Seriously, there’s only TWO MONTHS left in 2016. Can we all yell a resounding, “WHAT?” For some, 2016 has been a great year; for others, 2016 may have been one of the most interesting years, thus far. Nevertheless, as we prepare to embark on a new chapter in 2017, here’s seven thoughts & questions worth pondering on this month:

1. Think about your 2016 Resolutions: What resolutions did you commit to and stick to?
2. Consider ways you can contribute to their success, still: If you didn’t  stick to your resolutions, they’re still worth saving. What can you do now to rebirth them?
3. Think about the Resolutions you want to set in 2017: What do you want to achieve in 2017?
4. Start working and acting on your 2017 resolutions: What can you start doing now to make pursuing your 2017 resolutions easier in January?
5. Think about your circle: Who’s contributing to your physical, mental, and spiritual health?
6. Think about those outside of your circle: Who needs to contribute to your physical, mental, and spiritual success?
7. How are you doing: Honestly & truly, how is the “You” who lays down every night? How are you doing physically, mentally, and spiritually?

Cheers to a productive November filled with gratitude & good ham, macaroni n’ cheese, dressing/stuffing, and more! Ha

The post #LIFE | Seven Thoughts for November 2016! first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

This week marked the start of the summer, with Summer Solstice on this past Monday. Although the Vegas heat I’m enduring signaled Summer’s arrival a few weeks ago, with the official arrival of summer, I wanted to share some considerations to “consider” this summer.  Scroll down for some Summer motivational thoughts:

Build a life that is worth something to you: This summer work towards a goal and a dream that is first & foremost worth something to you! If building someone else’s dream isn’t simultaneously laying the foundations for your dream, seek opportunities that are of worth to your future.

You have every reason to become better: Everything in your past has brought you to this moment and this summer, what are you going to do to make this he best summer ever? Use your life as a tool to better your tomorrow!

To grow is to go through something: Making the best you doesn’t eliminate potential obstacles that may arise! But challenge your mindset to press forth towards growth and wellness.

Your path is your path:You have a individualized routed towards your destiny and towards the fulfillment of your purpose. Lessen your comparisons this summer and focus on your path towards your destiny.

Where were you when life kept going?  Most of all this summer, be present in the moment. Life will keep going, whether you like it or not, don’t miss on continual moments because one moment messed up your momentum. Keep going!

The post Thoughts GRAYT People Have | Summer Sixteen first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

A couple weeks ago, I traveled to Eugene, Oregon for the first time to support my sister in her first appearance at the NCAA Track & Field Championship. Oregon is a beautiful place characterized by mountains justly saturated with much greenery and cool temperatures when an overcast is present.

Eugene cultivates a small town–practically a college town it seems–atmosphere that seemingly directs you to whatever event you’re in town for; as it seemed as if the entire town showed up at the Championship Finals. Nevertheless, scenic sites–such as the Owens Rose Garden Park, the Florence to Eugene Drive, Voodoo Donuts, and the University of Oregon–propel a welcoming environment for visitors.

Beyond the scenic sights and even the more compelling, were the several mantras for success the champions at the NCAA Track & Field Championships inspired me to adopt inadvertently :

1). Press Towards Leaving Your Mark on those Around You & the Atmosphere Around You: Through the historic achievements that happened in Eugene, Oregon, the city is revered as Tracktown USA. Throughout the unique city, you’ll begin to realize that individuals’ push towards making their on personal mark in their lives, they make a mark on individuals around them and the atmosphere around them.

2). Press Towards Leaving Your Mark on Your Personal Journey: While attending the NCCA Track & Field Championships to support my sister, the most impactful race for me was the 3000 Meter Woman’s Steeplechase. Watching the champion fight towards breaking her record and the collegiate record demonstrated the necessity of digging deep within the reservoir of hard work you allocated towards your goal, to GO PAST YOUR GOAL.

3). Hard Work is a Vehicle, Transporting You to Various Places: Your hard work may transport you to the top, your hard work may transport you to the next round, your hard work may only get you over one hurdle. But the key to success, is recognizing the transporting power in your hard work.

4). Surround Yourself with those that Believe in Your Champion: There’s a particular magic that functions inside of the Historic Hayward Field, thousands of Oregon residents and alumni come out to support championship competitors. But their roars, their support, and their belief in the championship’s competitors demonstrate the power in surrounding yourself with those that believe in your champion; it awakens the champion inside of you.

