It's musing time <3

👀 My Musings

I'm writing this very spur of the moment because podcasts don't usually have those nuggets I love, but this one did: Hank Green Unpacks YouTube's Biggest Problems (40:59-42:18).

For those into the creator landscape, it's worth listening to the full 130 minutes of it (or reduce the friction and listen to it at 2.5x speed as I did 😏). But the gist of that segment was that for creators, there's a "relative zero" once you get to a certain level. Hank mentions that if he got 80,000 views on a video, that would be worryingly low; or if Mr. Beast were to get under 200 million views, that'd be concerning. In the past, those kinds of numbers were insane to them, but now, it's just expected.

This is SO translatable to most people in some form, even if not in the content creator world. I've been working toward finding the harmony between ambition and taking a moment to smell the roses for the last 6-8 months. On a daily basis, I have so much gratitude for doing the work I love with people I admire, but it's the personal pressure of always expecting more of myself. I have big dreams of wanting to scale all the organizations I work with faster, focus more on my side projects, and all the things. Usually, that means if there's a win, acknowledging it, sharing gratitude with the amazing humans I work with, and almost immediately getting back to studying for that next exam or not missing that next deadline. Because I see a lot of what I'm up to as my "Relative Zero," I do have to intentionally sit back and recognize that 17-year-old Sonali would be all "THIS is what you're doing? I could only dream!"

Recognize Dream Moments

​This segment by Ali really vibed with me -- but think about the dream moments. Think about everything you do that would've blown your younger self's mind. I'm good at having gratitude for the little moments, but I need to do more of sitting in gratitude rather than running to the next thing on my to-do list.

• Pursuing business at UNC Chapel Hill ? Dream moment - literally my dream school.
• Watching YAS' programs/impacts develop to where it is today (for those that don't know, the nonprofit I started when I was 16... check it out!)? Dream moment - 16-year-old me would've never seen that one coming.
• Going to Puerto Rico to spend dedicated time with my best friend? Dream moment.
• Being able to make family a priority? A dream.
• Being able to work alongside so many insanely amazing community leaders I admire, and even just meet some of these amazing founders? Literally a dream moment. I can't even believe they'd look my way 🙈.
• Last week, I applied for this grant, which I've kept my eye on for the last two years. To even have the opportunity to apply on behalf of an organization I so deeply care about is mind-blowing 🤯. Dream moment.

"Journey Before Destination" & the Arrival Fallacy

Okay okay, I know we've all heard this one, but it always makes for a good reminder (we all know it to be true, but then forget it when in the moment). Often, we think, "Oh when we get here" or "Once this happens... then I'll find peace, joy, and spend more time with loved ones." But you can't wait... if you have ambition, work hard, and have big goals, you're just going to keep moving the goalpost further and further away. That's why for this year, I set my goals not just in work (as I usually do), but for health and relationships too (and don't let them be the first to drop 🤨).

Think about the things that make up your "relative zero" and take a moment to appreciate what you're currently doing! Happy Tuesday friends.

🪄 Casual Magic

All the wonderful role models I have in the youth activism space. Genuinely, watching people my age (plus or minus) is the coolest thing, and I draw SO MUCH inspiration from it. Take ten minutes out of your day to take a look at Wawa Gatheru (25) and Sophia Kianni's (22) work!! When trying to drum up inspo before a video grant application or something similar for Youth Ambassadors of Service, I have discovered so many wonderful humans doing great things. Just talking to the students in YAS' programming in itself is insane. I know I'm literally in this work and work alongside so many young people doing game-changing things, but to this day, it still blows my mind. So much gratitude for the moments where I think, "WOAAAA YOU'RE SO COOL" when hearing the stories of my peers.

🧠 Productivity Tip

Daily Highlight: This is the focus of Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky (and a zillion other productivity books). It's the concept where every day, you have one task that you must get done for the day to be productive. It may be write for an hour, complete that rough draft of your paper, or even just "call mom." Of course, there's usually more to do than just that one task, but for this one Daily Highlight, you make it the highest priority task for the day and time block it in your calendar. If you can do the one biggest thing on your to-do's every day, think about the monumental progress you can make in a year!

🥳 Community Event Spotlight

​We Plant it Forward is a nonprofit hosting their Raleigh's Arbor Day right before Earth Day. More info:

Discover diverse ways trees help all of us. The festival will give people a direct experience of understanding the benefits of trees and how to sustain our natural environment. A fun-filled festival with tree giveaways, crafts, tree trivia, music, food trucks, tree care and rain barrel demonstrations, and other fantastic creative expressions that support trees and the natural environment. This event is a call to celebrate trees and create a sense of community purpose toward the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. Link to Information​

Location: Dorothea Dix Park (1030 Richardson Dr, Raleigh)

Date: April 19, 2024 from 5-9 PM

❤️ My Favorite Things this Week

1. 📕 Book - Be a Triangle is a quick and easy read by Lilly Singh, talking about how to find peace with yourself. She shares her own experience with success and how she tries to navigate this new season of life. She looks to triangles to create a solid foundation for life, one that can be built upon but never fundamentally changed or destroyed.
2. 🎙️ Podcast - I'm starting to understand why everyone in business is a big Brian Chesky fan. Brian is the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb! In this pod, he shares about creativity in business, how to create a strong culture, and why people are at the forefront of his work.
3. 📱 Productivity App - I've been using One Sec the last few weeks... it's SO frustrating, but that's why it's so valuable. With One Sec, you can choose apps (Instagram, YouTube, etc.) and set them to a mode that makes you breathe and pause for ten seconds before you're allowed to open these apps. This has especially been helpful as, without thinking, I open apps and start scrolling -- not anymore; it's only intentional now! There's a small subscription associated with it, but it's so worth it since it's saved me ~50 hours since I started using it a few months back.
4. 🎁 Product - I've started using Lakewood Juice to create wellness shots (idea cred to Svea!). I'll get different flavors and add honey, ginger paste, cinnamon powder, fiber, lemon juice, and other things depending on the mood! I've been doing it since the start of the semester, and now I'm HOOKED. It has great vitamins but also makes me want to be healthier the rest of the day.​
5. 🚀 Nonprofit - I​nterAct is a Wake-County-based nonprofit dedicated to ending the cycle of domestic and sexual violence. They do the work to provide resources from a 24/7 hotline to providing compassionate nursing/forensic care to survivors.​

✍️Quote of the Week

“Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.” ~ Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People​