The past 2 weeks, the following took place unexpectedly
- 1 key project failed to take-off
- 2 almost deals postponed
- 3 proposals pending responses
Despite a steady flow of ongoing work and volunteer commitments, plus precious family and me time; I still have free time and energy to redirect.
On the top of my list is to plan my 50th birthday. I am reflecting on the important people in my life and how varied the groups are. I'm making space for family and friends and for once, not throwing one large celebration. Instead, I'll do 5 small celebrations with the focus on experiences that allows us to connect meaningfully. That led me to connect with a few friends who are overseas, so between LinkedIn and WhatsApp, it was done with ease. What I don't take for granted is each friend's willingness to re-connect and how we're talking about meeting somewhere, somehow.
Next on my list is the on-off creative project George and I have been charting - South African version of the Japanese Hanafuda card game. Since discovering the game during our 3 months stay in Kyoto and Osaka in 2023, we have been playing often, making a conscious choice to spend time together (and see who wins that day). With the rich and unique fauna and flora in South Africa, clearly a local version of this historical game needs to be created. We had fun selecting which animals, flowers to feature in the 12 months. Progressing to the design stage is next.
Meanwhile, I continue being the catalyst for leaders and teams to align on meaningful work, while guiding others and self on how to leverage AI safely; observing the changes - technologically and socially. I'm fascinated while concerned, so will continue to refine the distinctions that can be practiced to bring positive impact to society. These moments may appear in a 1-1 conversation, a team coaching, a large group workshop, my own writing, guiding my children; take place in a board meeting, while playing board games, over a cup of tea or wine!
I didn't choose to have the white space now, but choosing to take the space to review what possible, and which potential to realize with more ease.