Food For Thought No. 10
Hi everyone,
Welcome to our 10th Food For Thought newsletter. I was intentionally quiet over the break as I really needed time to restore. I had not realized what a toll 2020 had taken on me and how little time I had given myself to reset and replenish. It was nice to unplug.
Starting back up again feels good! The first thing I want to do is wish all of you a Happy New Year! Thank you for being on my journey in 2020 and can’t wait to grow with you in 2021.
GC's 3-2-1 newsletter usually comes with 3 ideas to explore, 2 things to read/watch/listen to, and 1 question for you.
To mark our 10th newsletter — I wanted to explore the 10 biggest lessons I learned in 2020, 3 things to read to start the new year, 1 question for you to reflect on … and 1 invitation!
EXPLORE
I. Flow
My one word intention last year was flow.
Here is what I wrote about it last Jan:
“I recognize that I need to be in a *FLOW* zone to do my best work. This intention encourages me to set the initial conditions to create that state of flow - where time suspends and you can go deep into your work. This word also reminds me to trust my intuition when things feel right and they flow and when things feel off and feel stuck.
This little word got me through the year in powerful ways. It allowed me to rise when I needed to, let go when I needed to and also enabled me to do my deepest work.
II. Finding opportunity and beauty in chaos
Last year tested all of us in profoundly deep ways. Life was scary, hard, incredibly inconvenient AND …..
It was also full of opportunity and moments of beauty.
In chaotic times, immense opportunity exists to re-imagine and create new behaviours and ways of living. Chaos is a force function for change.
It was also in the chaos that I was forced to find beauty in simpler, more mundane things - walks with my family, simple home cooked dinners, lots of time in nature, rekindling my relationships with siblings, and harnessing connection and community.
III. Abundance is a state of mind that really changes the way we behave, act and feel.
As an immigrant to this country, and someone who has truly felt what it is like to worry about survival, this one was a big lesson for me this year. I have, for a very long time, been someone who has always strived and worried about having enough. Last year, while hard to do, I tried to find abundance within and constantly reminded myself how deeply grateful I am for what I do have.
I want to stress that in these very difficult times, shifting from a scarcity mindset is extremely hard to do and not easy for many people. It is next to impossible to live from a place of abundance when not having the financial means to live is a reality. I don’t want to underestimate how many people are in this circumstance including some folks who read this.
However, there are many people who are reading this newsletter that even though they have enough*, they still have a scarcity mindset where nothing is ever enough.
This past year also helped me redefine abundance to mean so much more than just money but rather to include freedom, giving, love, health, spaciousness, connection and safety.
IV. Timing really matters - being early to a point of view gives you advantage
I was reminded last year of how timing matters - being in the right place at the right time can be very fruitful if you take action. To do this, I learned that you need to reflect often and early, have hypotheses, and act quickly on placing bets. Ideally you want to create asymmetrical bets where the upside of placing a small bet can far outweigh the downside. Doing this can earn you tremendous advantage.
I think we all got schooled on this with COVID - you just need to look at how some countries were able to stop the spread of COVID much earlier and faster than others.
V. Living in alignment with your values is the single best way to find peace and happiness
When I reflect on the lowest points of my year - it was where I found myself in situations that did not align with my values - in these moments, I was the most restless, agitated and stressed. It was my lack of courage to find my way back to alignment and to have the hard conversations that caused me the most suffering.
VI. Plant lots of seeds, some will grow now and some will resurface much later
After I left Wattpad 5 years ago, I allowed myself to explore passions, curiosities and many different opportunities. I planted a lot of seeds. During this last year many of the early seeds I planted made sense to me in new ways. We are the sum of our experiences and networks and we never know when these seeds will bear fruit — it often is not linear.
VII. Follow your dreams with calculated risks (use the regret minimization framework)
Last year I had a hard decision to make between helping a phenomenal, exceptionally well funded company transform and grow or starting my own company. It was not an easy decision. I loved the experience of leading transformation and growth in a safe and secure environment and yet, my whole life I had wanted to be a tech founder. It pained me to make this choice. The way I resolved the conflict was using this regret minimization framework - what would I regret more? Taking the risk and trying my own shot of being “in the ring” or taking the safer, more certain route? My decision was to follow my dream as regardless if it worked or not, at least I would have tried and the learning and experience will be priceless. Most of my life I have been in the stadium (supporting innovation), but not “in the ring” (being the founder) and this year, I am choosing for good or for bad to be “in the ring”.