Whether it be the champions in your own life, the champions from the NCAA Track & Field Championships, or even the 2016 NBA Cavalier Champions, let their actions and let their graytness inspire YOUR GRAYTNESS!

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[THINGS GRAYT PEOPLE DO] is a self-actualization and life development segment that focuses on giving tips and inspiration on ROI realizing, owning, and implementing own [graytness].

The post Things Grayt People Do: “Let Champions Inspire You” | Inspired by #Oregon Travels first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

Can’t you see your worth? Can’t you see you aren’t being valued in your current situation? Sometimes, we have to take a moment to realistically look at what relationships or consistent interactions we engage ourselves. Do those in your life value your sincerity, your integrity, or your authenticity? Are you even being sincere, integral, or authentic?

Recently, I’ve had to take a look at who I’m involving myself with, what do I mean to them, and what do they mean to me. In order to embrace wellness and embrace new seasons in life, I had to determine the value of the relationships in my life compared to the value of the relationship in the other party’s life. Never seek continual investment in something if you are not experiencing a favorable return or if there is not a prospect of a favorable return. You may be getting something out of the transaction, but is it worth your investment–whether it be your money, energy, or your time!

Everyone can not or will not see your true value, nor view your worth as you view your worth. Challenge yourself to start seeing your true value & start seeing your true worth:

1. Be realistic with yourself: Where are you knowingly investing too much money, too much time, or too much energy? Begin retracting your investment, see your true value, and begin investing in something worth your money, time, or energy.
2. Eliminate the “convincers”: Sometimes the best way to see your value is to eliminate those who were convincing you (whether it is through their words or their actions) that you are worth less than what you KNOW you are worth.
3. Stop chasing perception: Stop chasing a perception you want people to have of you and start chasing your purpose. When you chase your purpose, you’ll begin to catch on to something that has more meaning and more relevancy in your day to day life.

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[THINGS GRAYT PEOPLE DO] is a self-actualization and life development segment that focuses on giving tips and inspiration on ROI realizing, owning, and implementing own [graytness].

The post #LIFE: Join The #CantYouSee Challenge (Not The Diddy Version) first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

Swiftly approaching after this past Memorial Day Weekend is…summer.  New season, new reasons to take our lives and mindsets to a new level. Tap into some thoughts to adopt #ALLSUMMER16:

There’s something dope about you, find it & focus it: Many times situations, people, or the first five months of the year can cause us to forget how dope we are! We are all equipped with a unique gift to enrich those around us! This summer, don’t forget your dopeness! Strive to find what’s dope about you and start doing strategic things to elevate what makes you dope!

Where are you creating your dreams? Sometimes, when we become discouraged, we begin limiting our dreams. We start dreaming in the confinement of reality and what’s realistically going to happen. Where are you creating your dreams? Go a bit farther and a bit higher and start creating your dreams there!

Follow a dream that’s bigger than you! How are you going to have a big future, when you have small dreams? Start chasing a dream that’s bigger than you, start following a future that’s bigger than your present!

Rationalize goals, realize dreams! When it comes to goals and dreams, your goals are what needs to be rationalized. Once you rationalize, revise, redirect, remove, or revisit goals, you’ll realize your dreams. You don’t rationalize your dreams, they are made to be realized!

Live in your future, work in your present! Dream big and live with a mentality that your dreams are currently  in the process of being manifested, nevertheless, put in the work in your present!

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[THINGS GRAYT PEOPLE DO] is a self-actualization and life development segment that focuses on giving tips and inspiration on ROI realizing, owning, and implementing own [graytness].

The post Five Thoughts to Start Off Your #Summer! first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

Apparently, I’m not President Obama, Bill Gates, Wang Jianlin, or even Beyoncé, but I’ve been blessed to humbly profit from my hard work and achieve what I’ve achieved. Achievements do not negate hardships or a challenging journey towards realizing your power.

Eight grade—after lunch—as I was walking to my next class, a fellow classmate “humorously” knocked me to the ground by ramming into my shoulder. Often “bullies” source their self-esteem from a perceivable power or confidence of another—robbing another of their strength to build their mental muscle.The fall happened fast and I got up equally as fast, while still processing what happened; but one thing for sure, his attempt to steal my confidence or steal my “power,” he failed.

Earlier on in my life, I learned that a major to succeeding was understanding that my power to achieve didn’t depend on the actions of others, but my power was most easily exercised through how I chose to act and react in all circumstances.

What is your power?

