What to Expect on the Devilish Smirk Blog

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Big Bowl of Blog

Devilish Smirk will always evolve. I promise. All blog topics are on the table, or close enough to grab.

You never know what I’ll bring back to the table. I pace a lot and I can return with any topic. I’m like a dog carrying a dead rat into the house and freaking everyone out.

Some topics will come out of nowhere, and others you may not understand, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not that complex, and life is much simpler.

You’ve Been Warned 

It’s hard to arrive at the place where you understand and believe what you think to be true. Nothing gets easier. In fact, problems elevate your threshold to deal with more bullshit problems, which are always possible.

Anything can happen. Friendships morph, but don’t always end. It’s happened to me, and others. You never know exactly what you’re being prepared for so you might as well prepare as best you can.

What have you got to lose?

That’s a trick question. You have everything to lose, no matter what you do.

Simplify your life after you complicate the fuck out of it. Everyone does it to themselves, in countless capacities.

Baby steps are small and, to get anywhere, takes time.

It’s like sea kayaking in Alaska. You paddle for hours and the scenery doesn’t change because the mountains are giant.

As a writer, this has been one of my larger struggles, but not the largest. Cherries bury a lot when the bowl is big enough.

Thank you for checking out Devilish Smirk. I hope you enjoy your time here. Never be afraid to show your genuine self. That’s the quickest way to take control of your time.

Spend time on this site. Subscribe for inbox surprises. Engage. Share.

Smile, then smirk.

Communication is how it begins.

“When I started this, I read a lot about having a niche. I’m creating it. It’s been a huge challenge, but I’m having a lot of fun and I feel great doing it. I wish I’d dedicated time to it sooner.” Travis Garrod, October 22, 2015.

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No Reese’s in the Puzzle Pieces

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No One Puzzle Evolves Solo (NOPES)

NOPES have a tendency to be negative, overtly pained, and extra stuck in a puzzled state of life. Humanity made a quick slip to level NOPE. This is a puzzle for NOPES.

Forget Hope and Change; it’s NOPE, NO CHANGE. Most people in the general population feel (or felt) like NOPES at some point in life.

In 2015 and 2016, I was Extra Stuck

For two solid years, I was pinned down on a regular basis, but nothing permanent.

My former employer failed at getting my signature on a confidentiality agreement. The devil is always in the details. That’s why I started Devilish Smirk.

Most times, I was pinned down due to varying degrees of violations against me, including me holding myself down. That last part was me being nice.

It takes a key wit to make people, who fuck with your life on purpose, a little nervous.

There were a few times I didn’t mind the pinning. Now that I’m single, perhaps there will be opportunity for more, but I digress.

The pieces are there, all around us, every day.

Something Changed in 2017

I spend 68 days in St. John and it changed my life.

While I was on St. John, I had an experience like never before. While walking along the water’s edge of Salt Pond, I stopped for minute to stare at the moon’s reflection in the pond. I laid on the sand and stared into space.

I closed my eyes and made eye contact with my mind’s eye and heard everything I watched within, and my mindful awareness shot to the sky. 

Upon opening my eyes, I could see the darkest, but brightest, star-filled sky above appear close enough to touch. I felt connected to it, as a part of me slid up into the darkness, somewhere in the cosmos.

It felt like a ride.

I started to shake my head and laugh quietly to myself. Physically, I was still on the beach.

No, I wasn’t on any hallucinogenic drugs that night. I didn’t even have a drink that night.

All at once, bits and pieces of mostly mental garbage disappeared from my life.

  • I wasn’t stuck in (or under) anything.
  • Nothing was stuck to (or in) me.
  • I was solo.
  • No longer did I feel like a NOPE.
  • I placed the “N” in NOPE, at the end.
  • NOPE = OPEN
  • I felt OPEN and, for the first time in my life, at peace.

I felt a deep sense of relief from my twisted burden of some kind. Without anything extra on top, I realized I wasn’t stuck.

I was free to open my mind and explore the infinite possibilities all of us are given at birth.

The Puzzle OPENS!

The pieces are there, all around us, every day.

A Puzzle is Born

The puzzle pieces didn’t come out of a box. You did, and so did I.

And this is what I looked like:

A switch flipped and everything brightened a tiny bit. I could see further, in all directions, than the day before.

My eyes opened and I woke up.

For the first time, I saw the world through the eyes of a human puzzle without limits.

I elevated myself.

The pieces are there, all around us, every day.

I am Travis, and I am Puzzled!

First, the Bad News

Life is no ordinary puzzle. It isn’t built in a day and takes more than a week. Life can, however, fall the fuck apart in a day

Everything falls apart before you can piece anything back together.

Life is designed to, literally, frustrate the hell out of you. There aren’t solutions to your life’s puzzle in the back of any book.

The pieces are there, all around us, every day.

It’s Time for Good News

Life is a puzzle without borders. No frame will ever contain the full picture.

An effective strategy is building your beast from the inside out. Slow, steady, and future-conscious are three thoughts coming to mind.

Regardless, you have a lifetime to create your life’s masterpiece.

Congratulations! You get to use your imagination.

Imagine that.

The pieces are there, all around us, every day.

Humanity’s Collective Piece

Humanity has great potential to change the world and has never been more equipped to succeed.

Carry this piece proudly and make a difference while you can. If you smile, someone else will smile. Smiles are contagious. It’s great when more people smile.

Life is a Work in Progress

As long as you navigate this planet, remember that life is no ordinary journey. Life operates on simple terms.

The only rule you need to know in life is The Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you.” That’s it! It’s called the golden rule for a reason.

The more people you treat kindly, the more people you impact, and the brighter your light shines.

About that Puzzle 

The Final Piece

The final piece is one we all have in common. It’s the same piece we’re all missing until the end. Yes, I’m talking about death.

