Tag: Creative

Stand Up For Yourself

I apologize now for this not being amazingly organized. It just poured out haha.

Everyone is constantly spewing opinions, yet they don’t have their life in order. 

DO NOT entertain this bullshit. 
People who are constantly giving an opinion have way too much time on their hands. And chances are it is because they’re not dealing with their own issues. Unless you want to end up EXACTLY like that person, kick their advice to the wayside. No two people’s situations are the exact same. Someone may judge you for buying too many coffees, but what they don’t factor in is it may be your only time for yourself throughout the day. Even beyond that, those same people blow an absurd amount of money on alcohol or at the damn casino on the weekends. Just don’t let these opinions bother you. If their opinion has some value, then of course take it for what it is worth, but don’t let these shape you! 
Now let’s not get it twisted. This goes both ways! Do not let the opinions of those around you force you to do stuff you don’t want to do. Fuck their opinions. If they won’t like you unless you do something that makes you uncomfortable, kick them to the curb. You need people around you that are going to love you, support you, and not judge you throughout the process. Get some friends that are working towards something greater. Ones who understand what it is like to have a dream. Those who aren’t necessarily drinking every weekend and do things out of the norm. If you and your friends do the exact same thing every weekend, and you want more from life, it’s time to change. 

That change starts with how you view yourself and those people you keep around you…

Is There Such Thing As Failure?

What is failure? Is it a poor grade on a test? A relationship that is no more? How about a job that let you go?

We as a society have such a toxic view of what are successes and what are failures. When we make a mistake, we automatically view it as a failure, which causes us to look right over all that could have been learned there. If there is a mistake made, that means something wasn’t done right. If something wasn’t done right, it means we have room to grow. Yet, while just accepting a mistake as a “failure,” we disregard the lesson that came with that mistake. For example, when I was driving to St. Louis from Chicago the other day, I was merging to the right lane from the left lane, but little did I know, there was a car passing by me on the right side in my blind spot. We were so close to being in an accident, and thankfully, we were not, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t make a mistake. I should have looked in all of my mirrors and then in my back right blind spot before merging. Fortunately, I didn’t have to be in an accident to learn this lesson, but I did have to make a mistake! Without making this mistake, I wouldn’t have learned that lesson in the harsh way I did. But the only reason this lesson was able to resonate with me is because I didn’t beat myself up over making a mistake. Rather, I evaluated the situation and realized what I did wrong. 

But let’s address the reality here. Acknowledging that we made a mistake isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it is extremely important. Without acknowledging these mistakes, we will continue to make them, and the repercussions will just get more and more severe. It is the world’s way of speaking to you. 


Now next time you are beating yourself up over a mistake, take a step back and see what can be learned from it. We are humans. We make mistakes, and that’s okay! Just as long as you learn from them. We are on this earth to grow and become better versions of ourselves. Never forget that. 


If you all have any questions, stories, or comments you’d like to share, I would love to hear from y’all! I hope this read took a bit of the weight off your shoulders and allowed you to breathe a little easier and sleep a little better!

Love!!

Grant

We Don’t Need Your Advice

How many times have you received terrible advice?

It seems that everyone wants to give advice, without having any idea what you are talking about. Those around you can literally never have accomplished what you are trying to accomplish, yet they have advice on it…how does that work?


I’m at a point in my life where I am taking no one’s advice if they have not accomplished what I am pursuing. Why would I?

Often times, people’s advice is just their fear showing through them. They are afraid to take any risks, and in return, they project those exact same fears on you with the possibility of hindering you from pursuing anything worth while. 

And don’t get me started on old people giving advice…how many times have you heard from an older generation that you should go into tech or finance because the industry is currently booming? And they say this without knowing a damn thing about your love or abilities related to tech and finance.
Older people completely disregard the human factor of it all and just look at the money. But if it was that damn easy, why didn’t they get into finance? Why don’t they have an absurd amount of money now, and the happiest of lives?

Moral of the story being, do not let anyone steer you off of your path. Only you know where the world is leading you, but that doesn’t come without some effort. Truly listen to the world and to yourself and see what is best for you. See what could truly get you out of bed every morning, and what would truly allow you to live and sustain. 


Now let’s pursue our passions with the upmost resilience and see what this beautiful yet crazy thing called life has in store for us. 

Love!

