GRAYT PEOPLE: Jimdre Westbrook | Best-Selling Author & Entrepreneur

When the world aims to define the pace of living, it’s often hard to find the will and The strength to live at your own pace. Jimdre Westbrook, best-selling author & entrepreneur, has made an impactful living out of encouraging others to live at their own pace–whether it be embracing virginity, embracing professional success, or walking into destiny.

After catching one of his interviews on KVBC Channel 3 News Las Vegas, I did more research and realized I came across Jimdre’s story last year. In the span of that one year, he’s released a best-selling book Hashtag Motivation & Hashtag Love, opened his flagship store for his LAYOP brand in Container Park Las Vegas, and much more. Excitingly, I had the opportunity to learn more about Jimdre’s journey, his personal graytness, and ascertain concrete perspectives for success. With 10 questions, explore Jimdre’s GRAYT PEOPLE profile, below:

INTRODUCTION:

1. What compelled you to pursue a career and/or vocation comprised of writing best-selling books, “On Time Success” motivational coaching, and entrepreneur of lifestyle brand, LAYOP?

JIMDRE: Since the age of 16, I’ve always wanted to do my own thing, my way. I never wanted to fit inside a box made by other people. Becoming an entrepreneur seemed ideal so I went with my gut and made that my ultimate mission. At first, I just wanted to become a clothing designer. People like Russell Simmons, Puff Daddy and Jay-Z were my initial inspirations. These three successful businessmen looked like me. They talked like me. They were from inner cities just like me. Each of them made the impossible happen, which led me to believe I could do the same. I always knew it would be extremely challenging to pull off entrepreneurship successfully but it never scared me away. The idea of achieving while striving for greatness was too attractive to say no.

Once LAYOP was able to position itself within the top ranks of Las Vegas lifestyle streetwear brands (we recently opened up our flagship store inside Downtown Container Park in Downtown Las Vegas), I was able to create another platform, Worth The Wait Guy. This was not a part of any of my original plans. WTWG was God’s engineering – He’s the head architect. I’ve been so blessed by the entire experience of sharing my story as a 32-year-old virgin living in Sin City. I’ve went from blogger-motivational speaker-best selling author-life coach all in 2.5 years. God is good!

JOURNEY:

2. How were you able to surpass any of your own doubts or the doubts of others to embark on journey?

JIMDRE: My foundation and support system allowed me to surpass and overcome any doubts in life. God is my everything – He’s my rock. He’s the reason why I’m still alive today. With God on my side, I’ll always be good to go, no matter what I face in life.

I made two life-shaping decisions as a teenager. At 14, I made the decision to wait for sex until marriage. At 16, I made the decision to become an entrepreneur. Throughout the years, I’ve had hundreds of people tell me I would be a failure at achieving both feats. I never listened to the negative loud noise because my positive support system has always been louder.

Two months after turning 30, I was involved in a hit-and-run car accident by a drunk driver. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I didn’t see it coming. My life literally went into slow-motion like it was a movie scene. I could have died a 30-year-old virgin. I could have left this precious world without saying goodbye to my family and friends and hello to my future wife and kids. Surviving that horrific crash with only minor injuries, I don’t have any doubt that I will continue to make my dreams and goals come true.

3. What are three (3) values you have brought with you from your upbringing that are significant in shaping your perseverance towards fulfilling your purpose today?

1. Respect Everyone. My parents always preached about respect. They commanded and demanded respect. They were and still are my role models. My sister and I were truly blessed to have the model of respect living inside our household. They treated everyone with respect and it was great to see that growing up. They never had to be evil or fake to get respect. They were real and genuine and respect came naturally.
2. Education is Key. My parents were college professors and education was everything. In order for us to play outside, we had to take care of business first (homework and chores). Getting good grades were expected and if we ever had any issues in school, our parents actively participated in making sure we received adequate help. No matter what career field we entered, we needed to understand the importance of education and use it to our advantage.
3. Like those who like you. This one is my dad’s favorite line. It seems so simple, yet it’s difficult to follow at times. We’ve all been there before where we like someone or something that doesn’t like us back/like us as much as we like them. We end up trying too hard or overextending ourselves for no reason. When we do this, we neglect the things or people who really care about us.

