Wear The Jordans
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of shoes, especially basketball shoes.
My parents used to call me out for always looking at people’s shoes first when we would walk past them—I wasn’t looking to judge what they were wearing but to see what shoes might be out there that I wasn’t aware of or did the latest shoe I’d seen in Eastbay look as good in person as I thought. I just loved (and still do) shoes.
Especially Nike Air Jordans.
Growing up, the new Jordans would always come out at the NBA All-Star break which usually was the week or even on my birthday—I always looked forward to All-Star weekend because it was my birthday, the festivities around the game, and the new shoes that would premiere on the court, especially what Michael Jordan was going to be wearing.
I was fortunate to get multiple pairs of Jordans during my childhood—I always took care of them. I rarely wore them off the court, until they were starting to get too small, and they most certainly never touched outside if there was inclement weather. I played enough basketball to get my parent’s money worth out of them so they did not end up being a waste of their money.
As an adult, Nike began to re-release iconic Jordans, which allowed me to relive some of my childhood and begin collecting all of the favorites I was lucky enough to have AND snag the ones I wish I could have had. After more than years of picking up a pair here and there I built a nice collection of Jordans that occupy multiple shelves in our closet.
For many years those Jordans just sat on the shelves, except for the occasional opportunity to speak on stage which would allow me to rock some Jordans on stage, which wasn’t very common in finance when I started doing it. But otherwise, the Jordans I loved when I was little and the ones I dreamt of getting just sat in my closet safe from dirt, water, and creases.
And for what?
What’s the point of having these amazing shoes if I was rarely going to wear them?
Do you know what would happen if I let my Jordans sit on the shelf because I didn’t want to get them dirty or risk them getting ruined? They’d end up falling apart as they aged. Over time the leather would get old and begin to wither away, the clear bottoms of the 5’s and 11’s would still end up turning yellow, and eventually, my precious shoes would be unwearable from just sitting around. So, regardless of if I wore them or not, my Jordans will eventually be “ruined” or too worn to wear anymore.
Shouldn’t I at least enjoy them and be a part of the aging process?
Now, I wear my Jordans. I wear them to the office, to the boys’ games, or whenever I feel like it—if it’s rainy or crummy weather, I still won’t wear them…I’m not going to WILLINGLY ruin any of my Jordans, but if I get caught in the rain, or a pair gets dirty, I don’t get bothered anymore.
Life is like my Jordans.
You can play it safe, follow the path others have determined is right for you, and age to a point where you cannot do the things you always wanted to…in other words, you can keep your Self on a shelf.
Or, you can follow your interests and passions, take risks, and create the life you feel you were meant to experience…in other words, you can actually wear the Jordans.
Obviously, your life is much more important than some shoes. But many individuals are keeping their Selves on a shelf in a closet by not living their authentic lives. Don’t keep your interests, passions, and goals locked up because you are afraid of what others might say, the fear of failure, or because someone has told you that you cannot pursue what you want.
Are you keeping your Self “on the shelf”?
Are you letting your Self experience life?
Life is meant to be lived, just like Jordans are meant to be worn.
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,
JC