VIII. Our biggest growth comes in our darkest moments
Last year tested all of us. It was in my darkest moments that I was forced to be reflective — to call on the ancient wisdom of how to handle tough times that made me grow. While I don’t wish for us to live in these trying times forever, I am truly grateful for the growth I experienced through it.
IX. Nothing is permanent
I really understood last year that nothing we have is permanent. How we feel, the circumstances we are in, the society we live in, our health, our relationships — are all impermanent. And while this may seem scary, it “just is”. It is in how we choose to live with impermanence, that defines the quality of our lives. Choosing to cherish and feel grateful for what I have everyday honours this impermanence and choosing to remind myself that what is not great is also not permanent helps me flow through the hard times a little easier.
X. Generosity and helping others brings a lot of joy and purpose to our lives
And last, my happiest moments in 2020 came from being generous — to myself, to family, to people in need, to my colleagues, and to this community. Generosity is about sharing ourselves, giving people space to be seen and heard, radiating love, offering safety, being kind and offering support. It is hard to be generous to others when you aren’t generous and kind to yourself first.
Thank you all for being so generous with me — for giving me time and attention, for giving me a purpose to reflect so deeply on my life and for allowing me to be so vulnerable with all of you - thank you for bringing me so much joy.
READ
I. What is Going to Happen in 2021 by Fred Wilson
I love reading Fred Wilson’s annual predictions. This one in particular gives me a lot of hope and excitement for this year and also pause for reflection on some hypotheses for what 2021 will hold.
https://avc.com/2021/01/what-is-going-to-happen-in-2021/
II. Endnotes on 2020: Crypto and Beyond by Vitalik
Vitalik shares his very poignant thoughts on what’s to come in the changing world of economics, digital nationalism vs. nations, the rise of of crypto, and the proliferation of big X….
https://vitalik.ca/general/2020/12/28/endnotes.html
“Often, the boundary between multiple intersecting worlds is the most interesting place to be.”
III. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse
A beautiful book that my friend Nicole Kagan bought me for the holidays.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole.
“Kind,” said the boy.
Charlie Mackesy offers inspiration and hope in uncertain times in this beautiful tale of a curious boy, a greedy mole, a wary fox and a wise horse who find themselves together in sometimes difficult terrain, sharing their greatest fears and biggest discoveries about vulnerability, kindness, hope, friendship and love.
Buy it here.
REFLECT
What were your top 10 lessons in 2020? How are you going to elevate your game in 2021?
Share your thoughts with us on twitter @gamechanger_co.
INVITATION
We are launching our very first GC Mastermind — I invite you to join a group of authentic, conscious leaders in an intimate, immersive experience to elevate your game in 2021!
We are actually sold out for our original quota of spots (we already have 15 people attending) but have decided to open up a few more spots for the community if anyone still wants to join.
This mastermind starts Monday 11th, 2021 at 7.30PM and runs each week for 4 sessions.
In this mastermind, we will …
> Reflect on our learnings from the highs and lows of 2020
> Let go of all that is not serving us
> Set our intentions for 2021
> Re-connect to our highest purpose in life
> Get clear on our 2021 vision
> Design supports and rituals to help us be our highest version of ourselves in 2021
Each session is 1.5 - 2 hours long. All that is required is an internet connection, a quiet spot, a journal and a deep desire to elevate your game in 2021.
You should apply asap if this interests you as we can only accommodate a few more spots.
Price: $499*
*Scholarship available and details in application
Thanks for reading and being a part of our community.
Hope to see you next week — Monday Jan 11th at 12pm — for our session with Vicki Saunders on Leading and Thriving in 2021.
Wishing everyone a great week.
Best,
Candice
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P.S. You can watch all previous Gamechanger Sessions and see highlights on our website.