★ HAPPY SUNDAY ★
Welcome back to On the Desk Of. In latest essay, Hacking Leadership: 3 Ways Managers Fail Their Employees, I talked about ways I failed my employees in the past, and the lessons I learned from it. I wanted to introduce a new weekly series, Sum of Somethings (SOS), where I list all of the things that inspire me weekly. Hope you enjoy the edition!
In the meantime, find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. :)
Welcome to Sum of Somethings aka SOS. This is my brand-new weekend series of everything that has occupied my brain this week. I thought it would be fun to write about everything I learned and loved. I hope you enjoy. :)
❁ Something I’m working on ❁
It’s official. Bond is FINALLY here. Well at least the waitlist is ;) Go sign-up for it here.
I am always looking for questions to ask my team to understand them & their goals better, but I could never find anything that was either work appropriate (like I used the game We’re Not Really Strangers in the past and had to discard several cards from the deck) or anything that went deep enough (like what’s important to them, what are they looking for, what do they enjoy doing the most, their thoughts on what we could be doing better as a team).
And here comes Bond, where I’ve decided to create my own list of questions where I can not only combine my own experience but also the research studies I read and write about.
Also quick side note - It has taken me weeks to find a site to put my waitlist on. But thanks to a Reddit user, I FINALLY found one where I can create a landing page + gather emails. It’s called waitforit.me. Go check it out if you’re looking to do the same.
Anyway, go sign up for Bond here!!!
★ Something that inspired me ★
I recently came across a list of quotes from Kevin Kelly, an executive for Wire Magazine. He wrote little bits of advices he wishes he would’ve known sooner in life - here are some of my favorites (for where I am right now):
“making art is not selfish; it’s for the rest of us. if you don’t do your thing, you are cheating us.”
“what you do on your bad days matters more than what you do on your good days.”
“your time and space are limited. remove, give away, throw out things in your life that don’t spark joy any longer in order to make room for those that do.”
“the consistency of your endeavors (exercise, companionship, work) is more important than the quantity. nothing beats small things done every day, which is way more important than what you do occasionally.”
❁ Something that made me think ❁
A Cheat Code to the Universe - A Guide
Lately, I’ve been feeling so happy(!!!), and I owe it to this guide. It’s called a Cheat Code to the Universe - someone created a Google Doc of their lessons to “unity and higher consciousness”. And honestly, I feel like I have felt so much better taking in the principles of this guide the last few weeks. Check it out here.
★ Something I’m reading ★
Book I Finished This Week: Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
This is the third and final installment in the Things We Never Got Over series. I actually finished this book this past week. This series has the perfect blend of romance, crime, and family. I love how all of the characters are in their 30’s and 40’s, and it just makes me happy that they all found love.
I stopped reading novels for a while and exclusively only read non-fiction books, but I missed the emotions, stories, and character arc’s in novels. And I’m so glad that I started with this series to get re-introduced to fiction. Check out the first book of the series here. :) and let me know if you’ve read it (I know BookTok loves this series so I would love to chat about it with you). And send me your favorite romance novels!!
Currently Reading: The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
I’m in the beginning stages of this book. I haven’t read the synopsis or anything about it, but it feels spiritual. I’m actually excited to see what it has to offer. I’ll report back next week with my thoughts.
❁ Something I’m listening to ❁
Str8 Outta Mumbai - Jai Paul
I was at a restaurant last weekend, and a random man advised that I listen to this Indian artist that he loves. I didn’t think anything of it as I don’t really listen to Bollywood music, however, I decided to download the album he suggested anyway. Who am I to deny art?
Well, needless to say, I am I loved what I heard. Jai Paul produced his first album in 2013, and after it was leaked, he took a 10 year hiatus from music and didn’t return to the scene until 2023 at Coachella. Literally his first performance was at Coachella for music he released a decade prior. How insane? I guess he still had a loyal fan base after all of these years. After digging deeper, I saw that Drake sampled his song BTSTU in Dreams Money Can Buy when that song was still on YouTube (before Drake released Care Package in 2019).
My favorite song by him right now is Str8 Outta Mumbai - I love the Bollywood touches and the artistry behind it. Anyway, go give Jai Paul a listen!!! ♡♡
★ Something from me ★
Ending with a thought from yours truly.
Something I’m currently learning is that you create your environment and in turn, that creates your life. I genuinely think I’ve failed to recognize how much control I have over my environment and what I’m capable of.
I’m find that a controlling environment will confuse you. It will make you feel like you have parameters over your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and dreams. It will feel limiting and exhausting. And that’s not a way to live. At the end of the day, it’s a choice you have to make. To allow that into your life or to not.
I think life is supposed to be exciting and joyful. It’s going to sound cheesy, but idc. I genuinely think it’s about pouring love into everything and everyone. Like I said, you create your environment, which in turn, creates your life. The goal isn’t to receive love but to create it. Sooo, pour love into your life. You owe that much to yourself ♡
Thank you for reading this edition of SOS. I loved writing it. As always, with all of my posts - this is how I feel right now in this moment. I’m excited to see how my thoughts and viewpoints might change with time. I hope that they do - as it embodies growth. Message me & send your thoughts my way!!
XOXO,
Pal