John Blakley shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning John , we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I am most proud about holding myself to a higher standard and building my character. As we know, one’s character is “who someone is when no one is watching” and it has always been my goal to be the same person on and off the screen. In other words, the reason why I am the person on the screen is because of the shadow work, discipline and accountability that I uphold off the screen. This has required of me to be intentional about my thoughts, actions and life, believing that usually the right thing and hard thing are one and the same.
Everything in this world exist in dualities – there is a consequence for every action we commit. Knowing that this is an inescapable law it would behoove you to want to make the best decisions for yourself, for others and have a growth mindset towards every area of your life. We live in a system of destruction and over consumption. Will you succumb to the things of this world to be liked and not marginalized? Or will you take the higher path, the path of least resistance and elevate in order to make your reality and the world a better place? You can identify with this physical reality, find momentary solace in people and vices and harken to the things of this world but just know you will receive your karmic consequence all the same. When we covet these things, because we choose not to fortify and cultivate our mind, body and soul, the more we all cast this world into an abyss.
There is an easy way to live and a right way. What is easy is reflexive, but it is so important to always consider the long term. Even in the bible, Jeremiah 32:18 states – God shows lovingkindness to thousands of generations, but also “repays the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them”. Our consequences do not only affect us but are even tied to our DNA and can present itself in the form of maladies, disorders and similar reflexive responses that are illogical with the direction of our offsprings objective reality. Nothing is “lost” under the law of action and consequence; everything is accounted for – always do your best to be your best regardless of people watching you or not.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is John Blakley and I am the Founder and President of JSpeaks – my YouTube Podcast. The core purpose of my channel is to proliferate positive, motivational, educational and informational content. What makes my platform different from what is out there is that I am determined to give voice to the 99%. Starting out and in the beginning stages of JSpeaks I took a long moment to study some of our great talk show hosts such as Oprah Winfrey, Trevor Noah etc. Something I noticed about all of them is that they tended to invite onto their show, and deemed “worthy”, people who were glamorized in society – Hollywood stars, famous athletes and artists, high net worth individuals, anyone who went viral for any particular reason etc. I am not discounting these individuals and I am sure all of them had to work hard to get to where they are now but I truly believe that there are hardworking, passionate, caring people everywhere who get overlooked because they do not have a million dollars in their bank accounts or a million followers on social media but are still making a huge impact within their respective communities. I sincerely believe that these people deserve to be recognized, congratulated and spotlighted so that they can motivate others to do the same and not quit!
That is when I noticed what was truly missing from mainstream talk shows and that is – “relatability”. I believe it is hard for the common person or viewer to relate to guest appearances who have garnered so much fame and fortune. I am not saying that their accomplishments are bad and not worthy of praise but I do believe that there is a modicum of disconnect. We spotlight way too often people who have already “made it” and I think it is time to spotlight those who are “trying to make it” and are working just as hard, if not harder than celebrities, to make a transformative difference in their respective communities. That is why I decided on my tagline, “Real People. Real Conversations. JSpeaks.” and strive to live up to it with every episode I roll out. The conversations and people that I have on my channel represent authenticity, relatability and your everyday, hardworking American who is trying to make it. It is my charge to find these changemakers, creatives & entrepreneurs, nonprofits, business owners, therapists and the such and spotlight their stories, impact and knowledge for the greater good of the world! With this reasoning being the bedrock as to why I started my channel, it is my mission to connect, educate and empower the world one spotlight at a time and it is my vision to leave a lasting impact on the world that challenges people to think, consider and better themselves.
Recently, I have branched out into tech, digital space to provide additional services, outside of interviewing, in an effort to support my interviewees, or any small business, nonprofit or individual who is making meaningful change. The services that I provide include but are not limited to: graphic design, web development, app development and digital marketing.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
My ego (earth-guide-only). My ego had to be released.
