"For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through." - Steve Jobs

In case you've been wondering since my last post, I don't miss having an iPhone 5. When I went to restore my apps, pictures, and data onto my iPhone 4S device, the transfer went smoothly. In fact, all my apps were automatically downloaded into the right folders. If the screen of my 4S weren't a different size (and if the audio jack wasn't at the top of the phone), I wouldn't even notice that I was using a different phone. 

Around the time that I downgraded my phone, I purchased a MacBook Air (you win some, you lose some). Within ten minutes of turning it on for the first time, I was typing, business at usual. Almost everything I do on my computer is stored within browsers, my Mac Apps like Evernote or Photoshop, and in DropBox. Most of the time I forget that I have a new snazzy computer, that is, until I'm halfway to a coffee shop and suddenly doubt whether I've brought my laptop because my bag is so light.

A little less than two weeks ago, a member of the Corporate Communications team at my former company (crazy! I have a former company!) asked to film me for a video about products employees love. I chose my Mini Cooper. The videographer and I walked to my car in the parking lot. She set up her tripod then looked at me. "Okay, go for it. Just talk about why you love it." "Can I practice a couple times? I haven't thought about what to say." "Don't worry about it. Just talk, we'll pick out some snippets." 

A quick side-confession which will likely upset all male and even some female readers: I decided to buy my Mini before I even test drove it. My decision was based solely on the way it looked. Driving around my parents' elephant SUVs in high school, despite how expensive they were, had been less than pleasant for me. I feared for my life and that of others when I drove them -- they were simply too large for me to feel like I was in control. 

Back to extemporizing my script. As I looked into the camera, I talked about how sitting in my car makes me feel like I'm at a fun party, no matter what traffic is like. About how the number of other Minis on the road gives me the sense of being part of a safe community on the road. About how, simply put, my Mini makes me love driving. 

After filming the segment, I went back to my desk to realize that I had not said anything about the way the car looks. I was surprised that its cute stature was not part of my unconscious reasons for loving it. And now, as I sit here reflecting on my old and new tech gadgets, I'm realizing it's much of the same. It's what they can accomplish for me that's more noteworthy than how they look.

The day it was launched, my friend sent me a link to the Dove Real Beauty Sketches video. As I sat there watching, I realized that we as individuals have ultimate power in determining how others see us. 

What's interesting to me is that my disregard for the way products look does not translate into my assessment of my own appearance. For most of my life, I have been self-conscious about my body. Love handles and thighs, specifically. It made me shy away from certain social activities, like pool parties or going to the beach. Part of this insecurity stems from my being a dancer. Depending on the performance, my audiences had up to two hours to stare at my body. Over the last two years, I've toned down these areas. Most surprising to me was that attaining this goal didn't change anything about my personality or how I felt as a person. When I think about myself, I don't imagine anything different from how I looked in say my "fatter thigh" days. And neither friends nor strangers treat me any differently. 

If you are a human reading this, it's likely that you too have your own insecurities. Pressure that you put on yourself to look and act a certain way. Outside of being generally healthy, realize that feeling excessively insecure about yourself will only make you less attractive as a social companion. For the most part, even subconscious first impressions are based on facial expressions and body language -- not hair length or tummy fat. When a slightly shorter and fatter phone can do all the same things as its taller and skinnier counterpart, and just a little less efficiently, looks really aren't everything. So long as you remain being the essence that is you, your closest companions will never feel a need to upgrade you.