Making Time For What Really Matters
I ushered in the New Year in tears. Relieved to bid 2020 a final farewell but still reflecting on the grief of losing my grandmother (without being able to say goodbye), navigating leadership amidst crisis and my personal health on the decline. So this past week was one filled with dumpling-making, dropping off surprise goodie bags at the front door of friends and neighbours, reflection and deepening connection with family and loved ones through ZOOM for Lunar New Year, and thinking of you!
This month, is one I’ve dubbed as the month of love. Self-love, familial love, community love, work-love, etc - whatever shape or size love feels like for you right now. The type of love that I’ve been needing this season is self-love, self-compassion, self-care. It’s not aways the easiest, especially as a recovering perfectionist and workaholic. Maybe you can relate? So here’s a list I’ve created of things I’ve done to ‘fill my cup’ and reconnect with my heart and things that bring me joy. I’m hoping it can do the same for you.
I’ve committed to the practice of ‘snail mail’ since I was in primary school and would send fun surprises to friends all around the world. Someone asked me the other day how I nurture meaningful connection personally and professionally - and my answer has always been this: write a card and write from your heart. Whether it’s a gratitude letter to a long-lost mentor or a ‘thinking of you’ note to a friend, neighbour, co-worker, employee or even a stranger - your words matter.
💛 I’d like to offer to send something in the mail to 3 people who are first to hit ‘reply’ to my email newsletter and share their ONE dream for the year that they wish to take action on along with your mailing address!
I also spent time revisiting the following resources:
The 36 Questions That Lead to Love, originally appearing in 2015 in the New York Times. These are questions that can build and create intimacy between strangers. And then, a website created just for this purpose. You’ll need to set aside at least one hour to go through them.
The Love Map, by Experience Institute. It contains 10 Questions on one side if you’re looking to find love. And on the other side, it contains 10 questions for you to deepen your relationship.
Why You Will Marry the Wrong Person, written by Alain De Botton - which resonated with my belief that any partnership, marriage or business, is about selecting a partner that ‘suffers well’. Someone that can weather the storm and navigate all the ‘worst case scenarios’ by your side, and do it well.
I found this incredibly soothing playlist the other day and have used it when I’m engaging in ‘deep work’ time. I know that there’s a Clubhouse craze sweeping across town but have found listening to my playlist much more beneficial when needing to get things done. I also hop onto this gorgeous website which celebrates the art of shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing” as it’s more commonly known. Studies have shown that spending time in nature can ease stress, bring clarity and boost overall health and well-being! Because not all of us can travel right now or are positioned geographically to a forest, here’s a collection of real forest sounds from around the world that people took the time to record so you can escape into nature.
In a few days, you can ‘listen’ to me share about my experiences building community and creating an award-winning, globally recognised non-profit. I’ve been asked to share about my personal journey, what success means to me and how corporates can better align with causes this year. I’ll be sharing the not-so-fab experiences of leading the organisation and best practices that inspire and give me hope of what for-profit and for-purpose can look like. You can get your complimentary ticket here no matter where you are in the world. Please share it with friends who may find this sharing session useful, too!
I’ve just started on ‘The Nature Principle’ - "about the power of living in nature—not with it, but in it.” Written by Richard Louv who’s previous book created a global movement to reconnect children with nature, ‘The Nature Principle’ talks about how “the future will belong to the nature-smart—those individuals, families, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative power of the natural world and who balance the virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.”
P.S! You may notice there’s a little rip on the cover - that’s because I’ve been intentionally purchasing books from the thrift store or through second-hand sources online. I started doing this the more I spent time amongst the ancient Redwood Forests here - knowing that I must do my part (no matter how small and imperfect) to lessen our impact on Mother Nature. I use Thrift Books, Book Outlet, Buy Nothing Groups and Facebook Marketplace.
I love community. Whether it’s creating, facilitating, building, connecting - or simply being part of one. I wanted to share this helpful resource to you if you’re interested in creating a meaningful community in any area of your life or can be a helpful tool for an existing community you’re cultivating to reflect on where could use a little bit more TLC. Check out the Community Model Canvas and resources here.
In the San Francisco Bay Area (where I’ve been in lockdown since March 2020) - I’ve been intentional about finding meaningful community for myself. And one of the wonderful humans I’ve been able to connect with is Judy Dang. She invited me on her ‘Experts on Call’ conversation series to unpack what ‘overwhelm’ is, how to make time for what truly matters, and what it means to follow your North Star. Click below to watch in under 15 minutes!
This month, my ONE thing that I’m focusing on is intentionally moving my body everyday. My husband and I created a home gym as a Christmas gift to each other. Mine must have gotten stuck in the North Pole and arrived two weeks ago, in time for my February Sweat Sessions. But whether it’s getting personal coaching from Tempo or going for a walk in the woods by my home - I’ve dedicated time each day to movement, stretching, breathing deep and feeling the sunshine on my face. What’s your' ‘ONE THING’ for this month?
My word for the year is ‘Possibility’ and when I created the image below from Neil Gaiman’s words, I’ve been inspired to try new things this year, explore what scares me, create things for no other reason than the process of creative expression. More than anything, I would like to commit to ‘showing up’ fully everyday. In a way, my grandmother’s passing is a reminder - as cliche as it sounds - to live it to the fullest and carry her legacy of love, in whatever way I can. I hope the words inspire you, too, to live life fearlessly this year - unafraid of making mistakes and learning to ‘do it afraid’.
I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to, how I can be of support to you, what type of content you’d most look forward to receiving in your inbox! Just hit ‘reply’ to this email.
Happy Lunar New Year and month of ‘love’. May this year bring you much joy, good health, abundance and peace!
I’m rooting for you!