Yes, you must have a little bit of it to keep moving but when you let it get out of control and take the driver’s seat, it is only concerned with “me”, “I” and “self”. I needed to release this way of thinking because my platform is not primarily for my benefit but for the benefit of my interviewees, the people I am serving and my audience – that will always be my focus. Of course, I want my platform to grow, reach millions and empower the world and I strongly believe that it will happen, but at the rate that it is meant to unfold.
All great things take time, but the issue is everyone has different expectations as to “how long is too long”. It is easy to convince yourself to give up when you feel like “you deserve success” because it’s been “so long” and you have been working “so hard”. In a world where people can get millions of views and reach stardom from a whimsical, 15 second video, it is easy to self-compare and spiral downward. But again, that word “easy”, feeling low is “easy”. Our egos biologically want to protect us – protect us from feeling embarrassed and hurt (physically and mentally) and reflexively it will want to take the driver’s seat of your mind and halt everything to stop the pain. You must rise above this instinctual urge and counteract it with positive mindful habits. I strongly suggest:
Celebrating small wins
Be intentional about setting goals throughout your day, outside of your purpose. Set goals like “walk 5k steps today”, “go to the gym”, “clean my living space” etc. and when completed take a moment to CELEBRATE YOU – celebrate strengthening your discipline, accountability and for doing something that you did not “have to do” with positive words of affirmation and positive self-talk. You will come to find out that when you are intentional about setting goals and consistently doing activities that are not necessary you will ultimately blossom into a new version of yourself and pick up better life habits, all of which will be fruitful to yourself and to your purpose!
Practicing delayed gratification
We live in a “I want to have it now, and if I do not have it/get it now then there is something wrong with me” world. Delayed gratification gives you proper perspective and influences you to detach from worldly metrics and success and you will begin to think, “I (actually) do not need it now to be happy”. Our happiness should never be tied to the external – acceptance, objects, success – but it should be tied to the relationship that we have with ourselves, the awareness that we have to our truth. Sometimes I overlap celebrating my wins with practicing delayed gratification. For example, after completing my work for the day, and it is time for me to normally eat, I would deliberately choose to run errands, walk or both and have my meal be a “reward” for completing my goals. Overtime the closure and confidence that you instill in your brain that “everything will be okay and does not have to happen now/fast” through your positive, daily habits will inevitably spill over into how you approach your purpose, helping you to waiver impending mental storms.
Our minds have the power to uplift us or cause us to spiral out of control. It is up to us to put our innate urges, reflexes and instincts under subjugation in order to take our power back to propel us forward.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me that success is a journey not a destination and the only way out of suffering is through suffering. In every journey there will be ups, downs and plateaus – that is inevitable no matter what you perceive to be true online. How we react to the circumstances along our journey is our choice. We can choose to be sad, mad or frustrated, which is fine if we do not wallow in it, or we can use the opportunity to learn, grow and pivot if necessary. If I started my entrepreneurial journey and immediately went viral, I would have struggled with failure. Failure is not bad, suffering is not bad, it’s all about your mindset and what you choose to do about it because discomfort is the doorway to a potentially stronger version of yourself. As the great Nelson Mandela said, “I never lose. I either win or learn”.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
Fads are temporary, rely on public approval and social incentives. Conversely, fundamental shifts beget a transformative change in character, consciousness and one’s belief systems – whether accepted by the masses or not. When you commit to a fundamental shift you have an understanding that to receive something new you must let go of something that you know is holding you back. This takes availability, obedience and the sheer desire to want better for yourself.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What will you regret not doing?
I regret not being able to make impactful donations to the professionals, nonprofits and small business owners that I have interviewed. Entrepreneurship is far from easy and I had to make serious adjustments in my life to keep going but that has always been something that I have wanted to do through my platform. Hopefully one day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aboutjspeaks.com
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- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jspeaks/
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- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLh7C2Hc-IwK4yjpMeUJqcw
- Other: Newsletter: newsletter.aboutjspeaks.com
Image Credits
Demonica Stanley & James Wallace
