Retiring Old Paradigms To Invite a New Reality

(Part of the Resolutions 2021 Summit interview series)

It seems an obvious statement that to pour yourself a new drink you’ve got to empty what is currently in the cup, yet the idea of letting go of the old to invite the new is still a challenge for most people.

I had the honor of interviewing Swaady Martin recently for the Resolutions 2021 Summit.

Swaady is one of Africa’s most recognized young leader, influencer and tastemakers. She is a multi-award winning entrepreneur and founder of one of Africa’s most admired brands, YSWARA African tea company.

A consciousness activist, she founded the Tounché Global Consciousness Summit and has been profiled extensively in the media. She has been featured on several magazine covers, received numerous recognitions including the Forbes and Oprah Winfrey O Power lists for Africa. She is also a Board Member of the African Leadership Institute (AFLI) and a founding member of Facebook’s Group — Global Initiative ‘The Boost Leaders Network’.

I caught up with Swaady over a very interesting conversation on the topic of impermanence and death. It was an unexpected response to the question, “What did you learn and observe from 2020?”.

You can watch the full replay below:

For many, the fear of death or illness (the loss of health), was the root behind our changes in behaviour, increased stress, and financial suffering during 2020. While it is of course important to be proactive about our health, it may be more powerful if the motivation is to live more fully, rather than to just avoid death.

Swaady brought forward the thought that we as a collective have become focused on avoiding the idea of impermanence because of how far removed we are from the idea of death.

Swaady grew up in a country and culture that embraces death and the impermanence of things. Life is celebrated, rather than used to stave off a fear of the inevitable — of change.

In our conversation, Swaady and I talked about how nature has a harmony. And in that harmony is death, or the passing away of something and the welcoming of something new. We must remember that death is not just the loss of something — life, identity, possessions.

Can we look at it differently and see it as the passing of one thing to create the possibility of another, just as is the balance in nature?

“Let life be less serious,” Swaady said.

Can we shift our attention from avoiding death and change, to enjoying and living life we have now?

It can be as simple as starting with the words we use, for as Swaady stated in the interview, “words are the foundations of our home”.

We discussed what words could be retired and what words could be reinstated. Such as letting go of the word “control” and reviving the word “humility”. How might such simple changes shift our outlook on life, our surroundings, and especially the interactions we have with others?

We can only begin to embrace life, bring down the walls, and learn from others, when we lay to rest old blocks, fears, and conditioning and begin allowing new ones to emerge from ourselves. Let what is no longer serving pass, so you can invite new realities and possibilities.

See the full conversation with Swaady and other expert interviews here.