Heads Up. Pants Up. Grades Up.

There is a connection between what we believe and how we are perceived.

Last month in England, I had the opportunity to engage in a positive, yet heated debate with a young man named David. (Names have been changed to protect confidentiality.)

David was challenging my popular “Heads up. Pants up. Grades up.” philosophy on the basis of his belief that how we dress is an individual expression of who we are. He argued that he should be able to wear his pants sagging and that he was just expressing himself. He argued that society shouldn’t judge him – or anyone – based on how he chose to wear his pants.

Maybe society shouldn’t. But it does. Everyday.

Society judges us based on parts of our being that we can’t really control, such as the color of our skin or where our family comes from. 


And society judges us based on parts of our identity that are easier for us to control, such as how we dress or how we interact with those around us. 


So for all of us who are working hard everyday to overcome how society already judges us and labels us, yes, the way we wear our pants might become a reflection of our beliefs.

I believe that every young person deserves the opportunity to achieve success. And I know from experience that success is tied not only to what we believe, but also how we are perceived. And this is why I tell young men that “Heads up. Pants up. Grades up.” just might provide them with the direction they need to achieve their dreams.