This newsletter, celebration of life, On Deck
Weekly musings week ending 8/30/2020
If you are reading this straight from your inbox, congratulations! You are one of the lucky hand-selected folks I’ve given the privilege of subscribing to this weekly newsletter! (No shame unsubscribe button if you just would rather not.)
Why this newsletter
Here’s a copy paste of the About page of this newsletter:
I’m starting with max 20 important people and I have no big, hairy, audacious goals to grow 10x that. Only as organically as people desire.
TBH, the major impetus of starting this is for me — social accountability, better writing & deeper reflection. But perhaps, along the way, there’s a resonating piece of vulnerability, a nugget of existential wisdom or a random funny story that turns out to be valuable to you, too.
In the spirit of all things tech, I’ll structure this newsletter in the form a retro - what went well 👍, what didn’t go as expected/are opportunities for growth 👎, what are your next goals/what’s up next 👉.
👍 What went well: On Deck Fellowship
Couple weeks ago, I found out I got accepted into On Deck - a fellowship program for founders who are “on deck” to start their venture. Yes, I’m on deck & thinking of making the jump before the end of this year.
We had our virtual kickoff on Saturday. I was SO HAPPY to be around such a wildly ambitious community with strong visions of the world.
I’m looking to build my startup in the passion economy space. I believe that everyone, no matter where their passions lie, should have the proper chance at doing the thing they love while making a living.
In particular, I’m looking at the space for creators turned teachers — how might we help creators teaching regular live classes in music, drawing, cooking, improv, etc. easily find students and make a living? Have ideas or people to talk to? LMK!
👎 What didn’t go as expected: Passing of a loved one
Last, last Friday, I found out about the devastating passing of my tita Milet. She’s one of those not-blood-related titas (aka aunt), but family nonetheless. The past week was filled with trips down memory lane, tearjerking zoom calls with friends & family and ugly crying in solitude.
A few of us cousins spent last Thanksgiving with her at her home in Austin, what was to be a yearly tradition. Before that trip, I probably would have remembered her as the independent, really accomplished close friend of my dad’s who told such great stories & had that funny, boisterous laugh.
After that trip, the “kids” bonded with T. Milet as adults, begun a relationship independent of our parents & saw her as more than just an aunt but as a friend. It was a short 4 days, but extremely special. She will be missed.
👉 What’s up next: Rigorous prioritization
These next few weeks, I’m joining OnDeck, putting up the Cognity Labs fellowship program, reigniting regular dance practices & launching a big, new feature at work! This week is a start to what’s to be a busy next few weeks and will be a masterclass in prioritization. I need to start early and in particular:
Learn to say NO -> reduce FOMO, don’t overcommit
Focus & not get distracted on unimportant tasks -> close more tabs, follow the checklist, decide on top 3 priorities of the day
Deprioritize -> depending on how this week goes, I’ll need to make a harder call on tradeoffs & commitments
First update, done (TBH I can’t tell you how long I’ve been procrastinating to write this)! Always looking for feedback & hope you’re doing well wherever in the world you are.