The Ripple Effect of a New Shirt.

It all started with new shirts.

After months of eyeing a clothing brand online—drawn in by their sleek social posts and relentless ads invading my feed—I finally caved. A few hundred dollars later, my cart was filled with shirts and pants destined to overhaul my wardrobe.

When the package arrived a week later, I was PUMPED. Unzipping each bag, pulling out the silica packets, and unfolding the crispy t-shirts felt like Christmas morning had come a few weeks early. I could already imagine myself walking a little taller in my new gear, embodying the confidence these clothes promised.

But with every shirt I tried on, my excitement drained.

The sizes were all wrong. Realizing my mistake was like being caught in a sudden downpour on what should’ve been a perfect Saturday morning run.

I was upset.

So upset, that I rage-folded and repacked every shirt, as if my perfect repacking would somehow spite the person on the other end of this shipping arrangement. The package sat by the door for days, collecting dust, waiting to be shipped back.

Then, Courtney stepped in.

With her signature charm and unwavering logic, she gently nudged me to give the clothes a second chance. “Try different sizes,” she said, her voice calm but persuasive. Ehhhh…. Reordering, shipping, waiting, retrying… not my idea of a good time. I was ready to dismiss the whole ordeal without a second thought.

Of course, Courtney had a backup plan: “Why don’t we take the clothes to the storefront downtown?” Damn. She got me. Licking my wounds from the lost mini-argument, I felt a flicker of hope. Maybe my big boy wardrobe dreams weren’t entirely out the window.

So, off to Cherry Creek we went—dusty package of men’s clothes in tow. I’ll spare you the details of me trying on clothes and tell you this: Courtney’s intuition and critical thinking came in clutch. We left the store with all new sizes.

Operation “Big Boy Wardrobe” was officially back online.

Today, I’m wearing one of those crispy t-shirts and feeling like SUCH an adult.

It’s wild what a nice piece of clothing can do for your mentality. The new shirt gives off an aura stronger than its department store smell. A spell that controls me as soon as I slip it off the hanger and slide my arms into the sleeves. I’m compelled to “upgrade” every aspect of my life, just as I upgraded my shirt.

Holding myself a little bit higher, walking around my house, even though the only ones watching are my unimpressed pups lying on the couch. Making my morning coffee with just a little bit more devotion, as if it were a prestigious practice I had perfected for years. Flipping to a fresh page in my journal as if I were about to write a manifesto to be read for thousands of years. Writing an email about buying new shirts as if I’ve stumbled on some sort of profound epiphany.

The pride, confidence, and excitement from putting on a fresh new shirt and feeling like a big boy has radiated into virtually every aspect of my morning thus far. Setting myself up for success in one “area” of life has created a momentum that I have no choice but to ride into the rest of the day. Meaning creates momentum.

The new shirt has a lot of meaning for me.

It means caring more about the way I look.

It means feeling more like an adult.

It means investing in myself.

It means keeping my relationship spry with outfits that will (hopefully) make my beautiful fiancé want to jump my bones.

Those meanings have found their way into the way I carry myself through the house, the way I prepare my coffee and the way I tell this story. It has created momentum, pulling me through the day with more intention—more devotion—than I usually have on a casual Thursday morning. Find the meaning, and you’ll find the momentum.

It doesn’t need to be a profound epiphany or an existential crisis as large as my wardrobe rebrand….

It just has to MEAN something to you.

Making your bed after you climb out of it.

Cleaning your car this weekend.

Rearranging your shoes by the front door into a neat row.

Something that makes you feel proud of yourself and your surroundings.

Then, watch that meaning find its way into the rest of your day.

Find meaning. Create momentum.

Have a great day.

Tyler