Jordan Craft
Bio
AZ | Co-Host of Highly Inspired Podcast
www.jordancraft.com
www.highlyinspiredpodcast.com
Stories (27/0)
I Finally Understand Sports Fandom
I’ve never been particularly interested in watching sports, specifically, on television. I had never understood the whole concept of revolving one’s day around ensuring that they’re plopped on the couch at a definitive point in time in order to stare at other humans moving around the screen in contentious ways. My parents always healthily encouraged my brother and I to play sports, so we did throughout all of childhood until college. Although competing came with some low points, in retrospect, I am so grateful for the emotional and physical development that competition provided me. I know that playing a professional sport is a whole other level of commitment, physical labor, and mental fortitude; however, I believe that the exposure I had during my athletic years gave me some sort of elementary glimpse. I played competitive tennis, and my dad also got me into golf at a very young age, so I’ve always considered those two to be enjoyable pastimes. Naturally, since I was more hands-on with them, I knew the professional players in tennis and golf as well. I grew up watching all of the grand slams, major tournaments, and even attended a few tournaments around the US. Besides, the experience of attending an event and watching the sport being played in person is a whole different ball game; hah, see what I did there? Aside from tennis and golf, I was never really noticeably engrossed in other sports leagues such as football, basketball, baseball, etc. And, as many would agree, watching the Olympics doesn’t count. One could say, “oh, that’s the same viewpoint as most teenage girls.” That may have been a factor, but I’ve now put a little more thought into it. Things changed in the past few months as one particular sports team started to attract the eyes, and indeed the hearts, of nearly all Arizona dwellers this summer, including myself. That team has been the Phoenix Suns. After witnessing a rollercoaster of wins and losses, seeing the valley light up with excitement over finally having a talented team to be proud of, and being able to connect with friends, family, and even strangers over the Suns, I feel like I finally understand true sports fandom.
By Jordan Craft3 years ago in Unbalanced
Chasing Epiphanies
One thing in life that fills me with true satisfaction is being struck by an epiphany. For me, the feeling of having an epiphany is a most serendipitous moment of mental clarity. For others, epiphanies are bursts of joy, with dopamine or oxytocin rushes. I suppose everyone experiences them differently. When I gain new insight on a particular aspect of life or discover something that speaks to me uniquely, I come to the realization that I'm experiencing an epiphany. And at that moment, it feels that all wrongs have been righted, and a feeling of wholeness ensues. Thereafter, I become instantly devoted to the corresponding cause or passion ignited by that very moment. And sometimes I take it too far; by either throwing myself into the thought-process so profoundly that I lose touch with reality or, even worse, abandoning previous endeavors or responsibilities to compulsively complete whatever instructions laid out, associated with such epiphany. There have been many occasions where I was unable to catch myself and prevent the continuing of this bad habit. It was only recently that I now realize all of the colors and elements that go into the epiphanies I experience. And the biggest realization of all is that I've caught myself trying to chase them.
By Jordan Craft3 years ago in Confessions
Old Town Orange
Most people are familiar with the saying, “It’s not goodbye. It’s a see you later.” Although I may have utilized that angle while parting from my college friends, I had a much more contrasting reaction when saying goodbye to the physical location of Old Town Orange. I lived in the heart of Orange for the past four years. What brought me there was my enrollment in Chapman University, a school that is a hidden gem. I distinctly remember the first time I flew out to tour the campus. Although I was invested in absorbing information about the school and admissions, and all that jazz, what sold me on wanting to move there was the simply adorable, humble, and subtle town that Chapman calls home. For anyone who hasn’t been to this area, I’ll paint a quick picture for you. The town of Orange is a part of Orange County, but it is NOT anything even close to resembling cities like Irvine, Newport, or Laguna. OC is vast, spanning dozens of miles in all directions, and contains many different beaches. But Orange has no beach; it is much more inland and comes with a bubble-like feeling when you’re there. The city of Orange was founded a very long time ago, actually, back in 1888. In fact, one of the first streets that created the historic district, known as Glassell street, was only a block away from the house I lived in throughout virtually all of college.
