He Wore Red Socks to Every Meeting

It was 1995. I was waitressing at a high-end cocktail lounge in Chicago.

We had a regular. Ad guy. Sharp. And every single time, without fail, he was wearing red socks.

One night I finally asked him about it.
He handed me his business card. There in the corner was his logo: a little pair of red socks.

Then he told me the story.

One morning he grabbed the only clean socks he had. Red ones. Not exactly power-presentation attire. He was embarrassed, but he had no choice, so he put them on and headed out the door hoping nobody would notice.

Someone noticed. Instead of awkward, it was a compliment. He laughed it off.

Then his next meeting came around and he thought, why not?

Before long, people expected them. His clients looked forward to seeing if Steve was wearing red socks. He never disappointed them. He did not set out to be the red socks guy. What started as a laundry problem had turned into his signature, his calling card, his brand.

Some of the best versions of ourselves are not carefully planned. They are stumbled into, then owned with confidence.

Enjoy the unordinary moments. Embrace the unexpected. Trust what you know, because when you do, you may find magic in the strangest of places.

You have red socks. You haven't noticed them yet.