Granted my sister has been running track for over a decade, Track & Field has practically become my favorite sport to watch. Additionally, Usain Bolt has become a staple in Track & Field and pop culture–sports and pop culture being an intersection of topics that intrigue me when it comes to documentaries. Thus, Usain Bolt’s “I Am Bolt” documentary piqued my interest.

Once ready to watch, I realized the documentary was close to TWO HOURS LONG, so I knew I was in for a decent watch. When it comes to documentaries, I tend to gravitate towards films that capture an icon or icon -in-the-making “Making good, GRAYT!” I love watching legends or GRAYTS work, while I work. The film does a great job of assembling the arrangement of various perspectives from Usain, his coaching & conditioning team, other greats like Michael Johnson and Serena, paralleled with a reflection of who Bolt is as an individual.

Through the film’s account of Usain’s upbringing, the beginning of his track career, his historic 2008 Olympic showing, and his most recent Rio showings, “I Am Bolt” ultimately unveils five things to consider when walking into your God-given [graytness]:

1. Remain true to yourself in your rise: The film depicts Usain Bolt as the same around the way guy who valued humor and good times, from his childhood to currently. Seemingly instrumental to the fulfillment of his graytness, authenticity is depicted as Bolt’s underlying force.
2. Remain true to yourself at your pinnacle: Capturing his emotions during the 2008. 2012, and 2016 Olympics, “I Am Bolt” showcases the importance of authenticity during Bolt’s reign as iconic sprinter–that authenticity being his hard work paralleled with his lighthearted approach to competitive environments.
3. Have Fun fulfilling your God-given gift: Above anything else, “I Am Bolt” showcases the value of having fun while fulfilling your God-given gift. Your gift isn’t only limited to bringing joy to others, it should bring joy to you, as well.
4. Be Cognizant of Your Behavior: Bolt’s ankle injury is a major feature of this documentary, which was allegedly caused by a mishap at a club. Although not addressed in the documentary, one can assume reckless behavior could have brought this unwarranted behavior. Who knows? Nevertheless, being cognizant of your behavior when fulfilling your graytness is vital to your optimal performance.
5. Be Self-Aware in Fulfilling Your Graytness: An over-arching theme of the docuemtary, is Bolt’s declining motivation for Track & Field, as a competitor. Bolt demonstrates the importance of being self-aware in fulfilling our gratyness, that way we can maximize happiness and be in tune with the seasons of our lives!

The post Five Tips on Fulfilling Graytness from @UsainBolt’s “I Am Bolt” Documentary first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

The latter half of the year has brought with it more GRAYT PEOPLE profiles, and rightfully so! From person to person, it’s been great conversing with various individuals I call friends and inspirations. With more profiles to come to close out this year, I wanted to round up 10 quotes from this Fall’s GRAYT PEOPLE profiles to apply to our final stretch of 2016:

1. “Always broaden your horizons through whatever knowledge is available to you. This allows you to look at the world through many different lenses.,” Niala Charles (Reporter)
2. “You cannot get to the big without doing lots and lots of the small. I mean, isn’t the great big desert just lots and lots of grains of sand?” Nneoma Nwankwo (Writer & Researcher)
3. “Whenever I doubt my abilities, I recall the countless individuals who sacrificed to make sure I have a seat at the table of opportunity,” Nduka Nwankwo (Income Analyst & Philanthropist)
4. “Be okay with all of these no’s before the yes! When you learn about timing, that makes so much more of a difference in your daily life.” Milan Dixon (International Model)
5. “As humans we’re not perfect, but we’re not failures either. Don’t look at anything as a failure, but an opportunity to prove yourself,” Niala Charles (Reporter)
6. “If you just keep pressing on in the direction that is right for you, you’ll look back and realize you’ve traveled some distance,” Asia Dean (Healthcare Professional)
7. “Being persistent and staying committed are the main ingredients in pursuing one’s personal [graytness].” Jimdre Westbrook (Author & Entrepreneur)
8. “There is also great value in being consistent but developing the skill of patience. Every game is won with patience. When you don’t get the outcome you want, learn the lesson, refine your approach, incorporate the lessons and try again!” Nduka Nwankwo (Income Analyst & Philanthropist)
9. “Remember that the journey is as significant as the destination.,” Asia Dean (Healthcare Professional)
10. “The great news is that God has a master plan for you too! Stay humble. Stay hungry. Stay focused!” Jimdre Westbrook (Author & Entrepreneur)

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[GRAYT PEOPLE] Profile Series curates an informational collective of inspirational individuals who have shown what it means to mobilize confidence to challenge [GOOD] and mobilize courage to champion [GRAYT]—highlighting their past, their journey to their [graytness], their efforts and ethics, their motivation, and their aspirations.

