I love talking about this topic because no one ever does. It’s pretty straight-forward, before you “find yourself;” before you transform your life; before you can show others the way; before you leave your mark on the world; before your dreams become a reality; you will experience the dark night of the soul. How do I know? Well, first off, every great leader, writer and artist across the ages has told us so. There was Jesus’ 40 days & 40 nights of temptation, futility, and powerlessness. And then there was the Buddha who renounced his father’s palace, his family and the world to sit under the Bodhi tree vowing not to get up until enlightenment. And like Jesus, he...
THE GOODS IN LINE ONE: If you have an idea then you need to share it with your people. Not everyone will come with you on the long trek through the desert. But some will, and it’ll be just a few. After all, only Joshua and Caleb made it to the Promised Land. What’s worse, most will stay at home and say, “so and so is full of shit” and then some will go a bit further and say, “so and so is an arrogant prick.” And before you get pissed about the stay-at-home-camp of folk, just think how many times you’ve had the same exact knee-jerk reaction when someone approaches you with ANYTHING new? You blow them off. I do...
In 2017 and 2018, I was mostly stuck. I had a million ideas; I tried a few of my best -- they all failed. I couldn’t and can’t explain it. I took a hard look at myself and thought “you GOTTA be dumber than most people!” If not dumber, then at the very least, lazier. Lol. I don’t want to hear any silly quotes here about “be positive” or “think better of yourself.” We need negative thoughts. How else can we find inner strength except by way of embarrassment, being constantly humbled and serial losing. Yes, losing on a consistent basis – a serial fucking loser. Let that sink in. I know that Instagram is full of platitudes that tell...
After serving in the US military, Steven realized that most American men clung to the grooming habits of their childhood. Most of us were still using products filled with cheap ingredients and packaged in boyish brands that hadn’t innovated in decades. I couldn’t find a men’s grooming line that spoke to my maturing views about the world. And that didn’t make sense to me. I mean is it really that crazy to think that men could care about natural products or sustainability practices? Or that we want products aligned with our values? It was a no brainer for me. And after speaking with countless Soldiers, businessmen and artists from all walks of life it was clear to me that men...
Odds are that no one reads my writing. But the fact is, it doesn’t matter. Not even a little. I came into this world to do something. You did too. I believe in destiny; and destiny demands both the good and the bad. And I’ll take the perceived bad along with the good for the chance of seeing a part of me, or you, or the universe, that I’ve only caught glimpses of in my sleep. Oh yea, I’ve had dreams. But not the kind of dreams that we speak of in common parlance. I’ve dreamed images of self-destruction. Dreams of a world that transcends our notions of realism and materialism. Dreams of a world with little boundaries, raptured in...
