Minus Green is inspired by the color PINK. Pink does not exist on the light spectrum. It’s an illusion! If it were to exist, it would be considered the absence of green, or minus-green. Pink teaches us to do our own thing, on or off the spectrum of life. It inspires us to be true to ourselves. That’s a pretty powerful message from just one color! 

 

What’s awesome about you is you’re already Minus Green. But if you’re honest with yourself, do you think you could be a little more like pink? How many times do you think to yourself, “I wish I could do this,” “I should have done that,” or “I used to be like…”? Why can’t you do this or that? Why might you compare yourself to how you used to be? Finances? Fear? Failure? Funny how these words all begin with “F.” We are conditioned to avoid getting “Fs” in life. What we need to remember is Failing is the first step to succeeding. 

 

How many people jump on a skateboard and become instantly amazing? You fall. A lot! It hurts. It’s frustrating! What’s amazing about skateboarders is their persistence, determination, and humility. They keep pushing until they perfect their new trick and encourage others to do the same. Skateboarding is just an analogy for any new endeavor. There is no failing when you keep picking yourself up to become better. 

 

This week Minus Green encourages you to try something off the spectrum of your own comfort. The hardest step is the first one, but YOU GOT THIS! Find something you’ve always wanted to try—a new food, different hobby, place you’ve always wanted to visit—and DO IT. We all have different means, physically, mentally, financially, so don’t compare yourself to others and say you can’t. And yes, life is weird right now (thanks COVID), but we are all finding ways to adapt. Look at your own means and find a way to make your wish list a DO list. 

 

Be more than just yourself. Be honest with yourself and give yourself the gift of trying. There is NO possible way to fail at that. Be Minus Green and STAY AWESOME!

 

 

Find this inspiring? Please let us know what NEW thing you’re trying next! Share this and keep inspiring others! 

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Finding your niche brings you opportunities, but does not define you

@cassbargell—Finding Your Niche

When you were in high school, were you able to choose one path that would carry you to places unimaginable? How many kids dream of becoming something BIG, like the next LeBron James, Bill Gates, or Taylor Swift? I remember being a teenager. I thought I knew all the answers, when actually, I knew nothing. I couldn’t conceive of understanding anything about the future. I had no concept of smart decision making. That is all too common for young people, which by the way, is totally okay and very normal. However, sometimes you get lucky and find a niche early on; a niche that brings you down a road to personal success and self-discovery. In this case, it wasn’t simply luck that brought Cassidy Bargell down her path, but her uncompromising efforts to be the best version of herself every day. 

 

Cassidy Bargell is a sweet intelligent person from a small mountain town in Colorado. In her hometown, people ski in the winter, hike in the summer, and wait for the first snowfall in fall. That’s the way of life in Summit County. Not for Cass, though. Cass created her own lifestyle that set her on a trajectory that many dream of and few reach. She found rugby. When she casually picked up rugby with some friends, little did she know she was on her way to becoming a world class athlete. 

 

Rugby has given Cass countless opportunities that most people simply do not see in their lives. She has competed with and against professional idols worldwide, played rugby on all continents (excluding Asia and Antarctica), registered for the Olympics, oh—and was recruited by Harvard University. The list of Cassidy’s UNBELIEVABLE accomplishments could go on and on. What’s amazing about her, however, is not only what she’s done and will do, but how she is able to be so successful. 

 

Cass has an incredible innate drive to continuously evolve and become the best version of herself every single day. She is goal oriented, forward thinking, and her own harshest critic. Every day is a new opportunity for her to improve, expand, and grow. Her desire to make herself better in all areas of her life is what sets her apart from others. This is a recipe few truly possess. Her push for excellence is inspiring for everyone. She is a role model not only for the next rugby generation, but for everyone who knows her. 

