I had a fantastic weekend.

Yet with all the amazing memories I just created with some of the best people around...

something darker is lingering in my mind.

Someone in our Austin community lost a friend this weekend. And that friend, was lost with her entire family in a car crash.

4 people gone in the blink of an eye.

I wake up here on a Monday thinking about life.

Encouraging you to think about yours.

About how we all need to let the small shit go.

The anger, the anxiety, the stress, the expectations... let that shit go.

I wanted to talk about this on a Monday morning, because many people across the world right now, they are carrying A LOT of weight into their "jobs" this morning. A weight that the rest of us are blind to because nobody truly showcases the weight that they are carrying. They just keep on going and repressing it further.

The thing is, we all know that feeling, and all of us are walking around with the same thing.

So today I ask you to be more empathetic to those around you. Lend a hand more. Ask how someone is doing and TRULY MEAN IT. Don't just use it as a conversation starter, make it THE WHOLE CONVERSATION.

Because you never know, that convo could be the last one for either of you.

.

.

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I step into this week with even more of a chip on my shoulder to continue to live a life I am proud to be living. And I will leave it all on the line to help other people live the same way.

Please hug your loved ones.

Do the thing you want to do with your life, NOW.

Don't wait to pick up the phone, ask the other person out, travel the world, pursue the new skill, do what life is calling you to do.

Use the thread that your life balances on, as a bridge towards the dreams you have for yourself.

#thriveon

CJ

p.s. Today I am grateful to see another day and to continue working towards the dreams I have for myself and those around me.