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studio notes,

April 15th, 2025

5:58am Pacific Time

Irvine, California

What a ride these past handful of days have been for me. I've reimagined my personal brand to be personal. (shocker, right?)

I've begun creating a ton of stuff that I'm pretty excited about, found clarity in my business...

I think the key to all of this so far has been truly letting go of "What I should be doing" and instead freeing myself from the idea that I "should be doing" things because of what other people might think.

I know, I preach this stuff. In fact, I've even coached a handful of people threw it personally, but for some reason I was so stuck in this idea and didn't even realize it.

How do you let go when you've cut off all senssation to the part of you that's holding on?

Imagine for a moment that you're holding onto a rope. You're gripping it tightly... and with each passing minute you grip it even tighter... tighter... tighter...

Your hand becomes red,

You've lost all feeling,

You're focused on what's in front of you...

You go to walk towards the things you want. For me? It was a slow morning on a Monday where I could dream up creative ideas.

... but I when I took a step forward to go towards that dream monday, that's right in front of me... I'm yanked backwards.

It's the rope I'm holding so tightly onto that I simply forgot about it. I simply lost feeling to that part of me that's holding so tightly that even my eyes can see what I want, but my body won't move with it.

Can you relate?

What might you be holding onto so tightly that you simply can't feel that part of your body anymore?

What might you be holding onto so tightly that everytime you attempt at taking a step forward, you're jolted back?

Here's the thing, letting go isn't enough to break the "chain" so to speak.

You've heard the story of the elephant that was chained up for years...

He had a tiny 5 foot circle radius he could walk with his chain.

Eventually he grows so big the chain breaks, but the elephant doesn't escape, it's mentally still trapped in this circle.

Why? Because he's accepted this as reality.

He's given up hope of more.

He's... done.

As I've realized that the rope I was once holding so tightly is no longer there, I'm actively reminding myself that the rope is no longer there.

In hopes I myself don't end up like the elephant.

- Cole Vandee