Last updated on April 3rd, 2021 at 08:56 pm
“You feel the pressure? Man, I know the pressure.”
— Drake, “Views”, Views (2016)
If 2015 was the year with the world as my oyster, indulging in travel and extravagance to keep the brand growing, 2016’s the one that brought me back to Earth, life with two kids completely changing the way I do my hustle.
It’s been one helluva year, though—alongside the new addition to the family, the blog’s been booming with new opportunities, not to mention the full-time job that rarely kept its hours to 9-5. I’ve veered away from my comfort zone with series like Tales from the 2.9, broadening my world in a plethora of ways, and though I didn’t see it coming in January, it was shaping me up to become a very different Casey Palmer by the year’s end.
But the clock’s ticking—though enough bloggers are in denial, thinking the gravy train’s running forever, the #BloggerLife’s only got so much of a shelf life, and soon enough it’ll be time to move on to the next thing.
Hustle Game Strong—Because a Dream Without Effort Will Be Forgotten by Morning.
“Don’t give ’em too much you
Don’t let ’em take control
It’s one thing you do
Don’t let ’em taint your soul
If you believe in God
One thing’s for sure
If you ain’t aim too high
Then you aimed too low…”— J. Cole, “January 28th”, 2014 Forest Hills Drive (2014)
The Devil must hate me, for my hands are rarely idle.
It may seem like I’ve been silent of late—I mean, it’s been a couple of weeks since I last posted—but the grind’s been real behind the scenes.
After writing (and turning) Thirty-Three, I found myself without the words to put my best work together. Clouds hung overhead—series I never finished, ones I never did justice, and though well-intentioned, ones I never got off the ground; an older me gets not everything I write is fit to print.
What I want to write are masterpieces.
The written word’s going the way of the dodo, and it’s no news to me that there’re so many options to pursue. Before passing in 2013, Lacey always said I had a voice made for radio and should run a podcast of my own. My crew at TELUS eagerly await my video début, convinced that a blend of cracking wise and family life could be just what YouTube’s waiting for.
But as much as I’d love to show I’m no one-trick pony and won’t shy away from any microphone or camera you stick in my face, I’ve got a completionist’s soul, and know I can’t truly move forward until I deal with all the work that keeps holding me back. The 100+ drafts sitting on my blog, waiting for me to get my act together and make something of them. The unanswered emails and to-do lists that multiply faster than I can tackle them. It’s all part of a hustle that never really sleeps… so I’ve gotta keep pushing my boundaries ’til I find the balance I’m looking for.
Hustle Game Strong—It’s All There for the Taking If You’re Willing to Reach.
“I’m forever on my hustle
Forever on my grind
Forever gettin’ money
So forever I’m shine…”— Slim Thug on Big K.R.I.T.’s “Now or Neva (Remix)”, XXL’s 2011 Freshman Class: The Mixtape (2011)
So what can I tell you this August?
That with more Caseys, I’d live this #BloggerLife the way I really want. That I’ll need to hold myself accountable for making the right decisions if I ever plan to realize the world I know I can build. That even if the world tells me I’m too hard on myself and should relax now and then, I’d better stick to my convictions so I never find myself looking back and wondering, “What If?”
It’s August 2016—the time to show the world what I can really do is long overdue.
I hope you’re ready.
Until the next,