What happens after is anyone’s guess.

Death will provide the last piece to your puzzle.

I sure hope Death has that missing peace.

“Death puts the Rest In Place.” 

 

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Passion is the “P” in VIP

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Passion is Truth in Raw Form

When I hear someone speak with unabashed enthusiasm, it’s inspiring. Passion creates action. Action creates reaction.

There’s nothing better than jumping into something you love with both feet.

Coloring by Travis Garrod; Devilish Smirk

Welcome to Your Atmosphere

I just turned 43. If I count the time I spent in utero, that’s nearly 16,000 days on this planet. I survived incubation only to be pushed out of a womb and into the world.

Ever since, I’ve been forced to deal with people. It happens to all of us.

Kidding aside, the rules of life are easy. The loopholes take a lifetime to learn.

Shitty people are a whole other beast, but they’re an unfortunate obstacle we encounter on a daily basis.

How we deal with difficult situations defines us as individuals. Just because life flings poo my way doesn’t mean I’m going to shit on anyone. Plus, I won’t shit in public.

Fact is, we’re damn lucky to inhabit this planet. If you’re reading these words, you’re luckier than billions of less fortunate souls you may never know.

It’s Time to Care

I thrive in a positive atmosphere, and I think that’s true for almost anyone. The challenge is creating that atmosphere. If you’re not feeling it, you’re wasting your time.

In other words, focus your energy on things that make you feel something. That’s where passion starts and the seeds of momentum take root.

When nurtured, momentum grows like a weed. Left unattended, weeds get out of control and before you know it, you’re in a messy place you’d rather ignore than deal with. Eventually, you’re that person with a million ideas nobody wants to hear.

Passionate People Make Things Happen

At first, I had it backwards. Writing made me happy, but not happy with myself. I didn’t understand that until I took a break from writing to focus on myself. That’s what I did in St. John.

I rediscovered myself. In a sense, I was reborn. When it happened, I knew it. It was better than any runner’s high and, quite frankly, better than any drug I’ve ever tried.

The lesson was clear. Any passion found before you’re passionate about yourself risks getting lost in the wake you leave once discovering yourself. That’s when passion becomes palpable.

Passion Drives Success

Certain things will never work without passion. Life is fulfilling only after you care about yourself. Careers thrive when people love what they do. Relationships last when couples are on the same page. Communication is key.

With that hat trick under your belt, you can begin to change your world. Now is not the time to take life for granted. Focus your energy to make a positive impact in any way you can.

Easier Said Than Done

A friend recently told me she didn’t have the energy in life to reinvent herself. She didn’t feel capable of doing that right now. She said she wasn’t putting off a passion, but unfulfilled at work and stuck in a job she hates.

It’s dehumanizing when your efforts are exhausted for the benefit of others. I’ve been there. I co-founded a company where I spent 15 years gaining experience in a cutthroat, disgusting industry of a bullshit software known around the world as SAP. SAP is basically a Ponzi scheme that boils down to nothing more than high stakes poker.

I was passionate about the company, but I hated the industry. We were the little guys and we never stood a chance. We sold in 2014 and after 11 months and two promotions, I was laid off.

Bold Decisions are Admirable

Not every risk is worth taking. My younger self was naïve enough to do it. I was in my first entry level corporate job after graduating college. I was there five months and I was kicking ass. Long story short, I was cock blocked from a promotion because policy required one more month in my current position.

So, I quit.

The timing was impeccable. Everything happens for a reason.

I co-founded the company that gave me 15-years of the best experience I could have ever dreamed of having.

Eventually, we sold. After the purchase, I wasn’t as bold. I took the job like a little bitch and moved to Arizona where I was shoved in a corner. They refused to give me a contract. My responsibilities were stripped and my pay was cut.

I was promoted twice and received an outstanding review where I was told I should be next in line for a C-level position. Then shit hit the fan and I was laid off in a corporate game of chess.

The timing was impeccable. Everything happens for a reason.

At first, I looked for a job. I met with recruiters. One even wanted me to pay $4,000 in order to find a job for me. She even told me to deactivate all social media except LinkedIn.

That’s when I registered Devilish Smirk. Now, I’m on Instagram and I post publicly on Facebook. I still have Twitter and LinkedIn.

Simple Lessons Learned the Hard Way

I’ve talked to too many people who’ve given up whatever it is they used to love in order to pacify the expectations of others. I know extremely talented people who’ve lost the bright light that used to shine from within. Nothing kills the light faster than slamming the door on opportunity.

Sculpture: “The Optimist” by artist Steven Lee Smeltzer. Photo by Owner, Travis Garrod; Devilish Smirk
Welcome to the Matrix

Life is nothing more than virtual reality.

Nobody crosses paths by accident.

Keep your eyes open for the Easter eggs.

The signs are all around you, every day.

No, you’re not crazy.

Bold decisions may be required.

It almost feels like a sick joke, but I have a Devilish Smirk.

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A familiar face and a kind heart

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Some things, you cannot replace.

Before you replace anything, it needs to exist. A Friendship is a special beast within the realm of Relationships. Friendships aren’t are easy. Trust me, real friendships are easy. They do, however, evolve like anything else. It’s a two-way street.

I’m tackling this topic in an upcoming series in Rainbow Brown.

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Whose dream is it, anyway?

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Embrace whatever life throws at you. Be curious. It really is ok to be curious. Nothing happens by accident. There is no such thing as coincidence. Let’s call it an opportunity.

This is your dream! Does it get any better?

That, my friend, is entirely up to you.

This is your dream life.

I’m happy to play this small part.

You, however, are in the driver’s seat. Somehow, we’re crossing paths, right now, and it’s about time we have this conversation. Yes, click that. That’s why you’re here.

Bold decisions are required.

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