Posted on by Coach Bash

An All-Nighter

Last night, I pulled an all-nighter for the first time since grad school and…. it was challenging to say the very least.

Before I proceed, this is not a post encouraging sleep deprivation. Okay?

Cool.

I pulled an all-nighter to work on something that will help me break free from the 9-5 grind. Notice I didn’t say it would free me from work. I believe that part of being a human being is to contribute, in some small way, to society if we are able.

See…. Having a job is not something I enjoy. I don’t mind working. I don’t mind taking on tasks and projects.

What I do mind is having another human being control my time. To me, there’s something disgusting about someone else being able to dictate when I can take some time to vacation with my spouse or travel to visit my friends and family.

I crave freedom. In the past, I’ve experienced the freedom of working on my own terms. It has taken me a while but I am on my way back to that place.

What’s the point?

The point of this post is simple. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a little on the front end to get what you desire. You may lose a little sleep from time to time or miss out on fun activities that don’t align with your goals. It sucks, but it’s a part of the path.

I encourage you all to choose where you want your life to go and then decide what price you’re willing to pay to get there.

Only you can decide what’s worth it.

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Posted on by Coach Bash

Slow and Steady

One month of 2023 is over. Thank goodness!

I’m not one for New Year’s Resolutions but I do try to commit to making at least one simple change at the start of each year. For 2022, I decided to get some space to grow vegetables and decide if farming was something I wanted to pursue. That turned out great and I now have a small agricultural business that I hope can be profitable in 2023.

This year, I decided to make some more aggressive changes. I’ve joined a gym, started using a planner more frequently (with the goal of using it daily) and have been working toward increasing my weekly income.

I would be a liar if I said this year’s changes have been easy so far. The truth is, I have been struggling with consistency BUT I will continue. I’m sure that the man I am a year from now will thank me.

Growth is the name of the game.

💪🏾😎 Let’s get it!

-Bash

Posted on by Coach Bash

Busy, busy, busy

I hate grind culture.

I don’t hate it because I don’t value hard work. I absolutely value working hard to put something great into the world or to provide a service.

I hate it because grind culture is, for the most part, about getting more stuff. More clothes, designer shoes, multiple houses…. Stuff like that.

I think the ideal life would be to contribute something meaningful and/or helpful to the world and be able to have a comfortable life. A life is not worrying about making ends meet.

I’m currently building that life while working a full time job. There are days when it’s stressful and I want to pull my hair out BUT it’s worth it.

The life I will have at the end of this will be worth it. The freedom to not have to punch a clock or sit at a desk in a cubicle will be worth it.

Just thought I would share.

Thank you for stopping by.

Warm Regards,

Bash

Posted on by Coach Bash

My Dreams

I must confess that I have not been as disciplined as I would like as it relates to pursuing my dreams.

Part of it it fear.

The other part has to do with not truly believing I deserve the life I want.

The truth is, I find the 9-5 grind soul-crushing.

I long to do something for a living that brings me joy.

Starting the farming journey was a step in the right direction but I want to do more. I want to teach. I want to facilitate conversations, I want to create content.

I want to get paid to do these things.

I’m about to take another faith leap.

Let’s see what happens.

Posted on by Coach Bash

Divesting

For a while, I have been exploring the idea of divesting from consumerism and capitalism as much as possible.

I recently realized that I am nowhere near where I thought I would be in my journey of divesting at this point in my life.

I intend to spend the month of December exploring this and, hopefully, finding a way to get back on track.

I crave a simple, stress-free lifestyle where I have all of my needs, some of my desires, & none of the pressure that comes from working a 9-5.

Don’t misunderstand. I don’t mind working. In fact, I enjoy working. I just don’t enjoy working in settings where strict quotas and corporate profit are at the center of what I do.

The reality is, I love farming, teaching, and giving back to the community. Call me ambitious, but I intend to be doing what I love full time by the end of 2023.

I’m not sure how it’s going to happen but I’ve decided to make it happens. This post is my first step. I’m making a commitment to myself and to you, the reader, to make it happen.

Wish me luck! 😎

Thanks for stopping by.

-Bash

Posted on by Coach Bash

Self Love

Different vibes…. Still me

To love yourself…. you have to accept yourself.

This is a lesson I thought I mastered many years ago but, lately I’ve realized that this is a life long journey.

As we grow, things in our lives change. Some of these changes are for the better…. Some not so much.

The idea is to accept yourself as you are and love that version of yourself.

Once the love is there, you can begin making adjustments.

I think a lot of the time, we are so busy trying to become the “best version” of ourselves that we forget to be kind to ourselves.

If you’re always chasing some “other” version of yourself and you never take the time to accept and love who you are in this moment….. How will you know if the version of yourself you are pursuing is even compatible with who you came here to be?

The pictures at the top of this post show how this lesson is being lived out in my life.

For years, I was chasing the “serious professional” image. In pursuit of that, I was neglecting those parts of me that love being outdoors, working with my hands, & interacting with farm animals.

I shoved that part of me to the side for over a decade. Why? I was worried about how people would perceive me. I didn’t want people to think I was country or without ambition.

The reality is, I was robbing myself of something I love…… Something that, thanks to my parents, is something I am good at and have the instincts for.

The lesson: Farmer Bash, Bash the Intellectual, and Smooth/Laid Back Bash are all VALID manifestations of different aspects of ME.

In heavily focusing on what I thought was expected of me & worrying about the opinions of others. I spent many years living in misery and searching for what was in plain sight.

I invite you to learn from my mistakes.

Start spending some time with YOU. Even if there are things about yourself that you don’t like, make the effort to accept yourself and love yourself as you are.

From there, you can begin working toward a better version of yourself. Not from a place of wanting to please others or keep up appearances…. But from a place of love.

You deserve it. 😎

Posted on by Coach Bash

Thoughts before bed…

I’ve been in a reflective headspace lately.

I’ve lost interest in social interactions.

I just want to create and have space to think.

Over the years, I’ve ignored this yearning. Not this time though…. This time I’m listening. This time I’m stepping away.

😎

Posted on by Coach Bash

The Dream

I have a dream that I’ve not truly committed to.

For a variety of reasons, I have held back.

Over the last few days, I’ve made more progress than I did in the past few years.

I don’t know what will come of it but I do know that I want to be a light. I want to share meaningful research with the world.

This research and creative process won’t just happen.

It’s going to take work.

I hope I can generate funding. I hope the process will be worth it.

I believe I can and I believe it will.

We shall see. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Best,

Bash