By Jordan Craft3 years ago in Humans
Reinventing My Instagram
In no way is this an attempt to gain attention or virtue signal. I just have some strong convictions about social media (Instagram in particular) that I want to document. I’m sure many would agree that a lot of growth occurs in your teens and early 20s. And us Gen-Z-ers have been given the involuntary responsibility to define social norms on these brand new websites. As early adopters, we may not have thought ahead about certain aspects to prevent negative repercussions. Many trends are now so ingrained that they may be nearly impossible to reverse. For me, I had established a presence on this platform that I over time grew to dislike. What started as a fun pastime of posting photos of myself and friends turned into a sort-of numbers game and/or “cool competition” that I now can better understand from an external perspective. A long time ago, I took down all of my photos because it felt uncomfortable having images out there that no longer represented me or my personal aesthetic as I continued to morph and mature. Initially, it was a compulsive decision incited by my frustration, but I continued to keep them off until I felt decisive enough on how to reinstitute posting photos in a healthy way and as authentically as possible. Humility is one of the most important characteristics in the world to me. I look for it in people, try to always embody it myself, and believe it’s a quality that social media lacks tremendously. When I started to feel that what I was posting didn’t come off humble, I felt guilty. There are so many inconceivable problems in this world, and it’s nothing short of a privilege to even own a device that can share content with millions of people instantaneously. Take a second to think about that. Take a second to imagine how much good could have been done in place of the billions of Instagram model bikini photos that have been shared and stared at for hours on end. I might be back with the data on that sometime in the near future; stay tuned. Anyways, back to the point, I am excited to share that I feel very confident in my newfound grasp on what I want my presence on here to be. And what I know for sure is that it’ll be ME. I had been sitting around waiting for some conclusive epiphany revealing what my adult rebrand would be until I realized that it would never come. I will always be changing, absorbing, developing, and there will always be ebbs and flows. Instagram has a knack for only showcasing people’s highs. And even when some of the lows are displayed, they tend to be driven by the motives of attention-seeking, virtue signaling, or gaining humanitarian points. Since we have all become used to social media being a large part of our lives, we should be positive role models for future generations and be more mindful of the external forces outside of ourselves. Granted, there IS a space of pure authenticity here, and sometimes it may be hard to find, but I want to be a part of it. Maybe this caption is a start. I would have never had the courage to be vulnerable and write something like this two years ago. So, to wrap up this little journal entry, I’d like to point out that I’m a person who can represent a multitude of aesthetics. I’m a generalist, one who’s easily inspired, and I deeply care about how people who look at my profile feel after seeing whatever images, videos, etc., that I put out. The thought of posting something that may make someone else feel jealous, inferior, or any negative emotion for that matter (you know what I mean) makes me slightly stressed out, I have to admit. But I will strive to avoid doing that at all costs. Going an extended amount of time without posting much of myself or my life at all was a great experience, and I’d recommend trying it out at some point. It reaffirmed to me that doing this is NOT a social obligation; it does NOT fully define you as a person, and listening to your heart (and also your conscience) is absolutely vital. If you’ve read this far, I want to thank you sincerely. I hope it wasn’t too somber. Instead, I hope this comes off with humility, potency, and charisma. Once again, I’m happy to be back!
