People who don't know you are always going to act based on the only information they have, and most of these situations that are based on social interaction (dating, your career, your personal relationships) will suffer if you're subconsciously saying: "Don't mind me, I don't matter too much" from the outset. You don't have to dominate everyone around you like you're part of some wolf pack, and indeed that would probably hurt more than help, but you do need to display that you know your worth. Otherwise, people are going to assume — without even realizing why — that you have none.

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