A Bigger “D” in Darby is Darby’s Biggest Dream

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Darby’s Dream is a Grower

Darby is a fulltime, unemployed acronym armed with the hunger of a dream. That dream is growing, and it’s getting harder and harder to feed!

Dreams Are Realized By You!

Lucky for Darby, she believes in her message.

What Did Darby Do?

Darby did what any crazy dreamer, with the heart to change the world, would do if they only had the chance.

Darby recognized the chance.

She built a Thanksgiving table so big, it held enough food to serve an entire army – in every country – in the world, and others!

She even provided all the food!

Thanks, Darby!

Then, some awful people covered the table with small ass plates, and took credit for hosting the best Thanksgiving dinner in the universe. They thanked everyone for coming, and couldn’t wait to host again next year.

They told Darby that people ate dinner off the plates they provided, and not her table, as part of their “Screw All People” picnic collection.

Loopholes!

At that point, Darby forgot everything she believed about herself.

She felt the life she lived was one big, giant lie. She began feeling things about humanity she never felt before.

That is, until she actually hit rock bottom. At that point, all she could think of is what she’s stood for all along.

Dreams Are Realized By You!

Finally! It took long enough, but Darby felt something she never felt before. It liberated her to next level status, within her mind.

She didn’t have a single fuck to give.

Dreams Are Realized By You!

Darby Recognized Another Chance

Good luck taking that away.

Sometimes it takes a groundswell of humanity to realize the secret to life is simple. It’s an internal journey. Yes, I’m sorry to disappoint you.

Things always get worse before they get better!

Your external existence will never soar if you don’t understand and reinforce the foundation of your internal existence.

BING!

If you experience pain, loss, anger, depression, or anything bad, you still have something to learn, and that’s the truth.

Even life has loopholes. Bitch!

Repeat and Believe

Nobody lives a life they never imagine. Life is a game of wonder. Next time you’re in front of a mirror, recite Darby’s words to the person you see.

Look at your sexy self with your eyes open wide, and say it with a smile. It’s worth a shot.

Dreams are realized by you.

Imagination Work is a Virtual Brain Gym

It’s never too late to dream. You can always discover, create, tweak, fine-tune, evolve, enhance, and achieve dreams.

However, there’s a caveat. It’s work, and not necessarily work you get paid to do. At least, not at first. It’s work that might pay off down the road.

Your imagination becomes exponentially more active the more you open, stretch, strengthen, and train your imagination.

Imagination training is exhausting even though you don’t pick up weights. The only thing you lift is your spirit, which, ironically, ultimately lifts you.

Darby’s World War Work of Art

Pick up your supplies and draft yourself.

Darby’s is the imaginary amusement park in my mind. It didn’t take long to create because I never built any walls. Walls are for pussies.

It’s a passion concept that works because people effectively communicate with one another, especially themselves.

It’s a perpetually expanding universe.

Darby’s always feels bigger than the time before, and everyone is welcome. The only people who go are those who want to be there! Every trip to Darby’s is pure entertainment.

I go because it’s like no other place on Earth.

Minds are off leash and imaginations run wild. Everyone’s human, cordial, kind, and happy. Seriously, it’s fucked up. You should come!

My Dream is Virtually Real

We exist and evolve in a dream within another dream, ever-evolving. It’s hard to keep track of which one’s which. All I know is that I bump into a lot of other dreamers.

After coming to Arizona, my life flipped like an anti-gay politician in some kind of public bathroom.

It took me years to realize the real lies with my real eyes.

Question Everything to Understand Anything

What I didn’t realize is that, all along, my life had been upside down for years. That was a tough one to figure out. Coming to Arizona actually turned it right side up.

Life has a way of correcting your alignment and course.

I’ve done a lot in my life I cannot shout proudly from a mountain top, but I’ve learned from the culmination of my mistakes. At the same time, I can’t say I have any regrets. I’ve faced, accepted, and owned the crazy things I’ve done.

Meeting and getting to know people who open up about things they’ve done (or do) that society has no business judging motivates the fuck out of me to tell as many stories as I can.

I do what I do because I’m always evolving. I’ve changed my mind countless times about things I thought were true.

Be real and you will begin seeing opportunities that you never thought possible.

Understand, however, it takes a lot of time.

Darby is a Bug that can Tug our Boats

We are the captain and crew of our individual ship, and it’s full of personal baggage whenever we’re daring to float.

By the way, nice baggage! There’s something familiar about it. It looks homemade, without lifetime guarantees, kind of like mine. Did you design it yourself?

