🧠 NEW DIRECTION

🧠 Hey readers. BRAINWAVES is getting a bit of an overhaul and one that I know will be very much welcomed by all of you. This newsletter is not just about becoming more creative. It’s about becoming smarter. Smarter with your money, smarter with people, and smarter with using your abilities and talents.

Now with this new direction, every time you open up one of our email newsletters, you’ll be given the exact tools and materials needed to build a happier, more fulfilling, and more productive life. However, I won’t be doing this all by myself. Joining me on this journey is an old colleague of mine, Gisela Jimenez. 

Hey everyone! I’m Gisela. I'm just your average 22-year-old trying to navigate life and make the most of my time between school, work, hanging out with friends, and creating my best self while keeping my social battery charged. I am excited for you all to come along with me on this journey, where I will get to learn more about myself while also dropping knowledge about everything that I have learned so far.

I will be co-writing some of this newsletter to give our readers different points of view on this new direction. Everything that Kyle has to say will be in blue, and my opinions, ideas, and overall perspective will be in pink.

💰 I think one main reason that people have a hard time saving money is that they can’t physically see it in front of them. Personally, I have a job where I am constantly getting cash. There is such a big conversation going around about girl math, and believe me, I feel the exact same way. I know that if I don’t put my cash into my bank account, then I'm definitely going to spend it without keeping track of how much I've spent. 

At the beginning of the year, I budgeted how much I would want to spend per week (Since that's when I get my paychecks) for things that are not necessarily bills that need to be paid ASAP. I decided that I would like to separate my cash into five categories using these amounts with physical envelopes that I can put away: 

Having the cash put away physically in front of my face allows me to see how much I have to pull from. This past week, I had to repair my car, and I was very grateful for this method because I didn't have to worry about where the money was going to come from. I think this way of saving and budgeting is easy enough for anyone to do and shows effectiveness and progress when the time comes for it.

😌 The topic of true happiness is very interesting to examine because I think everybody's on their own journey to find what truly makes them happy. I personally have a lot of anxiety when it comes to things that I cannot control, and I think focusing on the small steps that I can control helps with those stresses.

I know a car breaking down is unexpected and may come at the worst possible time, but I think being prepared is crucial.  It's important to share the story of my car repairs because my car problems led me to realize that my money-saving tips could really help college students or Gen-Z individuals who are trying to manage their money but don't know where to start. My personal happiness kinda comes from the ability to prepare and to be comfortable with my reactions to the things that I can control.

🏛️ With that being said, it’s also worth noting that positively dealing with things outside our control is an entire practice in and of itself. The school of philosophy known as Stoicism was created and popularized by the Ancient Greeks and Romans in order to preserve the wellbeing of others.

They believed that a well-lived life was earned through just the practice of virtue and a strong sense of knowing our human limits. We don’t control the world around us, just our own. It’s important that we wake up everyday remembering that so that we can practice our responses in life when things don’t go our way. It’s rare that becoming outrageously angry in a stressful or unfortunate scenario helps us in the grand scheme of things.

For the most part, it’s our duty to keep our own peace and sanity; yet more often than not, most people continue to allow their everyday emotions to control their physical responses. That’s not to say there won’t be very personal and life-altering events that can cause such emotional responses from an individual. However, the goal is to lead a life where that doesn’t happen as often. You may not be able to control how you feel, but controlling what comes right after that feeling is what matters most in the timeline of your life and all of its events.

elytra ! (@elytrasmind via Instagram) is designing and curating his own clothing brand called BELMONT. All apparel designs are original artworks produced with the signature style that is beloved by so many. The first ever drop is on Thursday, February 22 at 12PM! Mark your calendars for this exclusive event and make sure to cop one of elytra’s killer designs before they run out!

P.S. This is the first time in a long time I did any type of photography work and I gotta say, I’m pretty happy with the result. You’ll see the full photoshoot on my Instagram this Thursday when BELMONT launches. Stay tuned!

🆕 Creativity is a universal language that binds all of us together. You are sometimes being creative without even realizing it. If you picked an outfit to wear this morning, that’s being creative. Fixing an issue that your boss asked you to solve at work is evidence of creative usage. Heck, listing out a custom Starbucks order you thought would taste great is a creative act!

Creativity is self-sufficient. It’s an engine inside you that is always turning, always evolving, and it’s fueled by other creators around you. All of your thoughts and ideas are subconsciously and consciously influenced by the creativity seen, heard, smelled, tasted and touched on a daily basis.

If you ever feel low on fuel and are struck with the infamous “creative block”, your best course of action is to do something new. Talk a walk on a route you’ve always wondered about but never wandered about. Read literature you otherwise wouldn’t think twice about. Listen to music genres you never thought could be possible. Watch that movie your friend recommended to you over a year ago. Seek new adventures with friends and loved ones. All of these and more are the perfect types of cures that fill the lifeless void of the creative block!

⭐️ Just some extra resources we discovered, read, watched, and/or listened to this week that we think you may find just as entertaining or useful as we did.

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📬 Share this newsletter with your family, friends, and any strangers you meet today! Thank you for reading. Until next time :)