10 Qualities of a Classy Person
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Written by Jimmie Burroughs 
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Becoming a classy person is one of the benefits of personal development. It may require making some changes in your lifestyle and behavior, but it is never about changing the unique person that you are. When we make changes in our behavior it may seem a little un-natural at first, but in time it will become our normal behavior. Becoming more of the classy person you want to be requires a work in progress, and there will be times when you will miss the mark; when that happens, be assured it is a normal part of making needed changes in your life; just don’t be discouraged. Always focus on who you want to become and don’t let your feelings or failures stop you. If you are interested in becoming a classy person, below are 10 qualities of a classy person that will be of great help to you if you can master them:
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Classy people are:
1. Genuine people
Every person is unique by design, therefore it is never appropriate to try and be someone else. It is always appropriate to develop the gifts and qualities that you have. It is appropriate to have a mentor.
A contestant for America’s got talent just last week came in front of the judges, and introduced himself as a person that he wasn’t. He wove a touching story of being a soldier wounded in action trying to save his men. He told one lie after another and had the audience in tears. When he sang his song he did a remarkable job. He could easily have made a great impression just by being himself. As it now stands people will despise him because he deceived them. He leaves an example of what it means to be a phony, and to show absolutely no class.
2. Concerned about their looks
Most people are not endowed with good looks. A few exceptionally good looking movie stars are not the norm. The norm is the ordinary folks you see around you every day at work, at school, at the grocery store etc. Being concerned about your looks is looking your best. We need not try to compete with anyone. What separates those with exceptional appearance form those with poor appearance is the classy way the take care of themselves. Here are a dozen ways that can make the difference:
- Cleanliness
- Well fitting clothes, clean, starched and ironed
- Shoes clean and polished
- Clean and well groomed hands and feet
- Clean and neat hair
- Modest apparel
- Well maintained dental
- Not overly perfumed or wearing strong after shave (doesn’t leave a trail)
- Has good posture; walks with confidence, with head up and shoulders back
- Conservative about tattoos and body piercing, or better still has none at all
- Abstains from tobacco and drugs which denigrates looks
- Avoids trends
Distinguish yourself with a clean and manicured look. Appearance is half the game of what it means to be classy. While clothing doesn’t have to be expensive, it should reflect good taste and match your personality. For ladies modesty is a key issue if you are to be respected by others. Ladies have a misconception than men always want a lot of exposure when they actually respect modesty more, at least a true gentleman does. A classy woman reserves the privilege of seeing her special assets for the special man and does not advertise it to the whole world. Over exposure is a sign of insecurity.
3. Considerate of others
Being considerate of others means giving them the same treatment that you would expect others to give you. Doing things that inconvenience others, like being late or making them wait on you isn’t classy. Classy people aren’t nosey or back biters; they mind their own business, and are gracious and affable toward everyone. Classy people make it a point to know and call people by their name and never give the impression of being superior, but instead treat others as equals. It is often the simple gestures that reveal your class and authenticity, like giving advance notice of change of plans, keeping in touch with family and friends, and not waiting on them to make the first move.
Being classy is not about being conceited; to the contrary it is respecting others as well as yourself. It is being careful about showing a genuine interest in and concern for others. They avoid gossip, slander and insulting remarks, and Voice their opinions only when necessary, and do so constructively and appropriately.
4. Have integrity
Integrity is “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcome.” The word “integrity” stems from the Latin adjective integer, whole or complete”–1; no one is ever whole or all they can be when integrity is missing. Perhaps not all realize that morals are a part of integrity. Having solid morals not only show respect for others, but also for one’s self. Good morals are an important part of honesty. Honesty is always truthful, Never lies and never deceives…It is impossible to develop a relationship with anyone where trust is missing. As you can see from the definition above, integrity is a primary asset of being a classy person.
5. Are in control
Be responsible for your reality; no one else has that responsibility, although others may want to control you. You are responsible to have the say in what you do or not do. Never go along with the crowd just to be included if it is something you don’t wish to be a part of. It isn’t necessary to control other people, but it is necessary to be in control and taking control over the direction you want things to go. Perfect control is guided by your inner principles, and by your integrity. Others respect and admire a person who is in full control.
