Realifesations
The collected inspirations of Shu
As I have gone about my life, I have found 3 things to dearly matter: Creativity, Connection, Curiosity.
These aren’t random themes. In fact, they keep coming back to me - like they’re stamped all around the corners of my life. Cornerstones.
I’m always searching for my answers: what to do with this one and only life? How to lead each day intentionally, and what’s the bigger picture outside of the daily grind? What can I do with this relentless passion to create, and to drive connection through relevance? How can I have less, but be more?
ReaLIFEsations is a collection of organised learnings, inspiration, conversations and things i’ve realised along this journey of self-discovery. I am beginning to see that these helpful life lessons don’t end, and yet, in the way precious things are, they are easily overlooked, stowed away and forgotten. But I don’t want to forget, and I want to share them clearly here… for my own keepsake, and for others to gain. A rock to return to when I am unmoored as the world races by.
As Yuval Noah Harari once said: In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power.
And so, like an artist and observer of the world, here I am quietly collecting and organising everything that comes my way.
12 big #learnings I picked up in Google, in 12 small doodles: 1. Google is full of ambiguity and endless information! Find ways to connect the dots. 2. You can do that if you always try to see the bigger picture… 3. Like by being curious! 4. Try to trust the process (things hardly turn out the way we want them to) 5. And remember that life is what you make of it. 6. Speaking of make — make mistakes! But learn from them (the only failures we have are those we don’t learn from) 7. Ask the why. Always start with the why. 8. And ask the who, too! The power of google is in its people :) 9. The clues to life are everywhere. Again, seek and you will find! 10. It’s not always that hard. It’s mostly in our head. 11. So remember to focus on what matters… 12. … and know that the small wins are still wins, and all eventually add up. :) original post on LinkedIn
>6 months at Google i.e. no longer a Noogler! (Mar 2022) Last week, I crossed the sixth month mark of being a Googler — or, as they say, “no longer a #noogler” 😬 Being in Google has quite frankly presented me with one of the steepest learning curves ever. I distinctly remember the days when I felt terribly inadequate, embarrassed (at how much I didn’t know), and that I was just… bad. In short, I had made it this far “getting into Google”, yet I was chock-full of self-doubt! But I learnt that the human brain evolved to focus on the BAD, because that’s the best way to learn. It’s important that we stop the negativity spiral before it begins — otherwise, it does more harm than good. 😌 P.S. I’ve been really enjoying sketching my journey. I found it important to document such thoughts because we often forget how much we had gone through to get us to where we are today :)
“Global Reset Day” (May 2021) Friday was Google’s “Global Reset Day”, so I reset by sketching & reflecting on 4 pieces of advice I’ve gotten in the past 4 months: 1️⃣ Always choose the path of learning. Life is like scaling a rock wall. The next best step is always one that lets you grow in the direction of where you want to go. 2️⃣ Show up with an opinion. Never be unprepared! This advice from a senior leader taught me how important it is to do everything with intention instead of blindly churning work out or meeting for the sake of... meeting. When you do things with intention, you go beneath skimming the surface to create true value. 3️⃣ Do what you need to do. But do it your way. When things seem out of reach, don’t focus on the things you cannot do. Instead, find your own way to make it work. 4️⃣ The feeling of drinking from a water hose is never going to stop. Instead of hoping that it will, get used to it. There will always be something new to learn and to adapt to, so get used to the discomfort of being stretched in order to grow. The past 4 months in #google have undoubtedly reshaped the way I think about my life. Work aside, this #skillsignitionsg traineeship has exposed me to some pretty great people and their perspectives. So I pen it all down less I forget. ✨
I attended an inspiring "Stretch" workshop for women hosted by Shaifali Nathan & Suzie O'Carroll in Google last Friday. I learnt a bunch of things, including a reminder that we women often hold ourselves back with self-limiting beliefs, particularly because we are afraid to "trouble someone" or "get in the way". In the quest to be excessively considerate we end up losing out on all the chances we didn't take. I've missed drawing & sharing my learnings so here's a little piece of me stretching to the sky, with learnings that bubbled up during the session. May we all stay rooted to our own (positive) beliefs yet keep stretching out for the stars :-)
Saying Bye to the “Sherpas” (July 2021) Yesterday was the last day of my internship in Google’s Large Customers Marketing team. I never got to meet the entire team in person, so instead I drew an imaginary scene 😌 Despite #wfh and virtual-everything, drawing this made me realise how I still got to know little quirks & personalities of every teammate over the past few months, even if mostly through video calls. Thankful for the “Sherpas”, the loveliest Googlers I spent my past 6 months with. This internship, if anything, has taught me that what I want exists, if only I dare to go forth and pursue it! Big shout out to the most approachable leaders Lars, Raja and host-manager-turned-friend Fardina 🥺 — who guided me and showed me a path like true Sherpas would 💖
Table of Tumultuous Thoughts (Feb 2022) Today is global “Reset Day” at Google! Just like past reset days, I used the time draw & reflect. 😌 I’m coming up to my sixth(!!) month as a Googler now, but as I speak to new #SISG trainees I can’t help but recall my journey to Google. At some point during my traineeship, I felt like a pendulum oscillating between hope and despair. I thought of putting my thoughts into a table (“good thoughts” which were helpful, vs. “bad thoughts” which were really not) — but ended up with this illustration instead. 🤪 The lesson I got is that we can’t control what happens to us, but we can control our reaction to it. A good place to start is by being aware that thoughts, at the end of the day, are just thoughts :) so keep the good ones and don’t let the bad ones overwhelm you.
In search of answers and better pastures (Aug 2020)
Illustrating my journey to Google (Dec 2021) Did this piece while reflecting on everything that has transpired thus far in ‘21. It’s been (as illustrated) a rollercoaster riiiideeee, and a stark reminder that life is not linear. I was also going through my old Instagram stories where I shared my journey and thoughts since I quit my full time job a year ago (Aug 2020), and all I can say is this: “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously, that you might as well not have lived at all — in which case, you fail by default.” (J.K. Rowling)
Saw a beautiful sunset on the ride home today. Also came across a post on fb which really made sense. I think sometimes I’m guilty of it too. To escape the hate I had for my corporate job I often “rewarded” myself by taking cab rides, getting my hair done, buying expensive headphones... etc. “Treat your self” is such an instant-gratification thing that often whittles away real quick & you realise it was just a temporary escape. Like, what does bleached hair actually do for me other than allow me to pretend that I’ve “changed” (though apart from hair colour 99% of life remains the same)? But I’m so determined not to fall back into that again, a life of endless grind and escapism. I’m scared shitless some days not having predictable stability but other days I am endlessly inspired and brave and hopeful. Whatever this turns into I hope I grow into a better version of myself. Fingers crossed and ten thumbs up to everyone else who’s trying their best to find their way to their dreams, too. 🧃