The post 10 GRAYT QUOTES for 2017 from Six GRAYT PEOPLE! first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

Keeping Hope & Faith has been vital and will continue to be vital within the next few months (and next few years). Well, it’s something that’s vital to internalize for the rest of our lives, ha!.

Launching Grayter, the commerce adjacent of the site, is definitely a step of faith. Beyond applying hope & faith to our personal lives, extend some to your community, your region, and America! With that in mind, check out 3 things you should know about this shirt in the 3-piece Election Year Merch Capsule when you preorder on Grayter.co:

About the Store:

3 Things to Know about this Shirt:

1. The Shirt Identifies Alliance: Similar to Hillary Clinton’s #ImWithHer slogan to identify one’s alliance with her campaign, this shirt highlights your alliance to the things God has for your life during this season!
2. The Shirt Merges the American Flag & Declarative Text: This shirt augments the American flag to format a cross with the “I Am With God” declarative text!
3. The Shirt is a shirt of Hope: At the end of the day, this shirt is an assertion of your hope in something greater for your life, for America, and for the world!

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Keep hope, keep gratitude & preorder the OBAMACARED: We Thank You Shirt & additional #ElectionYear Merch, here: www.grayter.co

The post GRAYTER Store & Merch Launch: 3 Things to Know About the “I Am With God” Shirt first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

Controversy & confusion has been a common occurence within the past couple of weeks. Nonetheless, we don’t have to succumb to its impact or influence. If nothing else, believe in yourself enought to fight for your goals & dreams. Internalizing that notion, I launched the commerce adjacent to the site, GRAYTER CO.

As a 3-piece shirt capsule, the Election Year Merch aims to inspire you to keep hope, gratitude, confidence, and faith! The GREAT Already shirt aims to empower your confidence! Learn more about the store and the shirt, below:

About the Store:

Three Things to Know about the Shirt:

1. The Shirt is Reflective: This shirt aims to inspire you to reflect on what makes the world already great, what makes America already great, and what makes you already great! There’s something already great in all three, preorder and ponder on what that “great” is!
2. The Shirt is Affirmational: If by chance you fail to identify what’s “GREAT Already” in the world, America, or yourself, this shirt is curated for you to speak greatness over all three–an expectancy of greatness
3. The Shirt is for Personalization: With an expectancy of greatness, this shirt is curated for personalization. Whatever is the reason you wear it, wear it as you prepare to walk in GREATNESS!!

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Keep hope, keep gratitude & preorder the GREAT Already  & additional #ElectionYear Merch, here: www.grayter.co

The post GRAYTER Store & Merch Launch: 3 Things to Know about the “GREAT Already” Shirt first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

What a time to be alive, eh? So why not pursue your dreams and goals. Resonating with that mantra, I launched the commerce adjacent to this site, GRAYTER. The online store aims to empower you to embrace your GRAYTER with each capsule installment, through every purchase. 

Excited about this new addition to TheJoshuaGray.com, the Election Year Merch Capsuld is available on GRAYTER.CO for preorder until Wednesday, November 30

About the Store:

Three Things About the Obamacared Shirt:

The Election Year Merch Capsule curates three exclusive short-sleeve shirt designs  incorporating political, conversational, and inspirational undertones. The “Obamacared: We Thank You” Shirt is a statement on keeping hope & gratitude, here’s three special elements of the shirt

1. The Wording: A play on words of President Obama’s “Obamacare,” the wording enhances the commemorative nature of the shirt and the myriad of issues President Obama cares about in the past 8 years–from some policies to the poise his administration exuded throughout this election year. 
2. The Presidential Silhouettes: Adding a reflective and finalizing touch, the wording contains silhouettes of Barack & Michelle Obama looking at each other. 
3. The Significance: In its completion, this shirt symbolizes hope in the future (regardless of its bleakness) and gratitude for President Obama’s service to America. 

