EDITOR'S LETTER: June 2012

Dwight and I try to get out in the local parks and enjoy

nature so we can keep our bodies active and our minds clear. 

I had recently got to thinking that a lot of what I have been suggesting here lately on IMF.blog has been on controlling behavior, but this month in light of the pending summer weather (as well as the Olympics) I wanted to focus on movement—movement in all instances of our lives. Not only is style about how much control and inner strength one has, but it’s also about how you move through this world and how your moves propel you through life. Do you move in a fluid and relaxed manner where you are optimistic about where you are going, or do you stumble and wind up confused and unfulfilled in your path of life.  From fitness, to career moves, to relationship decisions, to just simply walking, I wanted to loosen up a bit, and open dialogue as to the importance of movement in our lives, and its implications on style. My message to you all this month is simple: DON'T BE LAZY! I say go out in the world and MOVE; get what you want, find new solutions if you can't get what you want and if things are not going your way! Me personally, I try to keep my glass of life full, by replenishing my curiosity everyday and making sure I have something new and substantial to understand about life. Have the courage to find something that no one has ever found before whether it is a trend, idea, and new way of thinking, an influential person, a new object of desire, and assimilate it to who you are and where you want to go in life. Whatever it is you have to first make the decision to move, and get out into the world and explore it! Make mistakes, make big mistakes, and learn from them. Pain and failure is not being broken, it’s more like you are being broke open which allows you to obtain that strength inside of you that will help you survive the pain and gear you for an even greater opportunity in the future! Life is about learning, and pain helps us to learn what we really need to learn in life to move to that next level of growth.


Don’t let go of the kid inside of you. In my fashion, that
spirit fuels imagination and inspiration and keeps us
curious and active in life.

This month, I have decided for myself that I will not be afraid of pain, in fact, at this point in my life, I welcome it! I have really been pushing myself this year to be more disciplined, and with discipline comes having to make harder decisions, decisions that test your strength and willpower. The key to getting to the next level of your life is to do your best at whatever you are doing and people will notice! You have to have discipline in order to become your best, and with discipline comes pain and struggle, but it’s this pain and struggle that will open your eyes to realizing that what doesn't kill you, will only make you stronger. Personally, I want to be as strong as I can be, and I know that I won't get there unless I learn to push through those aspects of life that challenge me, whether it’s a tough assignment at work, whether I am pushing my body to dig deeper during my workouts, whether I am pushing myself to write my articles for IMF.blog in a timely fashion, whether I am trying to finish up a long reading, or even whether I am pushing myself to stick to promises that I wish I hadn't of made to someone, I must push through and be victorious so that the next day I can be ready to face a new, harder, set of challenges headstrong with my secret weapon—inner strength.

Think of the Olympic stars who will be participating in the 2012 Olympic Games in London this year (games starting July 27 and continuing till August 10). Take Ryan Lochte who is predicted to bring home 5 gold medals in swimming, or Usain Bolt, who has trumped his own 100 meter world record, twice! Their efforts, I am sure, well surpass the pain threshold as they worked to be able to qualify to participate in this global competition. Reading the June 2012 issue of American Vogue, I enjoy the connection they make between fashion and sports, for, "What we see on the track or the runway is, essentially a platonic ideal-an athlete or model at peak performance, representing perfection." Furthermore, "Fashion is inspiration. Sport is inspiration. Fashion is aspiration. Sport is aspiration." To be a contender in the Olympics, laziness is certainly not warranted. One must push themselves to do what they have to do to get what they want, and whatever you put out into the world is what you get back, so in order to reach our highest potential we must be willing to push our own boundaries. Pushing your boundaries, builds outstanding unique style, and in my fashion, if you are not pushing boundaries than you have reached the dreaded, Comfort Zone.

Just get out and move: explore, find, and conquer!

In my fashion, the Comfort Zone is one of the worst states of mind to be in for when you are in that zone, you are not growing. Comfort leads to lack of ingenuity; comfort allows for idol minds to wander aimlessly; and comfort keeps us from the drive to become better. All in all, comfort is boring. If you remember my post "Sartorial Philosophies", you can recall some wise words from Earl Knightingale: "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal." You will also remember that 95% of men and women will not become their "worthy ideal" because they conform to comfort. They get comfortable at a certain stage in life and work to stay where they are. That is when things get boring and our quality of life begs for something more. In my fashion, as long as we are alive, we are constantly searching for the next level in this human experience, for as the old saying goes, "It ain't over till it’s over." If you are not pushing your own boundaries on a daily basis, you are not moving, and you will not realize your true power, and potential.

Movement plays a large part in our style. For one, think about the movement of your cloths when you are wearing them. Instead of your cloths weighing you down, tripping you up, and restricting your movement, you want for your cloths to follow you and be easy to wear so that your cloths compliment your natural movements, which help to amplify your presence, and emote confidence, and assurance. This month we will look at those clothes that will help to give you that aura of a Greek God for this summer. Alexandra Raisman, an Olympic gymnast for the USA this year, says in this month’s Vogue about performing: "I absolutely need to show everyone that I'm powerful and strong and can be graceful and artistic, too," which, in my fashion, parallels how we all should feel when we project our image to the world. This month, I am going to focus on how we can use the concept of movement to increase the appeal of our style. In my fashion, as we get older, we should always look better than we did before. Fashion is not about looking back, it’s about moving forward and keeping the ball rolling. Fashion is about finding something new, it’s about rejuvenation, and it’s about creating an interesting life. If there is one thing I have come to observe about people is that people, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed. Fashion is that medium that allows us to do just that, and IMF.blog is going to highlight the best ways to do so in order for us to continue to move forward in our lives. This means more posts on health and fitness and getting out there and having fun this summer, more "Preserving Style" posts, and tips and tricks and things to consider on how to make your moves in life benefit your style and aid in your personal growth. I really want for us to be more conscious in regards to using movement to our advantage to benefit our style. Like I said earlier in this post, "DON'T BE LAZY," and I, personally am making a commitment stay in a positive mind frame, and to repeat this mantra in my head whenever I feel lethargic and the spirit of comfort tries to control my actions by slowing me down more. Principally, by the end of the month, I want to gauge my quality of life once I train my mindset to extinguish thoughts of laziness, and procrastination. What would my life be like if my mind looked past discomfort, and only put forth optimistic energy to complete the task at hand? I am on the fast track to success and I don't want to be slowed down. Once again recalling words from Earl Knightingale, "We become what we think about," so I choose not to allow slothful and lazy thoughts corrupt the final outcome of where I want to go in life. To become excellent, you must be excellent. Excellence is the result of caring about what you do, and of putting your very best effort into what you care about, so DON'T BE LAZY!