The Journey - March 23rd, 2023
A newsletter around learnings, experiences, creations and discoveries.
Hi all,
When I launched The Journey, I wanted to send it out every two weeks, at least. But I fell into the trap of perfection again - thinking that every newsletter needs to be perfect, and that it would take me lots of time.
And so I was stuck. Until I got this email yesterday:
That was all I needed to remind myself: things don’t need to be perfect for them to add value to others. Thank you dear stranger friend for reminding me that there is value in what we do - and with that, welcome back to The Journey!
Experiences
On rising in love: two months ago, for the first time in my life, I met someone I can see myself having kids with. It was instant. I’m going to write a book about this journey one day (with her!) but it’s too soon, our relationship has first to be experienced, the content needs to be lived first!
One of the first things we did was renting a van and doing a van trip for a few days across Portugal. Conclusion number one: the vanlife is great, but I’m still desiring to have my own apartment in Lisbon. Conclusion number two: it’s only when you don’t expect a relationship, when you don’t come from a place of neediness, that you can attract alike. And conclusion number three: when you know, you know 😉
Experiencing being close to death: two weeks ago, my grandmother passed away. It was a humbling experience - and a bonding one with my family. Especially, it made me realize how short life ultimately is, and that we got to fill it with what we care about. I made the decision to spend an entire week with my grandpa, being by his side, and to continue getting closer to my family.
Talking out loud to myself: when you talk out loud, your sentences need to make sentence - to have a thesis, anthithesis, sysnthesis. Talking out loud instead of remaining in your head is one of the most helpful ways to get clarity. But if you’re stuck in your head, you will start a sentence, then be distracted by an image, then think of something else, and your thoughts are often not constructive. Try it out: whenever you feel stuck, talk out loud to yourself, it makes wonders! Also, I love how these days, reigned by headphones and calls, it is absolutely possible to walk on the streets talking out loud to yourself and no one noticing it.
Creations
Hosting the biggest event of my lifetime (so far): last week, with Co-Liv, we hosted the MIPIM Co-Liv Summit in the emblematic theatre of the Palace of Film Festivals in Cannes. It was the biggest coliving event to date. And made me realize that I absolutely love the people I work with in the coliving scene - and that I’m definitely staying to create meaningful projects with all of them! Coliving, I’m here to stay!
Finding my own musical style: I’ve been experiementing with my electric harp for a few months, and recently did a few short videos with orchestratic electronic techno music. I loved it - and can’t wait to host epic rave parties (or in clubs) with this instrument! Next week, I’m also going to buy a piano and electric drums to be added to the mix. Conclusion: keep experiementing until you find your own sweet spot!
Writing on my relationship to running: I love running, and it’s been part of my life for years - although never consistant. And I love my relationship to it. Inspired by the book “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” by Haruki Murakami, I wrote my own version of it (it’s a 15min read) which I invite you to discover! Final note: I actually dictated that book while running, and you can even listen to the original audio version 🙃
Finally promoting my book: after publishing the Art of Coliving in January 2022, I finally decided to actively promote it. Or, to be more precise, to actively create valuable content around coliving every day! One key challenge I always had is that I would create things (like the Art of Coliving) but then don’t build ecosystems around it to make these projects sustainable long-term. But this is now over: check out my new Instagram account where I share best practices and inspirations from all my coliving journeys!
Discoveries
One of the best movies I've ever seen: Whiplash. Already saw the ending 20+ times. Incredible human dynamics and play with emotions. Never was music so sexy, and the notion of relationship abuse so well portrayed. A must watch!
And another gorgeous movie: The Notebook - on how love can be the drive through ages. And sharing with you a beautiful passage from that movie: "The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds."
On the current state of AI: a great piece by John Oliver from Last Week Tonight on artificial intelligence. Worth every minute! My personal highlight: "The problem with AI right now isn't that it's smart, it's that it's stupid in ways we can't always predict."
Life Learnings
“Stress is your inner self sending you an alarm signal that you're starting to believe the illusion.” - my hypnotherapist
"Put your boundaries when you're at your best, not when you're triggered." - in conversation with my dear friend Frederic
Quote of the Week
"In life, the challenge is not so much to figure out how best to play the game; the challenge is to figure out what game you are playing." - Kwame Anthony Appiah
And since I can’t resist, adding another one from my favorite poet:
"I think you're very sane. In the craziest way possible." - Estrela
Wishing you a great end March,
Gui
PS1: You can also connect with me on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. If someone sent you The Journey, you can subscribe here.
PS2: Please tell me if you found this Journey insightful and what would liked (or didn’t like) about it. It would help me a lot to hear from you!