Life is a Balancing Act

The concept of balance has been circling back to us lately here at PABS PRINTS . To be the best version of ourselves, we know we have to work in every aspect of our lives. This can feel like you’re being pulled in all directions, especially when it comes to managing your time; you have to decide how you’re going to spend it wisely. We know time is the most valuable non refundable asset there is; once it’s gone it’s gone.

It feels like there’s never enough hours in the day. Fitting everything in your schedule seems like an impossible task, and honestly, we struggle with time management too. For example, our recent shipping times haven’t been as fast as we’d like, and we haven’t been as consistent with our blogs, but we’re working on it! We need to find the right balance of rest, work and play. If we don’t take time to schedule out our days or even weeks then we’ll always be playing catch up. Ideally, we want to get to the point where everything is planned out months ahead so that when things don’t go as planned, we have enough time to adjust accordingly.

A lot of times, looking at the same thing for hours can distort your vision. You ever look at a word so long it starts to look misspelled? If you just take a break or move on to another project, you will have a fresh pair of eyes to approach the task.

We found that some people find it helpful to use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to organize your priorities. It helps you categorize your tasks so that you know how to deal with them.

First, Do what is both urgent & important.

Second, Decide a time for tasks that are important to you that don’t have a deadline.

Third Delegate tasks that can be outsourced so you have more time for more important tasks or for rest.

Last DELETE anything that is not urgent nor important to you.

At the core of Balance is Ying andYang. We are all made up of a light and dark energy; the important thing is that we balance them both and make them flow together, like a dance that lasts forever.

Remember that the rest is just as important as the work, so don’t focus too much on one thing and have fun along the way; you’ll slay those distractions soon enough!

Productive Pothead

I was introduced to flower at a fairly young age, 13 to be exact, and it intrigued me ever since. How could a plant cause so many effects? Make me laugh, my mother to cry, make me friends, spark wonderful ideas and land me in so much trouble.

“Its a Plant! It just grows there and if you happen to light it on fire there are some side effects.”-Kat Williams.

Marijuana was barley legalized in Chicago this year for recreational use, but back in my day it was my number one fear when it came to my parents and the law. I believe there’s a reason why i never lost the urge to smoke; I used to be worried that it would distract me but that was because i didn’t know how to balance it.

We live in a society where the “pothead” is frowned upon because we picture someone who just lays around smoking 24/7 and is full of pipe dreams. Especially in the Hispanic community, more traditional parents find it taboo and consider it to be a “gateway drug” to other narcotics.

Personally, I’ve always found inspiration through smoking, and never once felt like a burnout. But I understand that many can feel burnt out after if the habit becomes too strong. To me, balance is key as it is in any situation: you can smoke for inspiration & stay sober to execute those ideas. With this 420 collection, I came out with everything that I believe would help make your typical pothead’s life a little easier so they can get back to work. Lighter to spark, bottle for cotton mouth, ash/rolling tray for the herb, the smoothest grinder ever and various shirts & accessories.

In the process of marketing my collection I was approached through direct message by this guy who claimed he trademarked the term “Productive Potheads” and threatened to sue my company for use of the term. After making the agreement to take it down after the month was over (which is what i normally do for my collections) it was brought to my attention that bro had barley created an Instagram for his business only some hours AFTER reaching out to me. If you ask me, I believe what happened was that he saw a young talented man build something better with his “original” idea and he was afraid people would never acknowledge him or his “brand”.

Funny enough, I’ve spoken on having the same idea as someone you’ve never met before as well, and this is exactly what happened. The idea came collectively, and my partner and I never once saw his brand beforehand. There are no mutual between us, or any way we would’ve came across the idea. My point is that I was more productive with the concept in two weeks than that guy did in two years (when he claimed the idea was first formed). This only proves my theory that one of my concepts is somebody’s life purpose but i digress, shop ‘pabsprints’ because it has something for everybody and caters to nobody. Make sure you put the Productive in Pothead, and above all else don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something especially people on the internet.