Grant

Your Social Media Persona Is a Lie

How many times have you sat around looking at social media, feeling down about the life you live? Asking yourself questions like, “why is my life so boring?” Or “why don’t I get invited to parties like this?”


Well I think it’s time we addressed the reality. If you have ever been out to one of these “amazing” events, you see what they are truly like. You look around you and all it is is people turning up for 10 seconds on the Snapchat then going right back to being on their phones. They are doing it ALL for the social media presence, but we don’t see that from the outside. All we see are those 10 seconds from our Snapchat or Instagram, and since we are not there, it makes it look so damn awesome. 

Think about it though, when was there ever a moment that you have truly been having the time of your life and you thought about pulling out your phone and recording it? If you have ever pulled out your phone in one of these situations, then you know it takes you out of the moment. You are no longer taking in all of the beauty around you, instead, you are worried about having a steady camera and getting the best photo for social media. Completely removing you from the moment. And that is all these parties are! No one is truly in the moment. Know for a fact that if you see the party on video or a photo of it, it can’t be that amazing. It’s so subpar that people have the thought to take out their phones and spend some time and energy recording a video. 


This whole social media thing is a lie. I’ve been blessed to go to over 25 major cities in the last year and I have so few photos to show for it. Looking  back at it, I was sort of bummed I didn’t take more, but then I think back and realize why I didn’t. I refused to leave the moment. I wanted to be so present that nothing could take me away from it, and those are the times I think back on best. When I was truly there. Just being one with that moment. No more than a photo or two, then phones away. 


So next time you see some amazing party or event on social media and start feeling shitty, just remember, those party goers had enough free time and energy that they thought to pull out their phones and flex for a minute. How truly amazing do you think that party truly is?


Now go out and live. Don’t worry about what the next person is doing, and do what makes you happy. Not for the camera. Not for your friends. And sure as hell, not for your social media following. 

I hope y’all enjoyed this read, and feel free to reach out with any comments or questions! I’d love to hear from y’all!!

Love

Grant

What If You Die Young? But What If You Don’t?

We have no idea what will happen tomorrow, none the less, 5 minutes from now. We are taught to plan for our future and, essentially, live risk-less, but will that truly pay off emotionally?


I’ve seen numerous individuals pass away without living a fulfilled life, and that’s fucked up. I refuse to ever be on my death bed and regret a damn thing in life. Instead, I’m going to live every moment as if I don’t know what tomorrow holds. I’m going to make every decision based off of my happiness, and if I’m truly happy, I believe it will then benefit those around me. No one benefits from being scared and hesitant. We will always be afraid of the unknown, but that’s where change comes from. I’ve never seen someone grow from being comfortable. 


But now, what if you live to see 100? Will you have planned enough to be able to handle life that long? That’s truly where the balance is struck. You must live constantly asking yourself the question, “what if you die young? But what if you don’t?” We must tip toe this fine balance of living for the moment, but preparing a fruitful, long future. As long as we keep that in mind, when our time comes to leave this Earth, we will be able to look back and truly regret nothing. 

So what are you going to change today? Would you truly be content with where your life is at if you died tomorrow? Or would you be filled with regret?


It’s up to you! Now go pursue that truly fulfilling life you dream of!

And if y’all have any questions, comments, or even want to discuss your dreams, leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you!

Love!!!

Grant

Write Down Your Goals

It is weird how real things get when we make them tangible. It is one thing to think up ideas and discuss what must be done to make them a reality, but it’s a whole new ball game when you see them written on a goal list. 

When you see your goals written in your handwriting day in and day out, it eats at you. You see them and you think. You analyze. You start thinking tangibly. You see yourself accomplishing those goals. They truly start to manifest themselves. They’re so close you can fucking taste them. 


When you put that energy out in the world, it sends it back. When the world senses that determination, it begins to part and show you your path. That doesn’t mean you won’t have to chop down some brush along the way, and then take a blind leap of faith, but the world offers you a cloud upon which you land. Everything slows down and you start thinking at that rate. That discomfort starts to feel a little more doable. Now when you look into the eyes of discomfort, you put your head down and charge forward. And the world sees this. The world feels this. Those around you feel this. Your goals know they’re in your sights. You’re onto them. 


But only because you wrote them down and allowed them to sail out into the world. 

