As you move along in life, collecting achievements and successes along the way, it’s important to remember your roots. Staying true to your authentic self becomes especially important when you acquire a really rad article of clothing, like that fuckin’ sweet vintage bomber you just found at the thrift store. But no worries, here are a few tips on how to remember the person you were before you got that sick leather jacket.

Look through photos of your jacketless former self.

Just because you now have this truly sick leather jacket doesn’t mean you always had it. Take some time to look through photos of your former self, and reflect on who you were: a complete, worthy, and amazing person who did not need the added clout of a vintage bomber to feel whole or empowered to pursue your dreams. You’re still that person! You’re just much, much cooler now.

Keep in touch with friends from before The Jacket.

An excellent way to remember your roots is to connect with the people who were there when you were walking, so to speak (you’re obviously running now with this sick fucking jacket). Having a way to keep in touch with those who knew your former self, when you were young and motivated and did not have the almost impossibly cool jacket that you do today, is so important to maintaining a level head, even though the idea of staying level headed while you’re actively wearing something this sick seems unrealistic. Make new friends (the jacket, some other person with a sick jacket), but keep the old!

Read pre-jacket journals and blog posts.

Not only is reading your old, pre-jacket journals and blog posts great, nostalgic fun, it’s also an excellent way to remember who you were before fate led you to the moment when you had a day off and decided to meander down to that little consignment that just opened by you and just happened to find an old-school, worn leather bomber that fits you perfectly and makes you look like you stomp on weak men for sport. Wait, who even were you, anyway? Does it even matter? You’re on another level now.

Abandon who you once were.

If none of these other tips work (and realistically, they probably won’t), it might be time to simply abandon any ideas of who you once were. Sure, by losing touch with the person you were mere weeks ago, you may lose friends, alienate family, and have trouble keeping your job. But none of those trivial things mean as much as the jacket you’ve now adopted as the main aspect of your personality. Frankly, it’s worth it!

Try any of these helpful tips if you’re struggling to remember the kind and empathetic individual you were before this sweet leather jacket came along and changed you. Believe us, you’ll need the help!