GRAYTNESS

4. What do you identify as your differentiating factor among other authors & entrepreneurs?

JIMDRE: I believe my purpose and passion are my differentiating factors among other authors & entrepreneurs. Everyone has their own purpose and passion in life – even if you haven’t discovered it yet. For me, my purpose is to be a true testimony that living life at your own pace actually works. I have faith in all mankind that living at your own pace is attainable. The powerful choice is yours – you have to make the decision for yourself and be consistent with your choice every day.

Because of my purpose, I’m passionate to deliver on that daily purpose. I feel that I’m responsible for always being an example of LAYOP. Each day, I work tirelessly improving and getting better and better. I’ve accomplished many things but the job is not complete. I’m humbled by the journey every day.

5. Considering your commendable Worth The Wait journey & tremendous professional success , what advice can you give on the importance of persistency and commitment in pursuing one’s personal [graytness]?

JIMDRE: Being persistent and staying committed are the main ingredients in pursuing one’s personal [graytness]. It’s like baking a pound cake or frying fried chicken, you need flour and some type of seasoning to make each properly. That’s what persistency and commitment are to achieving [graytness] in one’s life. Without the two, I would have never been able to walk this walk with God. I would have given up years ago if this was all on me – I’m not strong enough by myself. Being consistent and having the utmost faith in His word helped me tremendously.

6. What are three (3) routine practices you implement to ensure your purpose in life consistently aligns with your profession?

1. I always start and end my day with prayers. Sometimes I might pray during the day. You can never have enough prayer in your life. It’s my personal time with God and I need that in order to be the best version of myself.
2. I train my mind, body and soul daily. I love working out daily. I love writing and reading motivational quotes. I love being around positive people. Each day I make a conscious effort to get my mind, body and soul in shape.
3. I appreciate life every day. I want to get the most out of each day. In order to do so, I must take full advantage of the moment aggressively. All positive vibes. No regrets.

EFFORTS & ETHICS

7. What compels you to challenge the status quo of fast-paced living, in Las Vegas & nationally throughout society?

JIMDRE: I believe we should all challenge the status quo daily. We were all placed on this earth to do so much more than follow the status quo. The greatest part of me being WTWG is I get to be ME. This isn’t a character. This isn’t me playing a movie role. This is all I know and who I’ve been my entire life. I enjoy challenging us all, including myself, to be great in everything we do.

I was told by one of my good friends that I was the antithesis of Las Vegas and it’s 100% true. I’m honored and humbled to show the world that other side of normalcy.

MOTIVATION

8. What are three (3) impacting scriptures/quotes/mantras that you use to guide your life?

1. Romans 12:1-2. It’s my favorite bible verse because it highlights exactly what I’m going through every single day. I’m giving my body to Christ as a living sacrifice and allowing Him to renew my mind through transformation. Pretty cool stuff!
2. Live At Your Own Pace. I think you guys get the point by now lol!
3. #StriveForGreatness. I use this hashtag a lot when posting via social media. It’s a hashtag LeBron James uses frequently. I stand by the #StriveForGreatness movement. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. Day in and day out, climbing that mountain of greatness until we reach the top.

9. What is one show (episode or series), song, movie, and/or book that has motivated you to motivate others through fulfilling your dreams?

JIMDRE: There are so many! However, one that sticks out is HBO’s “How To Make It In America”. That show was LIT before Lit was a thing. It was the true story of the spirit of LAYOP Clothing. It was so inspiring and real. Praying we finally get a Season 3 of Ben and Cam!

10. What was one moment of personal failure or personal success that would motivate someone else to continuously press towards fulfilling their dream?

JIMDRE: When I first launched Worth The Wait Guy, I wrote a weekly blog post for an entire year, without missing a week. I was very consistent and always talked about different topics each week. I didn’t know who was reading my blog posts! There were times when I didn’t want to post anything. The creative juices just weren’t there some nights but I still got it done. Because of my hard work and dedication to the blog, I was researched by Steve Harvey’s production team to be a guest on the Steve Harvey show. I passed the test and appeared on the show for a virgin dating segment.

After that episode aired, my life completely changed. I was featured on essence.com that weekend and received over 300 messages in one day. From that point, I knew God had a BIG plan for WTWG and my life. The great news is that he has a master plan for you too! Stay humble. Stay hungry. Stay focused!

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[GRAYT PEOPLE] Profile Series curates an informational collective of inspirational individuals who have shown what it means to mobilize confidence to challenge [GOOD] and mobilize courage to champion [GRAYT]—highlighting their past, their journey to their [graytness], their efforts and ethics, their motivation, and their aspirations.