Small steps. Great distances.

Miss Nelson is Missing: Growing up I read the book Miss Nelson is Missing. It’s about a school teacher who goes absent from her classroom of disobedient students. The sub who fills in for Miss Nelson is Miss Nelson, but she disguises herself as a woman named Viola Swamp. Viola Swamp is nasty and the children quickly realize how much they miss Miss Nelson. School Days: In 2018 I spent a semester at a local high school facilitating a curriculum for The School Days Foundation. On my first day the students behaved like Miss Nelson’s class before she went missing. But I came back. Week after week, for a full semester, I came back. And each lesson I’d tell the students, “You get out what you put in.” Eventually it became a call-and-response. I’d say, “You get out…” The students would reply, “what you put in.” Then we went on spring break, a nd I took time to reflect on the message. Do you always get out what you put in? Keep Going: Prior to volunteering with School Days, I was living in a tr...

What's  Your Medicine? For me, running is medicine. One  of the reasons why is because running can produce a runner's high . A runner's high is a relaxing state of joy following intense, lengthy exercise. Research to understand this process is ongoing but one thing we already know is that our bodies produces chemicals. And some of those chemicals are known as "happy chemicals". Here's more good news... We Have Resources: Circumstances matter and so does our ability to influence them. How do we access the happiness chemicals? We access the happiness chemicals with the active pursuit of good health. What is the active pursuit of good health? The active pursuit of good health is known as wellness. And wellness is how we take care of our mental health. The happiness chemicals are resources and so are the things that produce the happiness chemicals. For example, running. Respect Your Gift. Big Pharma Robin Hood: Steve Jobs said, "The six best doctors in the wo...

Resourcefulness... We respect our gifts by taking care of our mental health. And we take care of our mental health with wellness. Wellness is the active pursuit of good health: mind, body, spirit. Spirit is the energy we keep, attitudes we carry, values that guide us... Soft skills are an example of spirit, a nd resourcefulness is an example of a soft skill. I didn’t know anything about search engine optimization until I used my resources and learned. Resourcefulness is the ability to find ways to overcome.  I keep a spirit of resourcefulness because it helps me be well.  What types of spirit help you take care of your mental health? Small steps. Great distances.℠ You know... Let's go!℠

Respect Your Gift's mission  is to move the culture of mental health toward wellness.  Wellness is the active pursuit of good health: mind, body, spirit. And wellness is how we take care of our mental health. A culture of wellness is value-based and solution-focused. It’s about building a strong foundation, influencing our circumstances and celebrating our mental health by taking care of it. When we’re talking about the eight dimensions of wellness we’re talking about taking care of our mental health. And that’s an approach that can move the culture. Small steps. Great distances.℠ You know... Let's go!℠

Perspective is Priceless... “It’s about finding the best version of yourself and doing what you can to bring that version out.” When we focus on mental health’s value we tap into a motivation to take care. And how do we take care of our mental health? Wellness. Wellness is the active pursuit of good health: mind, body, spirit. Respect Your Gift's vision is a world where the culture of mental health is guided by wellness. This priceless perspective from Major League Baseball's Michael Chavis is an example of how we turn that vision into reality. Small steps. Great distances.℠ You know… Let’s go!℠  

I started creating personal development content in  2012 . It took six years and hundreds of  videos   to produce the two most signature things about Respect Your Gift. Motto: Small steps. Great distances.℠ Catchphrase: You know… Let’s go!℠ It took six years and hundreds of videos. Adjustments are part of every process. Wherever you’re at in yours, keep going. Small steps. Great distances.℠ You know... Let's go!℠  

Small steps. Great distances.℠ A bunch of steps in the right direction will eventually lead to a gratifying journey down the road to success... I went to bed thinking about that quote. Specifically, I thought about the business writing class that I took in college, a nd I thought about how that class taught me I needed to work on being concise. The quote was too long. How could it be shortened? Then, before falling asleep beneath the copy of The Starry Night that hung on the wall, it hit me. Small steps. Great distances.℠ True Greatness Is Forever: Normally, I’d get up and write a thought like that down. Instead, I fell asleep confident that I’d remember it in the morning. The next day I recorded the original Small steps. Great distances. video. It was part of a weekly series that I released on Fridays called True Greatness Is Forever. That was January 17th, 2014. Three years later  I found a purpose in mental health. Coincidently (or not), it was January 17th, 2017 when I rebrande...

What is optimistic mental health? It's how Respect Your Gift champions the topic and motivates people to take care. And it's  defined by the same brand attributes used to design the R.Y.G.  logo : Optimistic Perspective:  We draw positive associations to the topic of mental health.  Foundational Value:  We use those associations to reenforce the idea that mental health can be foundational and to build value. Value is what motivates us to take care of our mental health.  Celebratory Tone:  We celebrate our mental health by taking care of it, and we take care of our mental health with wellness. Wellness is the active pursuit of good health. In general, Small steps. Great distances.℠ represents the process. With regard to mental health, Small steps. Great distances. represents the process of taking care.  The small steps are how we take care and build a foundation of strong mental health. The great distances are what that foundation can support: From...

The Respect Your Gift logo was inspired by three brand attributes that define our messaging: 1. Optimistic Perspective: Optimism supports effective communication. Respect Your Gift uses an optimistic perspective to communicate the value of our mental health. The color white represents optimism. The depth in the stem of the Y represents perspective. 2. Foundational Value: Mental health is foundational and can support everything from enhancing our lives to saving them. Respect Your Gift believes this approach creates value and that value motivates us to take care.  The block at the base of the Y represents foundation. The color navy blue represents value. 3. Celebratory Tone: We celebrate our mental health by taking care of it. And we take care of our mental health with wellness. Wellness is the active pursuit of good health: mind, body, spirit. The Noir Pro typeface represents Celebratory Tone. Noir Pro is described as “having organic personality with a touch of warmth”. ... The dev...