Bold Journey sits down with Ryan Dills

Hi Ryan , thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
Well, first off- it’s better than the alternative. But truthfully, I simply try to be mindful of the energy I put off while also reading the room to ensure I’m adding positivity rather than negativity towards others and/or a particular situation.

Growing up around the mentality, ‘if ya have nothing good to say, then keep your mouth shut,’ I developed a focus on situational awareness and apply that the best I can as often as possible. Being present and having a mindfulness towards objectiveness does help me immensely in such regards as well. I looked up to many folks during by formative years and there was definitely the underlying idea of ‘being mindful of tomorrow without sacrificing the beauty of today’ and that always stuck with me.

A mantra of ‘aiming for the stars while being mindful of the flowers at your feet.’ Life is a beautiful thing, with incomparable loveliness within and around us, and oftentimes such can be lost as we wade through our humanness and the many perceived challenges presented while trying to navigate this game of existence. So being optimistic, or maintaining a sense of optimism, requires work and a mindfulness of habits as well as humility and accountability, and thanks to those along my path, optimism became an essential mindset to counter life’s hardships, and I make great efforts to ensure such an ideal is never far from my focus, thus self-care and surrounding myself with folks with similar outlooks help me do just that.

I feel we all have an inherit optimism that’s built into our consciousness, as life and many of its processes are the epitome of hope and expansion, of progress and adaptability, of love and goodwill; so basically I try to keep my ego/humanness in check, allowing optimism and similar energies to maintain their presence.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I co-own/manage a hemp business in the heart of the South- Atlanta Georgia. We have 4 brick & mortars currently, with a strong online shop/presence, as well as support area events where we often have a table setup of products and information.

We entered this space with a focus on education and accessibility, intent on providing customers with alternatives to traditional pharmaceutical therapies. Though such options have a purpose for sure, it’s typically better suited from a short-term perspective whereas cannabis/hemp is much more holistic and health-minded- having less long term detrimental effects on bodies/organs.

The Georgia Hemp Company is our flagship brand, and Sympleaf Wellness/Sport is more wellness focused. We’re excited to announce that we recently became the official CBD brand of The Atlanta Braves, launching a 1500mg cbd oil, and will be adding other NSF-certified products under the Sympleaf Sport umbrella in the months to come.

Our current locations are in Sandy Springs(inside perimeter on Roswell Rd), Woodstock(near Trickum/Walmart), Decatur(Church St near Emory), and Duluth(off Sugarloaf Pkwy), with more locations to come. Our websites are www.thegeorgiahempcompany.com, www.sympleaf.com, and www.sympleafsport.com.

We feel health should have a more sustainable, natural, and sensible approach, with more focus on quality of life rather than bandaiding a situation, so yes- big pharma plays an important role, but when industries are fueled by profits, the customer typically isn’t at the forefront of anyone’s concerns. We aim to help change that.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I’m big on the ‘inches lead to miles’ mindset. Stay consistent, persistent, and try to always make progressive type efforts daily towards your priorities and the reality you aim to create.

Be kind & respectful towards others. This includes empathy and accountability. I try to always be mindful of different perspectives and how to find common ground, be it in line at a coffee shop, or across a table in a board room.

Borrowing from the 4 agreements, don’t take things personally. Or at least try your best as such can be quite the challenge. But most energies being projected towards you, whether directly or indirectly, are just that- projections of what another person/group is experiencing internally or within their bubble of the world. It’s not personal and never was. Such an approach helps to limit defensiveness, limit the escalation of unfavorable energies, and helps product empathy and sensitivity towards another’s plight.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
It’s a challenge to narrow this down to one but one does stand out- a focus on self-reliance and accountability. Yes it’s important to work with others and to allow others to help you along the way. I feel a healthy level of independence and self-reliance is essential as you create and develop your role within your home, your work, and your social circles. Others definitely amplify your happiness and effectiveness, and I feel being mindful of not attaching your entire identity and/or happiness onto another person or group is important as well. Balance is certainly key but in general, being taught that I’m the writer of my story, and that being proactive/engaged will limit regrets with the mirror has proven to be a welcomed impact as I’ve navigated both my personal and professional paths.