What does it mean to be a highly polished person?
When we think of highly polished people, we think of people who look good, smell good, and dress even better. They are the real-life embodiment of the perfectly painted nails emoji.
But being polished is not just about the appearance—it’s also a state of mind, a personality, and a lifestyle.
So what exactly are the habits of highly polished people? How can we adapt these habits in order to become a highly polished person as well?
Read more to learn about the 10 habits of highly polished people that will set you apart.
Let’s dive in!
1) They stick to a routine
As people, we’re creatures of habit. In order to have a healthy life, we must have healthy habits as well—and highly polished people develop healthy habits by sticking to a routine.
For example, a morning routine of a highly polished person usually includes light to medium exercise in the morning, taking a shower right after working out, getting dressed, and finally going to work or school.
By organizing these simple, everyday tasks into a pattern that’s easy to follow, it helps them stay healthy both mentally and physically.
It is also by sticking to a routine that is highly polished people are able to sleep better and manage their time well, and this ability to manage their time effectively is what sets them apart from others.
If you want to become a highly polished person as well, having a simple, healthy routine can be a good start. Sticking to an everyday routine has many health benefits, and it actually shows that the absence of a routine can lead to stress.
Of course, part of the routine of a highly polished person is picking out the proper clothing.
2) They know how to dress
It’s a very well-known fact that highly polished people are set apart from others because of how well they dress.
In fact, when we think of polished people, the first thing we probably think about is how they dress.
And it’s a well-known fact because it’s true. Highly polished people know which colors work for them, which types of clothes to mix and match, and what is appropriate to wear for a certain occasion. They’re never overdressed or underdressed; they dress just right.
Their closet is usually filled with basics, such as tank tops, plain t-shirts, trousers, and blazers, but this is not to be mistaken for being plain, because they know how to mix and match these clothes to create a beautiful outfit.
They may not always be eye-catching, but it’s always well put together, nonetheless, and it’s this beauty in simplicity that makes them stand out from the rest.
This ability to dress well is one of what gives them the confidence that makes them seem magnetic.
3) They’re confident
Contrary to popular belief, confidence is not a trait—and highly polished people know this all too well.
They know that confidence is a skill that is developed over time and a habit that is adapted, although not easily.
For a highly polished person, confidence is not just about the look, and really more about the attitude. This means being confident enough to speak in front of a crowd, to socialize with people they’ve only just met, and to navigate awkward social situations.
However, just like everyone else, highly polished people started off insecure. While they still have insecurities, they’re still confident, because they know how to handle them.
So how can you be confident enough to become a highly polished person?
Well, confidence is one of those skills/habits that you can’t develop all on your own. Of course, it’s something that’s developed within, but you can’t develop confidence without outside support.
In fact, it’s through a great support system that highly polished people are able to develop confidence.
This means you must surround yourself with the right people—those who bring you up rather than letting you down—in order to develop confidence.
4) They have good hygiene
Having good hygiene is a no-brainer for highly polished people.
Of course, all of us must have good hygiene—but highly polished people take extra care of themselves, and are a lot more meticulous about theirs.
They make sure that they always smell good by picking out the right perfume that is not too strong, but also not too sweet; they wear nice clothes that are, of course, always ironed; they shower every day (sometimes more than once if they’ve been working out or the weather is especially hot) and have a good skin care routine.
This is because bad hygiene is obviously not classy. For highly polished people, having bad breath, dandruff, or dirty nails usually equates to self-neglect and a lack of responsibility.
They believe that having good hygiene is not all about looks, but also about staying healthy. Bad hygiene actually increases your chance of catching certain infectious diseases, such as COVID-19.
This is also one of the reasons why they make an effort to have a healthy lifestyle.
5) They have a healthy lifestyle
Having a healthy lifestyle doesn’t necessarily mean waking up at 6am, having an intense workout routine, or drinking a bunch of green juices to detoxify often, and highly polished people know this.
For highly polished people, having a healthy lifestyle simply means getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and managing your time well enough so that you have time for work, social and rest.
Of course, this doesn’t mean they’re completely perfect creatures. Every once in a while, they still eat junk food and stay up too late at night, but the lifestyle is still healthy in general—and it’s this healthy lifestyle that sets them apart from people who have grown up to develop a sedentary lifestyle.
6) They have strong social skills
Highly polished people have strong social skills. They know how to navigate different social situations and might often be referred to as social butterflies.
These strong social skills mean they know how to ask people the right questions, know when it’s their time to speak, and carefully choose the right words to say in a given situation.
They are able to change into different personalities with different groups of people. For example, they are very prim, proper, and polite in a corporate setting, but when at the bar with friends, they know how to let loose.
It doesn’t mean they’re fake—they simply know how to fit in.
Highly polished people also know how to navigate the awkwardness of the dreaded small talk. They even enjoy it sometimes, which is what really sets them apart, because most people hate small talk.
And part of what makes their social skills strong is their ability to be polite at all times.
7) They’re polite
For a highly polished person, being polite in all social settings is another no-brainer. Even with people they don’t like or that one rude person at work that everybody hates, they still make an effort to be polite.
why?
Because they know that being polite is the best way to build rapport and gain people’s respect. Even with a unlikeable person, they don’t see any reason to be unnecessarily rude. In fact, even if they are offended, they will let the other person know in the politest way.
This sets them apart from others because we’re usually too overcome by emotion to think rationally, but even in the most heated arguments, they’re able to keep their cool and practice politeness.
This is also why so many people respect and admire people who are highly polished, and why they’re generally perceived as non-judgmental people.
8) They’re not judgmental
As people, it feels so easy for us to be judgmental with others. We just know which traits we don’t like and which kind of people we don’t want in our circle that makes it so easy for us to judge others.
However, if there’s one habit that highly polished people don’t have and make an effort not to adapt, it’s being judgmental towards others.
We already know that being polished is not just about looking good, because it also means being kind and trying your best to understand other people.
Instead of being judgmental towards those who are different from them, they try to practice understanding and empathy, and attempt to know where these people are coming from.
For highly polished people, being quick to judge and gossip about people we deem unlikeable is not an elegant trait. What’s truly classy is practicing empathy.
9) They work hard
Usually, we think of polished people as those who have great achievements, and who can achieve their wildest dreams so effortlessly, but that’s often not the case. Highly polished people are also highly accomplished because they work hard.
Highly polished people are disciplined and educated. They have high status because they’ve worked hard to get there. Obviously, this doesn’t include people who are rich and have a great starting point—we’re talking about those who started from nothing.
Working hard is one of their habits because they know that no good thing can be attained without working for it.
However, this doesn’t mean sacrificing their health for the sake of their work, because they still know when to take breaks and have some time for themselves.
10) They know when to take breaks
Ever wonder why highly polished people seem so put together, despite working so hard? Well, this is because they know when to take a break when they need it.
In a capitalist society, it can often be hard to find your self-worth when you’re not being productive. This is why we glorify exhaustion and boast about burnout like it’s a trophy, and why we often find it hard to rest and relax.
While highly polished people, just like the rest of us, are also just victims of our hustle and grind culture, they still try their best to take breaks when they can.
Highly polished people know that their labor can be replaced easily—them, as a person, cannot. This is why no matter how important their work and career is for them, they always try to put themselves first.
After all, in an ideal world, work is just a subset, not a superset, of life. It is just as important to rest and relax as it is to hustle and grind.
Because being highly polished is not just a look but a state of mind, it’s important for them to be happy.
This is why they believe that we should also live our life, use the money we’ve earned to make memories with friends and buy the things we want, and generally just enjoy the short time on earth that we are given.