Going into this collection I really wanted to push my tolerance to new depths. I even went to a dinner hosted by @mannyfrom95th with infused Caldo & Ceviche and don’t even get me started on my trip to LA I’m talking joints, blunts & fronto rotating like clockwork! What I love most about weed is its power to bring people together, there’s so many cool people I’ve met from “matching” and its so easy to spark a conversation with a stranger. I encourage you to try it at least once, I understand it’s not for everyone, some people can't handle the sense of vulnerability it brings but if you can get passed that you might discover things about yourself or someone else you never knew. Light that shit, Smoke that shit, Pass that shit! :)

Money Making March

It seems like the whole world revolves around money. Everyone’s always trying to make more of it, make the most out of it, and save as much as they can. The majority of people’s only knowledge of money is basically what we’ve heard growing up. In middle/high school you’re never really taught how to handle it because they train us to be workers and consumers rather than owners and producers; and unless your parents are entrepreneurs, they’ll most likely tell you to keep it in a bank for a rainy day. It can be a touchy subject that’s stressful to some and gets a bad rep due to sayings such as “money is the root of all evil,” but it isn’t necessarily good nor bad; it’s just a form of trade that can be used for either side just like anything else.

To keep it simple, money is a tool that allows us to exchange energy. It’s something we can’t live without, so we might as well learn how to handle it the best way we can. Making it work for us rather than the other way around. After all you can’t take it to the grave so run it up till you double up and so on!

First things first we have to shift our mindset. The goal is to have healthy thoughts when it comes to money and how we deal with it. An abundance mindset is probably the best way to correct some of our negative perceptions that can hold us back from having a good relationship with money. Lets look at life in a way where there’s always enough for everyone who puts the work in; no need to be greedy, jealous, or stingy like Princess Morbucks here.

MONEY CAN’T BUY YOU HAPPINESS

BUT IT CAN BUY PABSPRINTS

SHOP

Instead of thinking you never have enough, start thinking that you always have more on the way. There’s so much money in the world but its up to you to go get it.

How would more cash change or enhance your life? Think about all the healthy ways money would help you and those around you. Would you simply increase your spending habits to keep up people’s perceptions? Rewarding yourself by splurging every now and then is normal, but we encourage you to also spend wisely by reinvesting in yourself and your passions. It takes money to make money.

Reinvesting requires some discipline and self control, but it’ll have huge payoffs in the end that’ll be much more satisfying than-in-the moment urges. So to live beneath your means when you can; this way you’ll be able to save a good amount to use for whatever you think is most necessary.

When you do decide something is worth your money, feel good while you spend it and believe that it comes back to you tenfold! Spend with brands you resonate with like pabsprints because you know you’re supporting a business that supports you as well. Even if it’s not with us we want to encourage you to continue to shop & support small businesses because they have so much more potential to help out the community as opposed to a corporate company that doesn’t care.

If you didn’t already know, the overall concept of money is changing. We’re starting to see “FIAT” money (a government-issued currency) like the U.S. dollar, lose its value more and more everyday so if all you’re doing is saving money in the bank you are actually losing money over time. What you could’ve bought for a few dollars back in 1960 now costs 10 times that. We don’t have all the stats but we’re just saying to do your due diligence and notice this new era where crypto currency is more lucrative than a piece of paper could ever be.

Also research NFT’s! (ehem all my artists). It may be too soon to tell but we have a feeling that in the coming future there will be major changes in what we use for currency (like bitcoin/ ethirium). Money in the end is a social construct; it’s definitely possible for it to evolve. So keep an eye on it and stay ahead of the game!

Here are some lyrics from Kendrick Lamar’s “Cut You Off” that have always spoken truth on this.

“I read about Napoleon Hill and try to know God, they say He the key to my blessings.

And if I speak the good into existence, that instant my dreams will unlock, Money flow like water, I’ll just wait at the dock.”

Let the money flow to you!

We aren’t financial experts this is just from our experiences with money, we highly recommend following up with an accountant or financial advisor.