September Progress Recap

“Expect life like sandcastles — all is temporary”

A common theme that I’ve been noticing since coming home from traveling, is the tendency to hold on to the past. Perhaps it’s because of being back in the city for the first time in three months. Or just trying to get back to my routine and I default to the old way of doing things.

The first two weeks has really been a struggle. It’s a mix of dullness, loss of hope, and going through the motions combined in a way that I can’t describe. It’s one that has made me concerned about my mental health. Also, a deep yearning for someone so close yet so far away.

Staying in the past causes a lot of grief, though reminiscence in the moment feels nice.

I’m in a much better place now and have gone back to restarting from a blank slate where I’m reevaluating and reassessing my values, routines, etc.

High level overview:

• Highlights: I’m back at it with dancing! I got the unlimited pass for this month and have been going at least 3x a week. It’s the first time that my weekends are so full of pole and I’m really enjoy it.
• What could’ve been better: My last month’s challenge: stretching. I felt rebellious in the last few days and purposely did not stretch. Interesting reaction to explore further in the future.
• September project: Going well! I’m going to classes all the time, re-establishing the basics and learning new things, a newfound confidence in me and my body to remember. Hello, lost muscles 👋.
• Major update: Not a major update in my life, but I am leaving the San Francisco area in a month at the end of October to pursue a year of no lease / homes / digital nomadism ✈️. But first! Home to Virginia for a couple of months.

Lessons

On life:

• There doesn’t have to be a reason for anything. you can feel sad while everything else is going well. Things can just happen unexpectedly. An important question is : do you have the support system to get through that?
• Giving business coaching at Defy Ventures: imagining life if you were remembered for your worst mistake. Visiting the prison challenged my assumptions, made me feel so much closer to humanity, and helped me meet some of the kindest and genuine people ever.
• The way that things around me can look so vivid, once you see it, you can’t unsee it. How beautiful.

On business:

• “The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow”.
• Challenging myself through workshops + partnerships may be the way to go for my personal and professional growth. I’ll be featured in a couple of in person and online events in the next two months.

On careers:

• To get good at something: you need to not only focus but also obsess
• Value isn’t how much you’ve met your goals, BUT how much others benefit from the work that you’re doing 😲 (mindblown).

Favorite discovery:

• Ravi’s meditation class: coming from the heart. Every session, it stirs something deep inside up and tears just start welling up. I was surprised to experience that “the heart is not just woo-woo” but that there is such a thing as trusting the heart. Your intention (mine is warmth), dictates your attention. Still trying to wrap my head around the belief that I have everything I could ever want, right here, right now?

Books I’m reading this month:

• How will you measure your life?
• Great at Work (thanks Spencer for the rec!)

Next month’s goals:

• Connective experiences: giving 2 talks / workshops on One Month Projects.
• Growthful impact: zero-ing in on the one value I want to provide during an intensive 2 week mastery bootcamp
• Self-expression: follow the heart and express what I need to express before I leave the Bay area.
• Monthly project: going around with the mindset that “I already love you, I just haven’t found the reason for it yet”.

Thanks for reading! This is #15 of my monthly progress reports, as inspired by the One Month Projects program. You can read the previous month’s here :)