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Styling it out
Personal Development

Styling it out

Michael Heppell
Michael Heppell
April 3, 2025

I tripped up this week.

Not metaphorically, literally.

I was working in Palma. Strolling along a beautiful walkway. No cobbles. No obstacles. Just me, Mrs H, the Mediterranean air… and a sudden gravitational reminder that I’m not invincible.

Did I say whoops? Did I confess to Christine that I’d lost my footing? Did I take a moment to recalibrate my gait? No way…

I styled it out.

Big grin. Long strides. Confident shoulders.

I think I got away with it… not 😁.

I bet you’ve done it too. Are you familiar with any of these?

You get the lyrics wrong - but just keep singing.

Someone remembers you, but you don’t have a clue who they are. You smile, say, ‘Great to see you’ and wait for some contextual clues.

Driving: you make a wrong turn and announce, ‘It’s the scenic route’.

You zone out of a conversation and jump back in with a confident nod and a ‘Totally agree’.

Styling it out is your built-in human coping mechanism for those tiny slips that feel massive in the moment.

Psychologists call it self-presentation theory - the way your brain protects your social image and reduces embarrassment.

It’s ego preservation with a dash of theatre.

And here’s where it’s brilliant.

When done well, styling it out isn’t just damage control - it’s confidence in motion. As my mate Richard Nugent says, ‘Confidence isn’t something you have, it’s something you do.’

It shows you can bounce, recover, even own your slip-ups. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being adaptable.

 

The next time you get something slightly wrong - and you will - consider it your cue. Style it out. Just keep going.
Don’t overthink it. The world is too busy styling out its own stuff to worry about yours.

I want to hear your stories. Please share your ‘style it out’ moments. Share your moments below.


Be Brilliant!

Michael

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