Identifying your power may be difficult, but earlier on in my life, I began to understand that I was fully capable of achieving what I put my mind to. Within myself, I am a vessel where capability, creativity, courage, tenacity, and perseverance reside. All of those aforementioned things converge when I dig deep and employ those values to strive and thrive. You too are a vessel, what qualities, characteristics, and values define your power?

How to find your power?

Finding this power transpired through (and continues to transpire) trial and error—trying different things that require the application of the creativity, courage, tenacity, and perseverance. Nevertheless, the key to finding and maintaining your power is KNOWING you have the capability to apply the values, qualities, and characteristics that make you, YOU! For me, finding my power stemmed from finding out what differentiated me from others—strategic creativity, speaking, dedicated hard work, and ability to infuse empowering perspectives into various endeavors. Seeking what makes you different is essential to identifying what your power is connected to!

Who is the source of your power?

Who is the source of my power? I believe we are vessels for an arrangement of qualities, characteristics, and values that conspire to give us fuel to enact our calling, purpose, or pursuit of our goals. Personally, I attribute my calling and purpose to the plan God has for my life. Identifying the ultimate source of your power provides insight on where to turn to when you need to fuel for that power and when you need guidance on how to implement that power.

Why are you powerful?

Understanding why you are powerful is essential to maintaining a healthy framework of your power. I believe I’m powerful because I’m called to inspire, uplift, and encourage through creative endeavors. When we lose sense of why we our powerful or when we lose sense of the impact our power makes, we may stray into dangerous territory for ourselves and for others. Understanding why we are powerful gives scope to our capabilities and efforts when exercising our power.

We all may have varying perspectives on what power means and what it means to us specifically. We all have a capacity for power; our daily duty is to be mindful of how we use that power…it may breed accomplishment or detrimental failure!

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[THINGS GRAYT PEOPLE DO] is a self-actualization and life development segment that focuses on giving tips and inspiration on ROI realizing, owning, and implementing own [graytness].

The post Things Grayt People Do: The Power in Knowing Your Power! first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

Processing an experience you aren’t fond of may be difficult and is often times quite complex. You may not know what to feel–especially if it’s something you don’t normally connect with.

Reflectively, hiking is not my choice excursion when traveling–I’m admittedly quite the city guy. Nevertheless, there’s value in fighting the box and escaping your comfort zone–learned on a recent trip to El Chalten and Calafate in Patagonia. You may thoroughly enjoy or internally dislike the experience you encounter when you escape the box that you’ve allowed to contain you, but the value comes from the act of escaping the box and escaping the comfort zone. You prove to yourself that you are able to explore a multitude of experiences.

Proving to yourself that you are open to new experiences reflect that  you are a vessel for new perspectives. The language of your experiences breed values about life and opens your mind to the possibilities in life. This knowingness allows you to approach your goals, dreams, and aspirations with a vigor and confident assurance. Escape the box that restricts your willingness to explore, allow exploration to navigate you to new knowingness and to a place knowing you can create awesomeness.

Try these three steps to fight the box that restricts you from exploring your possibilities and opportunities:

1. Escape the feelings, thoughts, and opinions of others: Often we can allow the fanaticism or pessimism of others influence our decisions, but we have to experience life for ourselves.
2. Evaluate the reason why you are encapsulated by this mental box: Introspectively, develop a sense of what situations, circumstances, or obstacles are forging barriers to exploration or adventure.
3.  Ascertain some value for yourself from everything you encounter and experience: In every experience, strive to learn something and strive to grab something to move you forward in life.

The post Things Grayt People Do: Fighting the Box! first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

Often, the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life pushes us to live in tomorrow and not today—craving the sight of the masterpiece that is our life. Sometimes it’s not about seeing the masterpiece solely, life is about enduring the journey knowing we are a masterpiece.

During a recent retreat, I had the opportunity to live in the moment—no definite plans, a lack of clarity regarding routines, and unawareness of scheduling—enabling each moment to pass the baton of continuance to another moment, unaware of the exact specifics. Sometimes, that’s what it’s about! Living in the moment involves allowing each moment after the next to connect with each other without our unnecessary involvement with their connection.

Our present is a transition between our past and our future. Everything we have done in the past leads to this very moment and this very moment leads to the future—we can’t access the past nor can we access the future, the only thing we can access is NOW. It is our duty to acknowledge what we can be doing to better equip our “present” as a platform of our future.

