Greater Than Yourself

We all strive for personal goals on a daily basis, some minor and others of great importance. I can be described as an individual who "goes hard", meaning I spend the majority of the day pushing for the next big thing in my life. The problem is that an individual can spend their whole life setting and accomplishing goals, but never crossing paths with an event that is greater than themselves. By "greater than yourself", I am referring to something bigger than your individual efforts and accomplishments. Example, If you were witness to a 1980 hockey match in Lake Placid or the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's you were privy to something greater than yourself. Events of such magnitude are far and few between in this cynical world, which leaves many of us disconnected. That being the case, It is up to us as individuals to create moments of humanity, build bridges, and lift those around us. Lately, there has been a great push to use business as a solution to social ills, but it is not quite the same as the faith and effort of the masses. I strive daily for success, but am always looking for something greater than myself. We all want to belong, connect, and make a difference; it is only human. The obstacle that most of us encounter is the belief that selfless acts take away from our ability to be successful. But I am hear to tell you that feeding the human spirit with acts of benevolence will only strengthen your character and recharge your batteries. As an individual, you come out stronger than when you went in, now that's success.

Why Struggle not to Conquer

We struggle with our fears, insecurities, relationships, work/life balance, and etc., etc. There is always a struggle, momentum in one direction or the other that has to be adjusted. The defining difference being an individual's perspective of their struggles, some are a part of daily life and are accepted as such; others require more of us. But why do we struggle? Preparation for something better. Essentially, you are getting in shape to conquer greater goals in life; the mistakes,revelations, loss, and moments of triumph are practice rounds for the grand stage. There is one thing that I feel must be avoided in life and that is regret. It can be applied to a number of situations, but in this case it is the regret of not giving it your all. At mt funeral, the individual giving my eulogy will at least have this much to say," Here lies a good father, husband, brother, and friend. He went balls to the wall at every opportunity." Make sure someone can say the same thing about you.

Big and Tall Fashion Series

Gentleman, I have received some attention as a Big and Tall man who loves to dress. Yes, there are people interested in what you are wearing. No, it was not for laughs. And yes, the series will continue. I think it is a great thing and long overdue. It gives us the opportunity to see how other Big and Tall men are dressing and their thoughts on fashion. Every non-Big and Tall man can pick up a magazine, turn on the TV, or the internet and glean inspiration for their next ensemble. As Big and Tall men, we do not have that resource. We are all flapping in the wind, left to figure things out on our own. Well thanks to Amber Ileene, the spotlight has swung over our way. She is a good writer and presents the plight of the Big and Tall man well. Their will be other Big and Tall men featured in the series to give you a well-rounded taste of the emergence of Big and Tall Fashion. The link to Amber's blog is below, bask in its glory.

Adventures in Round Brown...http://amberileene.blogspot.com/

Banana Republic

In an earlier post, I mentioned checking out the online stores for Macy's, Target, and the such for larger sizes. Well add Banana Republic to the list. The site caters more to the "Tall" of Big and Tall, but carries up to a 44W. I am 6'5" and have just purchased a pair of Relaxed Dawson Chinos (picture right) with an inseam of 34, which is hard to find in anything stylish. They offer up to 36 in length for individuals taller than me. The chinos had a great feel and are relaxed through the thigh and leg opening. A good majority of Big and Tall men have larger thighs than the average man and these pants fit very well. Banana Republic can stretch your wallet, but I purchased the pants for $39.99. Of course with tax and shipping, the total cost is going to hover around $50.00, but it is well worth the cost for quality pants.

To be leader you must first follow

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, but I did not begin to truly strike out on my own until later in life. Through my formative years (which never end in my opinion), I focused on sports. As I aged, my focus was non-productive i.e. women, partying, and all out debauchery. What I came to realize is that your clearest thinking will continually pervade you when clouded in non-productive behaviors. So when the smoke cleared, I had an immense desire to create something viable, but no real plan. So I sought out those who walked before me, a mentor. I followed this man and attempted to absorb as much as possible about life, business, and politics. I came to realize that I have always found someone to emulate and always will. Some of you might think that will always make me a follower, but you would be naive to think you arrived on your own accord. We are all an accumulation of many different people, whether negative or positive. As we grow older, this continues. The difference being we are better able to choose who we emulate and for what purpose. It is not following, its borrowing and making it your own. It is the only shortcut that won't compromise all that a person has worked for, so choose wisely.

The Start

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

The idea for Maxwell Christian & Co. came to me in Feb. 2007. At the time I only had visions of making some clothes that would fit. That eventually morphed into the idea of an apparel company that serviced various areas of the Big and Tall market. Today, I am preparing to launch my first clothing line, a brand of tee shirts. It has taken more than 2 years to get to this point, but had I not started this would be a different story. Many of us have had "the great idea", whether social, financial, political, or a combination thereof. The majority of these ideas never leave the drawing board; some feel things have to be perfect to start, some over-analyze, and others are afraid of failure. Do you know what I fear? Not trying, to look back and see missed opportunities and regrets is what I fear. To be an old gray-haired man whose life was a safe bet from beginning to end, No Thank You! Failure is a part of life, but before failure you will come across numerous opportunities for a solution. How far are you willing to go to succeed?

Twitter inductee

Just recently joined Twitter and have no idea what I am doing. It is comparable to attending a formal dinner and not knowing what fork to use first, but way less stuffy. Fortunately, there seems to be plenty of guidance on the net and I have come across some helpful Twitterers. I am pretty excited about the possibilities of being social in the moment as opposed to more stagnant social networks. Though a bit apprehensive at the amount of time Twitter could consume, not sure if there are enough hours in the day. Are you on Twitter? How do you manage?