.
• Don’t dress in more than three layers of clothing.
• Be on LinkedIn and Facebook.
• Think green.

So, the idea is not necessarily to behave like a Millennial, but to make sure we are not acting like we are from another century!

It is amazing how someone’s facial expression can affect us. Also, it can give you some insight about what they are thinking.

Recently in the “Live” section of the Chicago Tribune, Julianna Margulies, who stars in the CBS show, The Good Wife, was measured for facial expressions and eye movements. She engages the audience so thoughtfully that she connects her viewers to her and to the character.

As I mentioned in one my recent blogs, Bill Clinton locks his eyes on whomever he’s speaking with. This, plus his facial expressions and manner, places the conversational partner at center of his universe.

We know for a fact that when a complete stranger smiles at you, it can make your day. At the same time, the person who looks right through you sends the signal you are invisible, which can make you feel worthless.

So, we want our facial expression to be one that suggests to others that you might be a good person to know.

How many times have we made mistakes or hurt someone’s feelings to the point where we had to apologize for our transgressions? Apologies have credibility only if they’re followed by consistent actions.

An apology, whether by Tiger Woods or by a person who is always late, will only be valued if the offenses are not repeated. Of course, the words of the apology have to be meaningful and sincerely delivered.

So, when you make a mistake, apologize with sincerity and back it up with the appropriate action.

Black is a power color and it’s a wonderful sight against the back drop of white ice. It is amazing when I have watched the many skaters’ costume choices and how those choices have worked for and against them. If you watched the skaters you know the ones I am talking about. Sometimes, you ask yourself – what were they thinking?

Evan Lyacek’s accents of silver visually accented against the black worked very well, though. It broke up the starkness of the color and at the same time worked visually with his moves.

Whether you are performing on ice or speaking in front of a group, synch your color and clothing choices with your body movements. Make them relevant to your performance.

Plus, if you are thinking of wearing black, make sure it works as well for you as it did for Evan Lysacek— the winner of the men’s gold metal figure skating.

How many times have you been with people at a party or in a meeting, who never let you get a word in edgewise? And you’re stuck listening to the self imposed subject matter expert of everything we do.

They make our bodies go tense, cause us to make faces, and raise our battle instinct in preparation to enter a war of words. Quite simply, our dark side comes out.

Here are three tips to help us handle these folks:

• Do not try to join in the conversation. It only prolongs the talk (and the agony).

• Let them have about two minutes of talk time. Then do something physical (offer to get them a drink or show them an interesting item).

• Acknowledge their input. Often these folks are insecure and feel they have to show us how smart they are. When we acknowledge that, they may stop talking. (And leave enough oxygen for everyone else!)

Today everyone wants the best value for their dollar. How can we say seek this out without sounding rude or needy?

For example, I have a mid-luxury car. Whenever I get it serviced, it is triple the going rate. I continue to go to the dealer because a permanent service record will exist when I sell the car.

However, I never pick up my car without holding my breath before I look at the bill. This time the car needed some extra service and the cost was substantial. So, instead of getting huffy, I asked calmly and with a smile, “Would you consider discounting this for me?”

I ended up getting a 10% discount!

So, always ask for a discount politely. Use the phrase” Would you consider” with a smile and you will get a discount the majority of the time.

Change is tough. Sometimes it’s hard to maintain. And when we try to do too many things at once it can be overwhelming.

A good approach is to start with something easy that will make a significant impact and make you feel good. This also will provide you with a quick start.

For example, a new piece of clothing, a shirt or a change in your hair style will give you a new lift. Or, if you want to be a better speaker visit a Toastmaster club and listen to other folks speak.

Another big one is weight. Going on a diet is too hard. However, eating smaller portions might be a good start. The main idea is to start small and take one thing at a time. You’ll be amazed at the feeling of accomplishment you get which in turn will keep your momentum going.

I have a questionnaire that is used in my workshop. One of the questions on it is whether or not it’s acceptable to talk on a cell phone in public. Most folks answer that it is not. But you and I know everyone does it. And now we are even getting physically hurt doing it!

The article “Forget Gum” in the January 17th issue of the New York Times spotlighted this phenomenon. Walking and using the cell phone has become risky. In fact, people are getting hurt because they are distracted. They run into cars, trip on items inside and outside of the home or workplace and walk into walls.

Today we multi-task everything to get the job done. Making mistakes is one thing but getting hurt is another. So, act the way we answer my cell phone etiquette question. When talking on the cell phone, stand in one spot. And please, make sure it’s a place where no can hear you. No one wants to be a captive listener to your one sided phone call!