Last week, Graham wrote an article for Revolution.is. For those unfamiliar, Revolution.is is a website featuring "weekly stories from change-makers and culture-shapers." We ran across the site a few months ago, and it's been a must-read ever since.

Click on the image below to read the rest of Graham's article.

Congrats Graham on being featured! Great job!

Be sure to check back with revolution.is for their challenging and inspiring stories; they typically post twice per week.

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(This post was originally posted in an old blog Kyle and Graham started when Life Equals was a different branding. For simplicity, the company and product names have been updated. No need to create confusion. We thought we'd share these posts as a tribute to where we came from, and also to share a little bit larger view of our story. Enjoy!)

Last week's retreat was amazing. Being in the mountains always is.

Two things that I was deeply reminded of while gone was the simple need to observe & recognize beauty, as well as to take time to pursue one's passions—those life-giving activities that, for whatever reason, bring a smile to our face & a lightness within.

For me, those two seem to intersect in photography. Behind the lens, I slow down enough to actually see what's around me. So, I just wanted to share a few pictures from my trip.

Canon EOS 50D, 30, F/22.0, Canon 50mm 1/8 lens, ISO: 3200

Canon EOS 50D, 1/4000, F/11.0, Canon 50mm 1/8 lens, ISO: 400

Canon EOS 50D, 1/500, F/5.0, Canon 50mm 1/8 lens, ISO: 400

Life is beautiful. LIFE= Beauty.

There is no doubt that life is difficult at times, but beauty is always around is; it is something with which we interact every day whether we recognize it or not. I hope today you pause, even for a moment, to recognize the beauty around and the beauty within you.

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(This post was originally posted in an old blog Kyle and Graham started when Life Equals was a different branding. For simplicity, the company and product names have been updated. No need to create confusion. We thought we'd share these posts as a tribute to where we came from, and also to share a little bit larger view of our story. Enjoy!)

In a few short hours I am heading to the beautiful state of Colorado.

This is never a bad thing.

I'll be there to participate in a retreat centering on personal growth and transformation. In addition to the teaching, we'll also be placed into groups to discuss and engage with the topics at hand. I'll be with the same group for the duration of the weekend and these groups will then connect via Skype twice a month for the 6 months after the retreat to continue on the journey of change together.

I'm rather excited by this opportunity for a few reasons:

It's in Colorado. In the mountains. In winter. Seriously. Beautiful!
I generally geek out about living my best & then using my life to leverage change in the world. So, things like this get me excited.
Part of the requirement of the trip is that we have to turn off our cell phones & laptops. My email/text/twitter usage has increased dramatically the last months as Life Equals has grown; to be offline for 5 days... honestly it sounds difficult but refreshing.

As I prepare for the trip, two words come to mind: solitude & perspective.

Henri Nouwen, in his beautiful little book the Way of the Heart, says of solitude:

Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self.

Being in Colorado with 50 other people on a retreat isn't full solitude, but getting out of town & turning off my constant communication devices is certainly a step in the right direction. I hope these simple acts will help to bring about perspective — a step back from my life & Life Equals to see with a wider lens. In doing so I hope to discover how I can live more fully & healthy, as well as engage those around me to do the same.

In short, this retreat is one simple living out of Life Equals' core belief:

a better you creates a better world.

I'll be sure to update everyone with how it went. Maybe I'll even throw up a few pictures!

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(This post was originally posted in an old blog Kyle and Graham started when Life Equals was a different branding. For simplicity, the company and product names have been updated. No need to create confusion. We thought we'd share these posts as a tribute to where we came from, and also to share a little bit larger view of our story. Enjoy!)

One might think that coming up with the initial idea for a product or business is the toughest part. Once created you just sit back and watch everybody love it, buy it, and tell all their friends.

That hasn’t been our experience. At the time we thought idea generation was the hardest part. We were wrong. The toughest part is the gap between creation and everyone loving it.

The process that takes you from idea to success is oftentimes winding and unknown. The one thing that has helped us find our path and condense our ideas is feedback. Even if we make the best product on the planet, if we don’t understand how to convey that to our customers and understand their needs, we will be sunk. Or worse yet, we would have a really great idea and no way to implement it.

Hearing from the people who use our product has given us much needed direction. I would like to thank all those who have come into our process to help us improve our product and better convey our message. Your influence and feedback has helped us see our company with fresh eyes and realize the changes necessary for our success.

Thank you.

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(This post was originally posted in an old blog Kyle and Graham started when Life Equals was a different branding. For simplicity, the company and product names have been updated. No need to create confusion. We thought we'd share these posts as a tribute to where we came from, and also to share a little bit larger view of our story. Enjoy!)

Kyle and I are two relatively high-energy people. We are enthusiastic and passionate and tend to dominate whatever conversation we happen to be in. It makes for an incredibly dynamic friendship and business.

We love working together.

Surprisingly, one practice we’re really poor at is celebrating. We don’t do it very often or very well.

When Kyle and I went to see the Social Network in an act of celebration it was a rare thing. Probably one of only 2 or 3 times that we’ve intentionally celebrated what we’re doing and what we’ve done in the last year and a half of our business.

That’s no good.

The temptation is to wait to celebrate until something huge happens or the business is completely done. The problem is that there’s always more to do. There are always more goals to accomplish, besides, maybe something bigger will happen next month. Nothing in a business is ever done.

Celebration is easy to delay.

It was refreshing for Kyle and I to cut out for a weekday matinee rather than just stopping early to do our own thing. The reason being is that the act of celebration served as a mark that we had accomplished something, that we had achieved a goal, and that we could sit back (for a little bit) to enjoy that accomplishment.

Set goal. Accomplish. Celebrate. Repeat.
It’s a really good rhythm for business... and life.

Life Equals Blog

Graham's Revolution.is Article

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a retreat... revisited

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a retreat

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feedback: the key to identity

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celebrate!

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