My mom has called me “Pretty Boy Floyd” for well over two decades. I’ve earned that nickname fair and square. I’ve loved the attention of women for as long as I can remember and I understood at a young age, to garner the attention of the opposite sex I not only needed to pay attention to them and their appearance, but also my own.  Although I’ve always been an athlete who, up until college, only held physical labor jobs working outside in the humidity of southwest Alabama, I enjoyed and still enjoy looking, smelling, and feeling my best. In fact, I learned this from Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, one of my favorite athletes who faithfully stated, “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good.” It was his mantra and it worked for him. Deion was a two-sport professional athlete. He was recently inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame and also played MLB for many years, all while looking and playing good to the tune of earning over $50 million during his career. 

I started working in high school and a large part of my income went towards my appearance - looking good so I could play good. I, especially, love watches, shoes, and  cologne. POLO Blue was once one of my favorite fragrances, that is, until I received a comment from a girl friend of mine one summer afternoon in Houston, Texas. 

I had just arrived to join the group at a mutual friends’ parent’s house when she and I greeted each other with a hug. After our embrace she told me, “You smell like my middle school boyfriend.” Oof. That’s definitely not what a man in his mid-twenties wants to hear. The comment prompted a lot of thoughts - one being, “I smell like a kid going through puberty? That’s not ideal.” Another was, “I can’t believe I smell like a kid who’s about to get dropped off at the movie theater by his mom in the Dodge minivan.” Those types of thoughts continued for the next few minutes, maybe longer. Okay, definitely longer.

As my ego continued to process her comment, my inquisitive brain slowly interceded, and my pride eventually subsided. I then thought about what had just happened. At the time this exchange occurred my friend was an adult woman, also in her mid-twenties. She had since gone through high school, graduated college and, at this point, was a working professional, but the scent of that cologne triggered her memory. It transported her to a place and time in her life that was a dozen years old. She hadn’t seen that young man in years; she didn’t even remember his name, but she distinctly recalls his scent. Fascinating, but how did it happen?

It happened because the sense of smell detects vaporized chemicals floating in the air that reach the nostrils and dissolve in the mucus. Underneath the mucus there are specialized receptor cells called olfactory receptor neurons that detect the odor. The olfactory receptor neurons transmit the information to the olfactory bulbs, which are located at the back of the nose. The olfactory bulbs have sensory receptors that are part of the brain which send messages directly to the most primitive brain centers where they influence emotions and memories, and “higher” centers where they modify conscious thought. These brain centers perceive odors and access memories to remind us about people, places, or events associated with these sensations.

Our noses are a direct link to the filing cabinets of our minds. Our sense of smell has the power to immediately access our memory and evoke emotion. We can return to our childhoods and our granny’s kitchen in an instant by catching the scent of fresh-baked sweet potato pies while walking through a farmer’s market. If we discover the garment of a former lover in the dresser or closet and the smell wafts across our nostrils, we can be reminded of why that person is no longer in our lives. We could remember the last time the car smelled like this we needed an oil change. We could be fast asleep and, unconsciously, feel a sense of relief and comfort if we smell our significant other climb into bed after their late night at the office. Or, a friend’s cologne might remind us of the boy we dated in middle school.

There’s a unique opportunity to dictate our mood because we know smell taps directly into our brain and affects our physiology. I disclosed some insight about my days as “Pretty Boy Floyd”. I said I wanted to look and smell good for the fairer sex and this is true. I dressed to the nines to attract but I also used my outward appearance to deflect how I felt inside. I thought if I directed more attention to what I wore, women wouldn’t see my lack of confidence. From my initial reaction to my friend, you could say I wore my insecurities on my sleeve, so to speak. Although it’s not a cure all, I wish I’d known more about the power of smell, aromatherapy, and the products offered back then, so I could incorporate them into my life. 

ADORAtherapy exists for the purpose of finding that balance and confidence that exudes from within. The company understands that tapping into self is the first step to real beauty. I’ve learned women value inner confidence probably more so than they do outer appearance. If you want to be more of yourself, give it a try. Having a Balanced Mood Boost wouldn’t have been a bad reminder to believe in myself, my personality, and my character. I would’ve loved to have had that ritual whenever I felt I wasn’t being authentic and confident in who I am. Could you imagine if the aforementioned, Deion Sanders, had access to Motivation Chakra Boost and made it a part of his daily routine? He might have added another $50M to his career earnings!