Love – Don’t Lift With Your Back

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

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

Be Someone You Would Admire

I think we all have someone we interact with that never ceases to amaze us. Whether it be how loving they are, or even how determined. Something about them changes our day, and what we don’t realize is that we are that person to someone else…

When we don’t realize our power or potential, we don’t hold ourself to the standard that we should. We fail to realize that we aren’t only letting ourselves down, but those around us. We truly have the opportunity to inspire. Every one of our actions can change the life of someone who we don’t even know is watching, for the better or worse. It it is up to us decide.

Once we start thinking about our actions in this manner, we realize it is bigger than us. Then before you know it, we start to become someone that we would admire…

Today is a short post, but I think this idea carries so much weight that I don’t want to oversaturate it.

But Just remember, you truly inspire. Your actions are watched and your words are heard. Use them to spread love.

Love!

Grant

Listen and Life Will Guide You

One thing I think we all struggle with is being in the moment, and when we aren’t in the moment, we have the potential to miss what life is trying to tell us.

I’m not a huge fan of advice for this exact reason. Everyone’s situations are so damn unique, and everyone else just speaks from their past experience, which is not the exact same in any form or fashion. If you listen enough, life will give you all of the answers you need. Now granted, this is way easier said than done, but I truly think we are on the earth to be present and grow. We should aim to be better today than we were yesterday, but that requires letting go of a lot of ego.

Day in and day out, we have constant room for improvement. From managing anger to ridding ourselves of unhealthy vices and being the most open and loving individuals we possibly can. When you are asking yourselves these questions and evaluating all of your interactions and thoughts, you are truly in the moment. And being in the moment allows you to clearly see the signs life is sending you.

While this sounds good, it’s not always that easy. You will deal with a lot of people throughout the day that aren’t truly evaluating their thoughts and actions and this makes it that much harder for you to have a pleasant interaction, especially once you start really being cognizant of your actions. But you must not let them determine your emotions or feelings. You must have a set of morals to stand on. Otherwise you’ll get riled up at every unpleasant encounter and your growth will be halted. You will lose contact with what the world is trying to teach you in that moment. Rather than reacting negatively to someone, try and spread some love. Instead of being defensive, try and understand and hear them out. That’s what it comes down to most times. People feel like they aren’t being heard or valued, and we all have felt that way one time or another, and it’s a terrible feeling. If you keep that feeling in mind, it really dictates all of your interactions. And referencing back to my other post “Stop Taking Things So Personal,” it then becomes evident that these daily hostile interactions aren’t as much about you as they are about what that person is going through, and as you think about that at the time, you are truly in the moment. You are growing, listening, and loving then and there.

Just keep in mind, that truly being in the moment will allow you to see where life is trying to guide you and answer all of your questions. But that can’t happen if we are constantly getting blinded by anger, stress, and fear. Spread love, and the world will reciprocate it. Every interaction you have gives you the opportunity to grow and become that much more in tune with your life.

So I challenge you, be in the moment and listen to what life is trying to tell you. There will be answers everywhere, as long as you’re open to it with a clear mind, body, and soul.

I hope y’all found this read at least thought provoking, and if you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you below!

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

Stop Taking Things So Personal

We have never not seen life through our eyes. Every thought we have and thing we see is through our eyes. Every little thing we have ever experienced influences how we act and think to this day. And beyond that, what we go through each day affects how we go about each interaction throughout the day.

Now think about it, how much does each interaction truly have to do with us? Say you meet someone for the first time and tell them about your ambitions. 9 times out of 10, they will try and talk you out of your ambitions. They will tell you about how competitive the market you’re entering is, or how hard it will be. But let’s be fucking honest. You just met that person…how much do they know about you or your capabilities? They don’t know a single fucking thing about you. So why would they say that to you?? It’s their fear showing. They doubt themselves and don’t believe in what they bring to the table.

So we have established that it has nothing to truly do with you, but that doesn’t mean it won’t get us down. We MUST constantly remind ourselves that it isn’t about us. Because all of us doubt ourselves at some point, and when we believe someone else doubts us as well, it reaffirms our doubts.

It is such a vicious cycle, but overcoming it starts with being cognizant of others fears. DO NOT take them personally damnit. Know you are valuable and capable of whatever you truly put your mind to. And continue to sharpen your sword and craft your talent. We can do whatever the fuck we put our minds too. Fear and doubt will not stop us. We will rise in the eye of doubt and prove not only our original doubts wrong, but also everyone else doubting us and themselves.

The second you overcome your first set of self doubt and other’s doubt, your life will change forever. How little it truly had to do with you becomes so evident, and you’ll never take too much personal again. Rather than take things personally, speak up to those doubting you, and on top of that, encourage others. Make sure your fears and doubts to shine onto others. Even if you have to fake it til you make it, encourage every one you come across. You can never steer someone wrong if you encourage them to pursue their dreams.

