FINDING YOUR RESTLESS SOUL
Welcome to the Restless Souls blog and our Restless Tribe! This organization is young, but I’m ecstatic about where the Tribe will go and who it’ll help. Just as Restless Souls are constantly seeking improvement, these blog posts will hopefully improve in quality as we post more. Whether you’re here because you know us personally, are feeling somewhat lost, or are just curious about what Restless Souls is about, I hope this blog post gets you to stick around and become a valued member of our Restless Tribe.
What is a Restless Soul?
Throughout this website, we have talked about different traits that Restless Souls have. But what is a Restless Soul? When I was first approached to help build this company, he explained his vision to bring together a group of people that have been stuck in a rut for long enough. These people were Restless for something better. When we all have a limited number of days on this Earth, there are few greater offenses than wasting the time we have and the opportunities we have been given. Every day, there are countless people going through life on autopilot, doing the same thing day in and day out, dragging from Monday to Friday just to attempt to enjoy a couple of days before doing it all over again. But there are some who refuse to continue this cycle of monotony. They are the Restless Souls. They refuse to let excuses overpower their dreams and take to heart the words of Charles Buxton: “You will never ‘find’ time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” Unfortunately, we all have been stuck in that cycle, sacrificing another step towards our goals for the lies of temporary excuses. Thankfully, though, recognizing the cycle and being determined to escape it provides powerful fuel to begin your journey as a Restless Soul. Just like mortal life itself, there is no destination at the end of this journey. Restless Souls seek to make the most of every day remaining on this journey.
My History of Cycle Living
The road to finding my Restless Soul has been lengthy. My first real step towards living restlessly began when I joined the United States Marine Corps at seventeen years old. My dream for the preceding decade had been to become a Marine, and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from making that dream a reality. I spent the next four years as an infantry Marine, living the dream I used to long for. I was not ready to live restlessly at this point, though. I’ve found that if we reach for a goal, achieve it, and don’t strive for the next step, we fall right back into the cycle. And while it is commendable for anyone achieving their goals, you have to push for the next one. As stated above, there is no destination. Life should be a constant growing experience. As Muhammad Ali stated, “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” You make a goal, achieve it, and make a loftier one. This was the mistake I made while in the Marine Corps. My dream was to become a Marine for so long that once I had made it, I rested on my laurels. I spent four years moving up the ranks through my physical abilities I had from the start, but never pushing myself to be better in all aspects of the career I had chosen. By the end of my enlistment, I only exercised when I was required to, and I didn’t seek improvement in my career, mental, or spiritual life. I was now right back in the monotonous cycle. Granted, this cycle in the military was more exciting than a 9-5 cycle, and maybe that’s what made it so easy to fall back into it, but it was a cycle nonetheless.
After I was discharged from the Marine Corps, I found myself in the same rut that many veterans find themselves in. This rut is similar to the cycle that many people get stuck in but with some differences that make it seemingly inescapable. Every veteran allows their service to become part of their very being, arguably Marines more than anyone. While serving, you’re spending every day believing on some level that you are doing something important. You are part of an organization much bigger than yourself, you’re surrounded by people that wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice themselves for you, and you’d happily return the favor. They’ve helped you through the hardest parts of your life and they’ve been the cause of your biggest laughs. Then in a flash, it’s all gone. Morning accountability formations and PT are replaced with sleeping in, laughing on the catwalk is replaced with the occasional meme from your friends, and on your hardest nights, comforting friends are replaced with a bottle. This drastic change to civilian life makes the cycle even harder for veterans to escape. I spent many years in this cycle after my discharge. Over the next eight years, I did what the cycle expected of me: I went to school, earned a degree, bought a home, started a family, and found myself a desk job. This also came with gaining weight, not taking care of myself mentally, and letting the days drift by. Throughout those eight years, there were occasional spikes of Restless living, but never a full commitment. There would be a string of months where I took reading seriously or work on my fitness before a vacation. But it was all temporary because my mindset was short-term. It wasn’t until 2024, the year that I turned 30, that I began to understand the benefits of long-term acting and living restlessly.
Finding My Restless Soul
At the beginning of 2024, I felt like I needed to start making changes in my life because I didn’t love who I was seeing in the mirror each day. This sort of feeling wasn’t unique, as I had experienced it in the past. Though, this time carried a little more weight as I was living my final months of my 20s. Thanks to the influences I had around me, I decided to stop drinking alcohol, start exercising, and eat (a little) healthier. I shared these expectations I created for myself with my family, and their support has helped me stay sober for over 200 days. I also reached out to the fittest of my friends and family and expressed my desire to change my habits for the better and for the long term. The reception and support I received from them helped me build habits that would lead me to lose 30 pounds over the following six months. I share these two experiences because I believe they highlight the two most crucial aspects of living a Restless life: 1. Commitment to self-improvement; 2. Community support. Without those two aspects, I would still be back in the cycle I’ve come to loathe. I had begun my journey as a Restless Soul; I just didn’t know it yet.
Miraculously, in the same year, my good friend Cameron Freeland approached me with a business idea. He too had desired to break out of the cycle and not only live restlessly himself but to build a community of those that exemplified the type of people we wanted to be—Restless Souls. The moment he explained it to me, I felt strongly that this was something we had to do. I had seen first-hand the benefits of using a community to help you achieve your goals, and I knew that a tribe of Restless Souls could spread these benefits to all that need them. While the journey of building Restless Souls hasn’t been easy, I’ve already felt those benefits. My journey continues daily and I’ll do my best to document my peaks and valleys for the betterment of the Tribe. I’m inspired by Margaret Mead’s famous quote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” As Restless Souls, we utilize the tribe to affirm our commitment and, in turn, use our commitment to the tribe to change the world.
Stay Restless
Jordan