By Jordan Craft3 years ago in Humans
Escapism
I've come across a striking term. It's called "escapism". Take a quick second to consider the compounding of the word "escape" with the suffix "ism". In etymology, adding the suffix -ism to the end of a word indicates that the term represents a specific practice, system, or philosophy. Using -ism also suggests that the word is related to a belief accepted as an authority by a group or school of thought. In other words, it is commonly associated with a distinctive practice, system, ideology, or movement. So, we're all familiar with the word "escape". On a day to day basis, we engage in behaviors that allow us to escape from many situations. We escape from doing tedious work by procrastinating and stalling with other activities. We escape tough conversations with people close to us by texting instead of speaking verbally. We escape death nearly every time we drive in a vehicle. And we even escape in little ways by putting off responsibilities, wasting time, and forgetting to be mindful. Now, most people would mainly associate intimidation or dread when coming across the word "escape". From the many thriller films we've watched throughout the years to Dory reading off "ehs-cahp-eh" from the door inside of the submarine when trying to swim away from a determined great white shark in Finding Nemo, we typically partner the sense of anxiety with the act of escaping anything at all. So, why is that? It is remarkably peculiar that this simple word can induce such an intense sensation. I believe the presence of this effect allows it to fall within the category of other emotional trigger words such as surprise, fear, trust, anger, sadness, disgust, etc. Words that instill a particular emotion or set of feelings have a unique nature, and from what I gather, "escape" is even more thought-provoking.
By Jordan Craft3 years ago in Humans
Library Card vs. Debit Card
It’s been roughly ten years since I had my own library card. But I did, for a short time. I vividly remember going to the Scottsdale Public Library with my mom and brother after school to get new SSR books. Although I routinely darted to the section that housed the “Diary of A Wimpy Kid” books, I loved the library as a whole. There was something pleasant about going from the loud, chaotic playground at recess to one of the quietest and serene places we know of, which is intended for maximizing focus. Libraries have always been underrated, and now they’re virtually extinct due to online bookstores and e-book popularity. By the same token, the COVID-19 pandemic forced them all to shut down as well, which slightly hurts my heart. I don’t even know if people possess library cards anymore, but any adult who is alive today knows what their sole purpose used to be. Libraries are the physical version of the internet, in a way. They are places of information. When most people think of a “library”, they think of books. But more than just books, libraries offer people free access to a wealth of knowledge that they often can’t find elsewhere, whether online, in print, or in person. We all need libraries. They are the safe and trusted spaces in every community where we have free access to books, information, experiences, and ideas, but to the expert professional advice and support we all need to help us find the resources we desire. Even if libraries evolve towards existing entirely digitally, which is a high likelihood at this point, the intrinsic premise of their purpose will always be around.
By Jordan Craft3 years ago in Journal
Flow State
Have you ever been hard-at-work on a project and then glanced at the clock and realized 5 hours had flown by, but it only felt like 30 minutes? And you were so in-tune and focused that your perception of time made the hours evaporate? Conversely, have you ever sat in a class where every minute felt like an eternity; and you kept staring at the clock yearning for it to be over? I'd choose the first option any day of the week. These two examples represent polar opposites of a concept known as "flow". Popularized by positive psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Jeanne Nakamura, the "flow state" describes a feeling where, under the right conditions, you become fully immersed in whatever you are doing. This is the type of focus that hard-workers chase on a daily basis—that feeling of being so productive that your mind occupies zero distractions. "There's this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the next, and you get immediate feedback." I came across this concept in a YouTube video discussing the benefits of time-blocking. I had never heard the word "flow" used in such a way before. But it soon made complete sense.
By Jordan Craft3 years ago in Motivation
AlphaGo
The ancient game of Go is probably the most complex game ever devised by man. Invented in China, more than 3,000 years ago, it is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day. It has 10^170 possible board configurations, which is more than the number of atoms in the universe. For those familiar with Chess, Go itself is more straightforward, yet more complicated. Simpler because all of the pieces are the same, just black and white, and in Go, the pieces do not move around the board. The playing pieces are called “stones”. One player uses white ones and the other, black. Players take turns placing their stones on vacant intersections or “points” of the board. Once placed, stones may not be shifted but can be removed from the board if the stone is surrounded and “captured” by the opponent. And when a game concludes, the winner is determined by counting each player’s surrounding territory along with their amount of captured stones. Overall, Go reigns as king of all strategy games due to its mind-boggling number of possible board sequences, complexity, and millions of experts who play the game worldwide.
By Jordan Craft3 years ago in Gamers