Now remember this every time You find a conversation steering you towards self doubt. Preservere in the face of doubt, and know that you can do whatever you put your mind too…

Now go out and make those dreams happen damnit!

I hope y’all enjoyed reading this post, and I hope it allowed you to see how little it has to do with you, and how much it is really just everyone projecting their fears and self doubt onto you!

Feel free to reach out if y’all have any questions or comments!

Love!!

Grant

If You’re Not Uncomfortable, You’re Not Growing

Nobody likes being uncomfortable. Quite frankly, naturally, being uncomfortable is a terrible feeling. We love knowing what is going to happen next, or what our next step should be. But think about it, do we ever really grow when we are happy, content, and comfortable? I know for a fact that when I’m happy, I just want it to ride out as long as possible. With that being said though, I’ve never grown from being happy, unless I acknowledge the fact that I must keep striving and growing, all while appreciating the progress I’ve made up into that moment.

So why does pursuing the uncomfortable really make us grow? Because we are entering the unknown. We are expanding our boundaries and knowledge.

Now believe me, I’ve put myself in some AWKWARD ass situations, from being at a party where I know no one, to accepting design jobs that I wasn’t sure I had the skill set to complete, to camping for two weeks while working SXSW down in Austin TX. Not to mention driving from Chicago to Austin Texas haha.

So how did they turn out? Honestly, I am who I am today because of those risks I took. I met some amazing people, grew like I never could have imagined, and was part of so many life changing experiences.

Believe me, this is WAY EASIER said than done, but you have to start somewhere. Start doing things that scare you or make you uncomfortable. Whether that be going out of your way to compliment people in everyday life, not in a creepy way guys, applying for jobs you aren’t sure you could get, or starting to jog everyday. Just get out of your comfort zone. Push yourself! You will see your life change like you never imagined. That is a promise!! Since I have adapted this mindset, my life has been more fulfilling and exciting than I could have ever imagined…

Feel free to reach out with any questions or comments!

I hope y’all enjoyed this read, and if you so feel inclined, give the ol blog a follow! Ill try and post something every morning to mid day!

Love!!

You Can’t Please Everyone

I don’t think we like to acknowledge it, but naturally, we all like to be liked. We want to not rub people the wrong way, and have as many friends as possible, but honestly, we aren’t meant to please everyone. And quite frankly, if we are pleasing everyone, we are not truly being ourselves or expressing our opinions.

If we are not expressing our opinions, we are not provoking thought or creating conversation, in return, doing ourselves an injustice.

This is extremely important when it comes to speaking up against guys making misogynistic, sexist comments, anyone making racist comments, or even anyone just getting bullied out in public. It is our job to stand up and defend these people.

Traveling around the country, I have seen and heard a substantial amount of fuckery, that time and time again put me in a compromising situation.

I had to decide whether to stand idle and not say anything, or to stand up and create an uncomfortable, possibly hostile situation, but in the end, confronting it was always the right decision.

That then brings up the question, how do we go about addressing it?

There are many ways you can address it, but honestly, the most effective away is create an honest dialogue and don’t be accusatory. The second someone perceives that they’re being “attacked,” they will shut down and no productive conversations will be had.

At the end of the day, our intention should be to truly provoke thought, if not educate, and definitely defend whoever is being attacked. If no one stands up, we feel like we are stranded all by ourselves, and that is the worst feeling in the world.

We must get past saving face and really start to stand for something. There is a lot of hate taking place in the world right now, and people need some love more than ever.

This goes for standing up for yourself as well! Never let someone make you feel uncomfortable. You are more valuable than anyone’s comfortability. And I have first hand seen the questions women ask themselves to try and defend someone’s misogyny or sexist comments, but nothing makes it okay. Never should y’all have to tolerate some guys bullshit. And while y’all don’t need to hear this from me, I hope I can at least provoke some thought. Guys want to never feel like they’re wrong, but if we take ego out of the situation, we must truly see whose in the wrong and defend these women whenever we can. And this does not just mean white women! This means any woman who we see dealing with some bullshit on the street. The least you can do if you see a woman being harassed is step in and ask if everything is alright.

You will make a lot of enemies this way, and not everyone will love you, but honestly, do we really want to be friends with these people?

Don’t be afraid to speak up and defend anyone who may need reassurance that they aren’t alone! This is now more important than ever! You are important and you matter damnit…

I hope y’all enjoyed this read and I hope it provoked some thought, and if y’all have any questions, complaints, or even just want to talk about it, feel free to comment below.

Loveeee

Grant