I’m looking for baggage that goes with mine.

Dreams Are Realized By You!

Live in the Present to Live Your Dream

Life is one hell of a gift, and a gift is a present. This moment, right now, is the present. The present is your dream. Live in the present to live your dream.

Sweet dreams, everyone!

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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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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.

Subscribe to Devilish Smirk to receive notifications for new content.

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Life is an Opportunity to Live

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Opportunities knock all the time, but it’s not always easy to know which ones to grab. Right or wrong, every opportunity is a chance to learn. The more we learn, the better we become. Sometimes, being better requires us to feel worse than ever before.

Onward and upward!

I’ve spent a lot of time wishing I’d made better decisions in life. It’s fun to think about how things could be different if I only just…

However, that’s a waste of time. My past made me who I am today. Now is not the time for coulda shoulda woulda didn’t stories. There’s no sense beating yourself up over shit you didn’t do. If you want to change anything, apply the knowledge gained from the lessons life has given you and commit to being better – not bitter.

Nobody lives while dwelling in the past. Nobody lives being trapped in a loop. Nobody lives when they’re not present. I’ve been there. It’s a self sentenced purgatory. Being alive without living is a lonely place. Eventually, I had to ask myself, “Do I want to live life or lose it?”

I Chose to Live

In June, an opportunity knocked hard and loud and it was unlike any other before. How it happened is another story for another time, but a friend of mine was hell bent on leaving Arizona. Scottsdale held too many reminders of things gone wrong for both of us.

We needed to go far away with relaxing with beautiful beaches, surrounded by the blue water, where people appreciate life. Somewhere disconnected from the U.S. version of the real world; a place completely different.

One place came to mind; a tucked away island in the Caribbean, the smallest U.S. Virgin Island known as St. John.

It started as a bad idea. Within 24 hours, we were in flight to paradise. Nothing says ‘I don’t give a fuck’ like booking a one-way trip on a private jet. If my friend is one thing, he’s fearless.

I had a breakdown that morning. It was the craziest turn of events I’d ever witnessed. He was dead serious and I was waiting for the punchline. I didn’t even pack.

My younger self didn’t need to remind me what to do with this once in a lifetime opportunity.

I had 30 minutes to throw my shit in a bag and hop in the car.

Back to Life, Back to Reality

After 68 days on St. John, I returned to Scottsdale. My friend stayed. It was an opportunity for which I will forever be grateful. It inspired me in ways I never expected. The trip changed my life. It reminded me that it’s good to be alive.

Wake Up, Travis!

It’s alive!

Ok, so you’re not technically an ‘it’, but your life is. This is it! Does it get any better? That, my friend, is entirely up to you.

This is your dream life!

You – yes you – the person reading (and writing) this right now – we’re part of a unique team brought together (or otherwise connected) by incredibly rare circumstances that led us to the right place, at the right time.

Coincidence? It doesn’t matter. Somehow, we’ve crossed paths and it’s about time we have this conversation.

You sacrificed a lot in life early on. Remember? It doesn’t matter what you could have done different. We can play that game for the rest of our lives. Right now, it’s sudden death and the net is wide open. Missing this opportunity is unacceptable.

Life is what you make it so make it great. Your own story should inspire you. Focus on what matters, stay positive, and roll with the punches. Nobody said this would be easy!

They Knock so Softly

You are your #1 priority. Timing is everything and your time is now. Always look after #1. Know how to put your self first without being selfish. Then, you can be selfless. The more you help yourself, the better you’ll be helping others.

Pay attention to your state of mind. Don’t lose sight of your goals, sacrifice your happiness, or devalue your worth. Always exercise your mind. Spend your spare time doing things that make you feel something. The fall from the cliff hanging above rock bottom is hard and fast. Stay on top.

Ditch the device life. Technology is useful if you know how to use it. There’s a vast difference between the world I see outside than the world I see online. Go see for yourself.

Be better than good. Good things happen to good people, but being good is only the beginning. Actively participate in life. Stay aware of your surroundings. Treat others with kindness. Honestly is the best thing for sleeping well at night. Know yourself by being self aware at all times. Most importantly, do the right thing.

There’s nothing more embarrassing than getting caught up in some bullshit, so stay out of it.

Nurture friendships. Who wants to be alone? Nobody. Reach out to an old friend right now.

Always ask, “why?” Curiosity won’t kill you, but lacking it will.

Do everything with confidence. Confidence is sexy.

Laugh. Every. Day.

(Try laughing at yourself)

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