When I was a teenager, I aspired to be a non-conformist. For awhile, I dressed all in black…yep, I was one of those goth kids, until I slowly transformed into someone resembling a Sherpa. In college, I was a cross between a hipster and a preppie with a flare of geek! Haha!

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was simply trading one uniform for another. This new uniform had rules. In essence, I was simply appropriating a new group identity, which is, after all, very conformist.

Having reinvented my self a few times over the years, I realize now that there is no such thing as non-conformity. All of us are conforming to something, whether it is a culture, a movement, or some existential ideal of a perfect self. What we wear is simply the outward reflection of this choice.

As all of us move through life, we should carefully choose our uniforms. Like it or not, appearances matter, and we are judged by them. The uniform we step into the world with speaks without words. In this way, there is little difference between the punk rocker and Wall Street trader. Both conform in their own way; both communicate through their appearance; both construct their uniform wisely.

What should you wear today?