Love

Grant 

Stop Doing the Easy Work

We all have dreams and ambitions, and we all want to feel like we are working towards those. Yet, there comes a time when we really need to evaluate the steps we are taking towards these dreams. We can literally work towards these goals everyday, but never get anywhere. And I know I’m not the only one who has felt like this. Why is it that we can constantly work, yet make no real progress?

It is because we do the easy stuff. We tackle the easy little goals that are literally jus  there to make us feel like we are being productive. If you find yourself skating through a task, 9 times out of 10, it’s too easy and not actual beneficial. If there is a task at hand that is driving you fucking insane, and really forcing you to think, that’s when you are really asking yourself the ugly questions that result in progress. 

Now don’t get me wrong, they’re miserable, but when you find out the answer to them, you’ll know so much more about your task at hand. 

For example, when it comes to business, asking yourself the financial questions and getting all of your expenditures perfect is one of the most beneficial things you can do for a business, but it is also some of the most brutal work. 

We must ask ourselves these ugly questions in any aspect of life if we truly want to grow and progress. Next time you are feeling stagnant, take a step back and this about what you could possibly be doing to progress. The things that scare you and make you uncomfortable are where you should focus. And believe me…you will start to see serious progress. 

Now let’s go out and get uncomfortable!

…maybe not the most motivational thing I’ve ever said, but you get what I’m saying haha

I hope y’all enjoyed this read, and it allows you to truly pursue something worth while!

Love!

Grant

You Can Do Anything You Put You Mind To, On One Condition

You know what the weirdest thing to me is? The separation on the stance ” you can do anything you put your mind to.” You hear some parents tell their children that, you hear other parents tell their children to be “realistic.” Which one is really true? I had t really thought about this until one of my college professors took an extremely strong stance on the side of “you are born to be something. It is not really up to you. You are born with a set of skills and you must utilize that set of skills.” Now this is really when I got thinking. Is it that black and white? Or is there more to it? 

That was four years ago, and I have had some time to really evaluate where I stand on it. And in all honesty, you can literally accomplish just about anything that you put your mind to, but not without the upmost hard work and devotion. And believe me, it will come more natural to some than it will others, but that makes it that much more rewarding when you accomplish it. 

I actually dealt with this exact scenario myself. I’ve never been good at drawing or even looked at artistically, but I decided I wanted to do graphic design. So I set out on a voyage. Every day for 2 years, in between classes, I would head to my university’s library and start watching YouTube tutorials for programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illuatrator. I had taken one class in high school but that was about the extent of my graphic design knowledge. So for my junior year of school, I started creating hypothetical businesses and creating marketing and promotional pieces for them. This allowed me to put myself in real world situations and come up with something tangible people could actually see. After a serious 4 month learning curve of doing this hypothetical businesses, I finally started to see true progression. I started to actually understand design and become confident in what I brought to the table. 


Come Junior year summer, I set out to find a graphic design internship, and ended up landing one at an electric company, which I would definitely recommend! Especially if it’s just for a summer, because the more change and variation you have, the more you will learn and grow! 

So I complete my internship and go to school for my senior year and continue my hypothetical businesses and start actually doing work for people, through referrals, reaching out on social media, and just having conversations with classmates. This allowed me to actually have graphic design discussions and get a feel for what it was like to work with a client. 

I finally graduated and moved up to Chicago from St Louis to start doing freelance design work. I made a decision that I would at least have a discussion with any potential client, no matter what the opportunity was. This landed me in 2 amazing opportunities…my first opportunity was to be a design coach at chicago’s startup weekend, where a bunch of entrepreneurial minded individuals come together and created a hypothetical business and minimal viable product in a weekend. My job was to coach these individuals on the design of their product and business, and through this startup weekend, I got the opportunity to make some marketing pieces for a big company…

The work was challenging as all hell, and working with big client was unlike anything I had ever done, but I thrived off of the pressure. When it was all said and done, a marketing piece I made ended up on the side of a building in downtown Chicago…

This was so surreal…it was the moment I truly realized you could accomplish anything with the right devotion and drive…you just have to keep laying the groundwork and believe in yourself. Who knows where life will take you…


Keep grinding and do not become discouraged. What separates the successful from the unsuccessful are those who give up when things get tough. You’ve got to be tough on yourself, and work smart, not hard. But that’s for another blog post! 

I hope y’all enjoyed reading this, and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below! 

Now go out and get it!!

Love!

Grant