 

Although rugby has given Cass many wonderful opportunities, we can’t forget that it was Cass who chose rugby as her means to get to those places. The paradox to Cass and her identity with rugby brings a set of different challenges. Without rugby, who is she? One thing that’s clear about Cass is that rugby is a means to highlight who she is, rather than define her. Rugby is the vessel that brought her incredible experiences, but she’s always been the driver. She is intelligent, tenacious, and well—simply a badass. Rugby just happened to be the perfect platform for her to harness her natural abilities. Now that she’s in Harvard (winning championships, of course), she’s learning to let go of her rugby-identity and finding new ways to explore who she is through academia.  

 

If there is one thing we can all learn from Cass, it’s keep pushing hard through all obstacles life throws at us. Things can be really challenging. Even when you love something and are great at something, the going gets tough. For Cass, choosing to become the best version of herself every day is not always easy—but it’s the best way to evolve while staying true to herself. If that’s not Minus Green, I don’t know what is. Cass, you are amazing and inspiring to everyone! Keep being yourself, and STAY AWESOME! 

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“A day without laughter is a day wasted”

@nickgarofalo10–Compassionate Comedian

When people are asked to identify inspiring people, the idea of influential personalities with a list of credentials and accomplishments usually comes to mind. We think of athletes, political figures, artists—we think of martyrs and people of the past. We often overlook someone who may be young in their list of accomplishments, who may not have much to offer on a resume. Those people we glance over may just be the most inspirational of all. Minus Green challenges you to take a deeper look at those around you. You may be surprised at how amazing so many people are!

 

There is one particular young person I find truly inspiring. Nick Garofalo. He’s a student, athlete, artist, and likely professional comedian (one day!). What makes Nick interesting is not necessarily his credentials, but his spirit. His spirit is genuine and uncompromising. His quirkiness, defined by humor and compassion, is contagious. His life goal is to bring joy to others. He is selfless in that way. He would rather be laughed at than no one laughing at all. “A day without laughter is a day wasted,” is his mantra. 

 

Humor and art are his main forms of communication. In a private Q&A with Minus Green he said, “I tend to make fun of myself or use myself as an instrument to make others laugh. I think laughter is one of the most obvious signs of joy, and I genuinely love to make others happy.” 

 

Nick is pursuing a career in sports psychology. He’s fascinated by people and passionate about the juxtaposition of the mind. Often athletes’ mentalities can greatly affect their performances. Sports psychology will give Nick the opportunity to help others find the best version of themselves. That’s pretty inspiring stuff!

 

As we get older, we all seem to realize the road is never quite straight and narrow. It is a Fun House-style path that brings us to destinations we sometimes never intend on getting to. Whether or not Nick becomes a sports psychologist is not the point of writing about him. It’s the essence of why. 

 

Bringing laughter and joy is the gift Nick brings to others, simply by being himself. He’s amazing for regularly thinking of others, their happiness and mentality, before thinking of his own. Uplifting others and making them laugh is what leaves him feeling fulfilled day in and day out. If that’s not Minus Green, I don’t know what is.

 

And who knows.. Maybe we’ll see him on SNL one day. STAY AWESOME! 

Do you know someone AMAZING? Someone inspiring and awesome? Send Minus Green an e-mail [email protected] and tell us about this person! We love to spread individuality and good news about good people. Be yourself & STAY AWESOME. 

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Matt Levine

@matty_in_lovecity

 

It’s my absolute pleasure to have the first Minus Green blog-style nomination to be Matt Levine. Matt is one of the most genuinely authentic people out there. Aside from being devilishly handsome, he is an unwaveringly talented chef. He’s cooked (more like created) in restaurants all over the place from Asbury Park, NJ to Philadelphia. He’s worked in iconic places like Johnny Brenda’s and even been on Food Network! 

 

Matt is fearless by nature. He’s always being innovative, hardworking, and playing hard. He never judges, accepts all for who they are, and certainly does not compromise any ounce of who he is. He is just an awesome dude. 

 

If you’re in the Philly area, find him on Instagram, drop him a line. Find out where he’s cooking, and seek him out! If you’re lucky, maybe he’ll have a beer with you too.