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Keep hope, keep gratitude & preorder the OBAMACARED: We Thank You Shirt & additional #ElectionYear Merch, here: www.grayter.co

The post GRAYTER Store & Merch Launch: 3 Things to Know About the #Obamacared Shirt first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

Whether you’re a local or a tourist, the Las Vegas Strip somewhat characterizes your time in Vegas–eateries, nightlife, shopping malls, and more! The holidays are coming up, so I wanted to share a few GRAYT PLACES to eat at if you find yourself on the strip anytime soon. Scroll below & click on the pictures to check out their GRAYT PLACE reviews:

1. In need of a good burger, try Ketchup Premium Burger Bar, Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile Shops

2. Want something experimental, try Bruxie, The Park between the New York New York & Monte Carlo:

3. Want a more brunch appropriate location, try Jardin, The Encore at Wynn

4. Want more than a few restaurant selections, try The Linq

5. Want dessert, try Sprinkles at The LINQ

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[GRAYT PLACE] is a highlight-based feature segment covering [GRAYT PLACES] in [GRAYT CITIES]. Exploring the location, the vibe & atmosphere, and the brand of GRAYT attractions, eateries, social houses, and other must-do’s.

The post GRAYT PLACES: Five Places to Eat at on the #LasVegas Strip first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

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.

As a firm believer in the power of our thoughts and power of our words, “Affirmation Savers” are a NEW integral facet to TheJoshuaGray.com with the hope of planting positivity in your life through the saving of each saver on your phone. With each pack, it is my hope to enable you to unlock positivity and progression in your life as you “Slide to Unlock” your phone throughout the day.

This week’s Affirmations Savers Pack is inspired by Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo” Era. With over ten(10) Affirmation Savers to save to your phone, each wallpaper is curated to push you closer to positivity throughout your day and push you closer to success with inspiration from Mr. West’s sonically adventurous “Life of Pablo.” Scroll below to save wallpapers created to make you love your life like Kanye loves Kanye:

The post New! Affirmation Savers: The #KanyeWest Pablo-Inspired Pack first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

Ever since the bleached tee craze resurfaced, I’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to create my own tee that was sentimental to me. I finally found the perfect T-Shirt to join the “vintage” t-shirt trend lingering around the globe. Check out how I created “The Wolves” Shirt, tips on the Knot-Pattern, and the shirt’s sentimental value, below:

1. Selecting a Meaningful Shirt: My elementary school mascot was a wolf, so finding this T-Shirt set the tone for making this masterpiece of a shirt. When looking for a vintage tee, try to find a shirt that you connect with and/or has historical value to you!
   
2. Preparing for the Knot-Pattern: This method of bleaching all started when I could not find any rubber-bands or rope to tie my shirt for bleaching. Tying the shirt into not serves as a compelling method for bleaching the shirt.
   
   
3. The Bleach Soak: After you tie the knots into your shirt, lay the shirt in a bucket or sink, and pour 2-3 cups of High Premium Bleach onto the upper half of the shirt where the knots are located. Then, let the shirt soak for about an hour and then let it sit for the wetness to dry.
   
4. Washing & Drying: After the shirt sits for a  few hours (3-5) hours, untie the knots and throw the shirt into a washing machine to wash out the bleach. After the shirt is washed, let the shirt dry (air-dry or dryer-machine). And then it’ll be ready to wear!
   

Expectations: Hilariously, after I wore the shirt once, I noticed holes in the shirt. The bleach is capable of burning holes in the shirt or weakening the fabric, nevertheless, they add to the distressed vibe of the shirt!

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The Behind The Concepts are curated arrangements of garments, purchase details, alternatives, and behind the scene details for items in The Joshua Gray Style Concept series.

The post Behind the Style Concept #64: How to Create the Bleached “Knot-Pattern” Wolves Tee first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

As a firm believer in the power of our thoughts and power of our words, “Affirmation Savers” are a NEW integral facet to TheJoshuaGray.com with the hope of planting positivity in your life through the saving of each saver on your phone. With each pack, it is my hope to enable you to unlock positivity and progression in your life as you “Slide to Unlock” your phone throughout the day.

This week’s “No Limits” Pack comprises eight (8) new screen savers aimed at conditioning your mind to walk into the limitless opportunities and blessings destined for your life! Curated so you can take over your life like Cash Money did for the “99 and the 2000s,” scroll below to save the “No Limits” Affirmational Savers Pack!

