Let's say you own a classic automobile. The body is perfect. You knocked out all of the dents, and then added a fresh coat of paint. Threw some nice rims on it. The interior is plush, fresh leather, all of the instruments are brand new. The car looks great. You put the car on the market to sell. A guy reaches out to you about it. So you guys schedule an appointment. He shows up, you tell him, "nice car isn't it?" He says, "looks nice but I'm ready to start her up, see how it runs!"
So you start it up, it takes a minute to start, then when it does, it shutters a bit. There's also a slight pinging noise. You can tell that the buyer is a bit worried.
He says "let's open the hood". So you guys open the hood, and there's rust everywhere, and leaks from some of the hoses. It appears the entire engine needs to be replaced or at the very least, needs major work.
So the buyer says, "you know what, you've put a lot of work into the appearance of the vehicle but it doesn't seem like you put any work into making it run efficiently, and for what you're asking for, this car just needs too much work. I'm going to pass on it."
You see, you can have a beautiful looking car but when you place it on the market, someone who's a serious buyer, who's actually going to take care of it, knows the difference between something that's going to last a very long time and something that's going to break down a month after purchase.
A lot of people take this same approach with themselves. We spend so much time in the gym, getting in shape, or beautifying ourselves, but many never put the same amount of work into getting our minds right, and changing bad habits. We think, "I can have anybody I want if I can just get in good shape, or if I had this look", but realistically, that's no different than throwing paint on a poorly-running car.
So take a look deep within and put yourself out there as a complete individual, not half of one, hoping someone will take a discount on you.
God bless