6. Are kind
Kindness is said to be, “…an active expression of love toward God and fellow man.” Kindness is also the fifth mentioned in the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22. Kindness is the way God acts toward us, and it is how he expects us to act toward others. Kindness describes class like no other word.
“During my second year of nursing school our professor gave us a quiz. I breezed through the questions until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” Surely this was a joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our grade. “Absolutely,” the professor said. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.” Joann C. Jones
Kindness probably touches people more than any other virtue, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” ~Mark Twain
7. Are polite
“Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are.” ~Author Unknown. Ironically I’ve seen husbands who were far more polite to a total stranger than to their own lovely wife. An excellent place to start practicing politeness is at home. Politeness is not something we do because we expect it in return, but because we are polite.
Probably the classic case of rude is provided us by Kanye West who Ruined Taylor Swift’s Winning Moment at the MTV VMAs September 13, 2009. About all anyone remembers about the show is that West turned the star-studded celebration into The Kanye Show when he rushed on stage rudely interrupting Taylor Swift, took the mike and began to complain about Beyonce’s lost in the Best female Video category.
That little show of how rude you can possible get cost West dearly in terms of popularity and future income. No doubt it helped classy Taylor Swift who in the years since has won numerous awards and dominated the charts while West has faded. What a display of pure class of Taylor Swift contrasted against West with total classlessness.
8. Show intelligence
Showing intelligence is not necessarily having a superior IQ. It is being knowledgeable about everyday issues that have to do with current events, religion, culture, politics, economy etc. It is embarrassing and very awkward to be unaware of the things that are of interest to most people. If you have friends who are interested in sports, make sure you have a basic knowledge, even if you are not personally interested. If there are people that you will be meeting, either casually or for business, that have a background that you are not familiar with, take time to research it before you meet with them. Always avoid the appearance of desperation when meeting and talking with others, whether it is a potential date or selling for your business; this turns people off quickly. Intelligence shows calmness and confidence.
9. Careful about what they say
Having a good vocabulary is good, but it is not for impressing others, but instead for clearly expressing yourself. A classy person speaks a little and listens a lot. Avoid finishing other’s sentences, and never correct anyone’s grammar. Coming across as a know-it-all irritates others, and makes you look like an idiot. Thinking before you speak is the best protection from using words that are hurtful and unneeded. Avoid discussions when you are angry. Avoid using profanity or vulgarity in your conversations; it will offend some so it is better left off.
10. Slow to anger
Uncontrolled anger is one of the greatest enemies of a classy person. It isn’t the objective to rid one’s self of anger because anger is a legitimate God given emotional drive. The objective is learning how to appropriately use anger. It is needless to say that a fit of anger completely spoils an otherwise classy demeanor.
If anger is a God given drive, apparently it has a purpose. Anger alerts us for the need to take care because there may be a threat. It should make us angry when someone is being mistreated, and drive us to come to their aid if possible. Caution is to be taken when offering help if the altercation is domestic in nature. Anger prepares us to take defensive action to protect ourselves and others when necessary. When there is no threat or no danger involved, retaliation or defensive action is unnecessary. When someone says angry and unkind words to you, it isn’t necessary to further provoke the situation by lowering yourself to their level and responding with your own unkind words. A better response, if any at all, would be: I’m sorry you feel that way. A still better response is to walk away. If it is necessary to discuss the matter, it is better delayed until anger subsides.
Conclusion
All said class is just a fringe benefit of personal development. Like anything else is can be determined on a scale of 1-10. You might want to grade yourself on the qualities listed above now that you’ve read the article. You don’t have to have all the attributes mentioned above to be considered classy. Also some don’t prefer to be classy at all, but rather be trendy. Sadly today a lot of youth had rather wear their pants below their butt and look like something dragged from a rag bag, and walk and talk like a throw back. That might make it in the field of certain entertainers, but it will not in regular life. How a person looks, acts and talks will determine their degree of success in the normal world.
- Resource -1 Wikipedia
About the author: Jimmie Burroughs is a motivational speaker and author who has been involved in teaching Christian Personal Development for more than 30 years. There are hundreds of articles to help you on this website, Website Contents , in your person growth. Be sure to take vantage of the FREE offer to get the “Personal Development” eBook while available.
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