LifeDev

Photo by moria.

I have this old, ugly, dirt brown sweater that I have handed down from my grandfather or uncle. I absolutely love this sweater, and I’m pretty certain that it helps my writing.

If you saw the sweater yourself, you might match the type to one a kindly old college professor would wear. (At least, that’s what I associate it with.) Admittedly, you wouldn’t see this sweater on many twenty-somethings, but that’s beside the point.

I noticed recently that aside from the warmth, the sweater makes me feel smart. Really smart. I have no idea why, other than to say that the sweater allows me to role play as an academic, if that makes sense. I’m fairly certain I’ve seen a picture of C.S. Lewis with this exact style of sweater, leaning on a cane. Writing is easier when I have this sweater on, and it gives me an extra confidence with my words that I sometimes don’t have without the sweater.

Yeah, yeah… I’m a nutcase.

I’ll be the first to admit that this is totally a psychological thing. Does the sweater really help my writing? Absolutely not. But it gives me an edge, a bit of confidence. I wear the sweater to feel smart, because I equate the sweater with smart people.

I wonder how often we use things like sweaters to gear us up, to get us ready to perform that extra bit better? Do sweatbands really help basketball players control sweat-related issues? I’ve worn sweatbands and I’ve noticed the same, ungated amounts of sweat pouring from my over-sized glands. They don’t help with the sweat. But they DO give you a bit of security to someone who’s played with them forever. Football receivers wear gloves. Chef’s wear those poofy hats. Ever read the book or seen the movie The Natural? Robert Redford’s character can’t hit without his bat Wonderboy.

I wear an old, brown sweater.

We all have or use psychological accessories that allow us to compete or work at a higher level. What about you? What’s your ugly, brown sweater?

Like the post? Follow Glen on Twitter!