The post New! Affirmation Savers: The #NoLimits Pack! first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

The re-installment of TheJoshuaGray.com in October 2015 brought the [GRAYT PEOPLE] Profile Series, an informational collective inspirational individuals who have shown what it means to mobilize confidence to challenge [GOOD] and mobilize courage to champion [GRAYT]. This week, I revisted the profiles from The No Names, Dennaya Famous, Carlton Epic, Christian Astorga, and Tara Drinks for some of their most inspiring quotes. Explore some GRAYT QUOTES from some GRAYT PEOPLE for some added inspiration to your day:

1. “[Your] differentiating factor comes when you not only know who you are, but also what you want to be known for. You should cater to that purpose and emphasize it in all that you do—the key to building relevance and credibility.” —Jovel Roystan
2. “Understand that you cannot be someone else. You really have to be who you are. Sometimes when you have your vision, you have your dream, you’re constantly comparing yourself to the person who you want to be like [but] once you’re true to yourself, then you can be true to your brand”. —Tara Drinks
3. “Stay true to yourself while being flexible, realistic, and strategic.  Its important to understand what you want and the necessary steps it will take in order for you to get there. However, it is just as important to be flexible and understand that things may not always go as planned and that you may have to take a different route in order to achieve your overall goal.”—Kenneth Kyrell
4. “Be yourself and love that person.  You’ll be surprised when you find out how many people like the real you.”—Jovel Roystan
5. “Quality and authenticity are two things that will never go unappreciated no matter how the times change”—Christian Astorga.
6. “The impossible can always be broken down into possibilities. There’s no goal too big for God and there’s no dream that can’t be attained by taking the right actions. The key: you have to take [one] step at a time.”–Jovel & Kenneth
7. “Reading is important. There are millions of people who lived on the earth before us and have dealt with the same problems; it’s important to read to discover what someone may have went through to help you overcome your problem.”—Carlton Epic
8. “It’s important to only do things that you’re passionate about, and when that begins to happen […] people gravitate towards you naturally and your brand starts to build.”—Dennaya Famous
9. “Just because you don’t have the most experience or may not be the most gifted, as long as you are able to outwork everyone and have more passion that will excel you further than anything you my lack.”—Carlton Epic
10. “No matter how much you grow as an individual, always reflect and appreciate. Be conscious of who you are and who you choose to become”—Christian Astorga.

The post 10 GRAYT Quotes for Life from GRAYT PEOPLE first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

As a firm believer in the power of our thoughts and power of our words,  “Affirmation Savers” are a NEW integral facet to TheJoshuaGray.com with the hope of planting positivity in your life through the saving of each saver on your phone. With each pack, it is my hope to enable you to unlock positivity and progression in your life as you “Slide to Unlock” your phone throughout the day.

Currently, the 2016 Olympics are occurring in Rio de Janeiro. In celebration of the games (and my desire to be back in Rio de Janeiro), The “Rio Olympic”Affirmation Savers Pack features affirmations inspired by quotes from some of the world’s greatest Olympians, including: Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Gabby Douglas, and Usain Bolt. Declare greatness in your day by saving the “Rio Olympic” Affirmation Wallpapers below and embrace positivity throughout your day:

The post New! Affirmation Savers: The 2016 #Rio #Olympics Pack first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.

Style is a culmination of all of the experiences, values, perspectives, motivations, inspirations, and qualities that is then manifested in our fashion choices. As a part of this site, the Style Concept segment captures my daily style and incorporates styles or trend concepts to convey my style philosophy: 1) Use what you have, 2) Get what you can, and 3) Do what you do.

The “Behind the Concept” feature is the inspirational adjacent to the Style Concepts on the site. With each style concept feature, I will share  reflective, inspirational words that seemingly translate into my styling preferences of each respective concept. To accompany Style Concept #61, enjoy “The Importance of Mobility & Movement,” below:

Whether you prefer a more active lifestyle or a more tamed lifestyle, movement is inevitable. If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards.

Life progresses with each new day & life changes with each new day. With each day, you are given an opportunity to be better, do better, and live better; if you fail to take that opportunity, you subsequently move in the opposite direction of progression. If with the rising of the sun or the upcoming of your next breath, you have the opportunity to embrace the better of your next moment…there is no need to move backwards, in terms of progression.

Admittedly, there have been times within the past few months where days upon days would go by without the fruitful realization of productivity or progress in my life. Nevertheless, don’t let comfort and/or low visibility of progression discourage you from the better that you can acquire from day to day.

Moving backward or moving forward is a choice; furthermore, moving backward or moving forward is first a mindset. The various life experiences we encounter shape us; nevertheless, we can have an input on what they shape us into and where they move us to. Will we allow our experiences to move us upward and onward to our purpose? Will we extract the valuable lessons learned from the good times and hard times to apply in our “next” times?

Are you moving forward or backward?

The post Behind the Concept #61: The Importance of Mobility & Movement first appeared on The Joshua Gray | Live Grayter.