I’ve given up biting my nails.
Onychophagy (or onychophagia, apparently) – the desire to use the mouth when not speaking,
Over 45% of teenagers suffer from it. And although the numbers drop off in adulthood, I’ve chewed these poor claws of mine for as long as I can remember – out of nervousness, anxiety, boredom… sometimes just to wind up my poor, pained special lady friend Clare. (I’ll pay for that)
It’s a grim habit, but now I’ve stopped.
My main motivation came from a wise man by the name of Greg Stenzhorn. The father of a dear friend, he recently came to stay with us for the weekend with his full brood in tow. Over one of several grape-infused drinks that were consumed over the weekend, he said something that made me think:
“Fooks, you cannot meet world leaders with fingernails like that”.
Now, I’m not in the position where world leaders are inclined to meet me that often. Neither do I really have anything useful to contribute to world peace, or shutting up troublesome little Trumplestiltskin. But it did strike a chord.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. And when you have a new business, initial meetings and introductions are vital. Not caring what people think, or assuming that you can charm with style over substance, are precarious plays.
So I am an ex-nail biter for now – probably not the best time to give up, what with being stretched for time, money and family time and all – but there we go. As Gordon Brown (a fellow nail-biter) once said: “You have to live in the future, not the past ”. Maybe one day I’ll meet him and he will comment on the robust, shining talons in front of him.
Comments