Recent events and recent experiences are equipping me with the knowledge to strive for engaging in what is happening NOW, which assists in giving purpose to our present & depth to our present when it transcends to a “meaningful past” for our future. Below are three tips on living “in the” now, but living “for the” future:

1. Try something that requires your attention in the moment 100%: Engaging in activities that require all of your attention leaves you no choice but to live in the present. After you finish, reflect on your experience with a blog post, a simple conversation with a friend, or by giving a review on completed activity.
2. Engage in interesting conversation during your dinners and note your dinner discussions: Processing our social interactions is important; such practices give us a scope on our impact on those around us (Currently trying to practice this exact tip, as I recount my conversations during dinner with mi madre y mis hermanos).
3. Challenge yourself: There’s value in pursuing a challenge in the now. We develop the skills, lessons, and values integral to our future when we persevere, push through, and endure. Although you may not see it now, there’s value in knowing that you’re developing significant aspects to the future “you”!

The post Things Grayt People Do: Living in the Now, Living For The Future! first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

We have reached February in a year that seemingly started yesterday. Throughout January, I released individual reminders for the Things Grayt People Do Visual Pack 1, visually engaging notes on ways to identify your power to live in 2016, exploring the locality of fascination, realizing the proximity of your blessings, or identifying the location of your blessings!

Download the full visual pack or save it to your iBooks by clicking the picture above to keep these notes easily accessible!

The post Things Grayt People Do Visual Pack 1 Download first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

A new year presents new opportunities to rejuvenate your life through encouragement, inspiration, and motivation. Making that process a tad bit quicker to digest or more visually engaging, throughout the month of January I released the “Things Grayt People Do” Visual Pack here on TheJoshuaGray.com.

The Visual Pack graphically constructs the inspirational “Things Grayt People Do” segment from the last quart of 2015 on the site. As the last quick reminder, save the photo below as a quick visual reminder on identifying the location of your blessings in 2016!

Click the photo to go to the full article on identifying the location of your blessings in 2016! Share the photo and the article with someone who can use a reminder on perseverance and identifying the blessings with their name on it!

The post LIFE: Identifying the Location of Your Blessings Reminder | Things Grayt People Do Visual Pack! first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

A new year presents new opportunities to rejuvenate your life through encouragement, inspiration, and motivation. Making that process a tad bit quicker to digest or more visually engaging, throughout the month of January, I will be releasing the “Things Grayt People Do” Visual Pack here on TheJoshuaGray.com.

The Visual Pack will graphically construct the inspirational “Things Grayt People Do” segment from the last quarter of 2015 on the site. As the fourth quick reminder, save the photo below as a quick visual reminder on exploring the proximity of your happiness in 2016!

Click on the photo to go to the full article on exploring the proximity of your happiness in 2016! Share the photo and the article with someone who can use a reminder on exploring the proximity of happiness in 2016!

The post LIFE: Exploring the Proximity of Your Happiness Reminder | Things Grayt People Do Visual Pack! first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

A new year presents new opportunities to rejuvenate your life through encouragement, inspiration, and motivation. Making that process a tad bit quicker to digest or more visually engaging, throughout the month of January, I will be releasing the “Things Grayt People Do” Visual Pack here on TheJoshuaGray.com.

The Visual Pack will graphically construct the inspirational “Things Grayt People Do” segment from the last quart of 2015 on the site. As the third quick reminder, save the photo below as a quick visual reminder on realizing the vastness of your possibilities in 2016!

Click the photo to go to the full article on realizing the vastness of your possibilities! Share the photo and the article with someone who can use a reminder on realizing the vastness of their possibilities in 2016!

The post LIFE: Realizing the Vastness of Your Possibilities Reminder | Things Grayt People Do Visual Pack first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

A new year presents new opportunities to rejuvenate your life through encouragement, inspiration, and motivation. Making that process a tad bit quicker to digest or more visually engaging, throughout the month of January, I will be releasing the “Things Grayt People Do” Visual Pack here on TheJoshuaGray.com.

The Visual Pack will graphically construct the inspirational “Things Grayt People Do” segment from the last quart of 2015 on the site. As the second quick reminder, save the photo below as a quick visual reminder on embracing what is around you in 2016!

Click the photo to go to the full article on embracing the locality of fascination in 2016! Share the photo and the article with someone who can use a reminder on embracing the locality of fascination in 2016!

The post LIFE: Embracing What is Around You in 2016 Reminder | Things Grayt People Do Visual Pack first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.