As much as I enjoy using this blog as a platform to deliver suggestions regarding men’s formalwear clothing and establishing looser protocol frameworks one can mesh with his own sense of individuality and flair to create a desired look, clothing really represents less than half the equation. I’ve talked about swagger earlier in this blog. What I was not referring to was swagger in the conceited sense. We shouldn’t be dressing up, trendy or swanky just to strut our stuff. Sure, the end result – a great look, is desired, but it should not be the only consideration, in and of itself. Ultimately, swagger shouldn’t be manufactured, or falsely created. This blog does not champion notions of pretense and bravado. Swagger, in its purest form, is a behavioral outcome that is derived from confidence. And confidence is derived from persistence, and, if you really boil it down to its singular elements, character.
And what better way to illustrate that dressing up is more about character than cockiness than recent wins in their respective sports by LeBron James and Rafael Nadal. While I may have been rooting for the San Antonio Spurs in what was most likely the core trio’s last hurrah at a championship, one has to admire LeBron James’ character that was so poignantly recognizable in a podium winner’s speech for the ages: “For me, I can’t worry about what everybody says about me. I’m LeBron James, from Akron, Ohio. From the inner city. I’m not even supposed to be here. That’s enough. Every night, I walk into the locker room, I see a No. 6 with James on the back. I’m blessed. So what everybody say about me off the court don’t matter. I ain’t got no worries.” This exemplary speech shows us what we should all strive for. It’s not the end result so much as it is about humility and the body of work that goes into one’s profession.
This was also clearly illustrated by Rafael Nadal’s press room answers following his French Open final win over David Ferrer a couple of weeks ago: “What I love is the competition, the effort, focusing to try to do my best. Obviously, I like to win, but what really satisfies me is the feeling that I am doing the best I can. If not, it does not make sense to me. If not, let’s accept that we go for a laugh, and let’s do something else.”
So while the two gentlemen in this article might look great in their suits, it’s really more about character. Hope you enjoyed this article!
As always, please feel free to chime in with comments!
Filed under: Attitude, Celebrities Tagged: Character, Clothing, LeBron James, Rafael Nadal
