A fortune teller once told me...
A fortune teller once told me that 2020 was going to be the worst year known to humankind. And that 2021 was going to turn everything around into the best year yet! Really?! No, but words sure create worlds don't they? I don't have anything too clever to say about 2020, so I will leave it to my homegirls from SNL to say goodbye. And instead I will turn to my own predictions for 2021. I'm not claiming to be a fortune teller, but I am pretty good at predicting trends in human behavior. So here goes...
Prediction #1: Now that the world has woken up to "OTHER PEOPLE MATTER", people will finally live this motto out. A global pandemic plus social justice movements plus climate change plus an election year means there is no escaping the fact that one person's life is literally another. If you didn't think that <insert name> had that Other People Matter mindset this past year, be patient, they will. The collective consciousness is expanding and it includes you giving <insert name> a chance (or maybe multiple chances) to find their own path toward other people mattering.
Prediction #2: CIRCLES are in. Social distancing is out. Humans are hardwired for social connection and nothing (not even a global pandemic) can change that. But this term "social distancing" certainly got us to stop and think- who are my people and where do I belong? I had many moments this past year where my answers to those questions were: "I don't really know ". Enter to the scene- CIRCLES- an online space to share ALL of you (your stories, your desires, your worries, your struggles) with complete strangers from all over the world. Yup, that's right; strangers are your ticket to connection and community. I'm telling you, CIRCLES are going to hit the health & wellness space BIG this year. Come check an OPM one out and see for yourself what I mean by clicking the "JOIN" button below. (And please use discount code "5off".) And if your first CIRCLE nourishes your soul in the way it is intended to, you will be invited to join a COLLECTIVE- an ongoing group of the same 4-6 humans who meet in CIRCLE every other week. These COLLECTIVES are where the true community magic happens- just like it once did at your workplace, or your gym, or your social club.
Prediction #3: Non-digital mediums- like clothing- will be repurposed to address gaps in connection and community. They say the best way to predict the future is to create it. And my most favorite thing to create is clothing. Clothing that connects that is. So here's a new t-shirt to promote everything that 2020 was not and everything that 2021 has the potential to be - inclusive, connecting, bridging, loving, and well, stylish. (I'm all for the comfy t-shirts and sweat pants, but it's time to step up our game in preparation for 2021, and this includes our clothing game.)
What's best about this t-shirt, other than its comfort and style? It connects you to others. It comes with a pre-stamped (an international stamp to be inclusive of your friends near and far) postcard to send to someone who maybe you haven't been physically seeing, but who you've certainly been missing and loving nonetheless. Clothing is, after all, who you are; what you stand for; how you wish to show up in this world. So show up for seeing and loving other people. And as a thank you for doing that, please use promo code "year2021" for 10% off when you purchase one.
And finally, post a year of researching and piloting and pre a year of these stated predictions, I have come to realize what OPM is really about: connection, circle, community, collective, and clothing. Wishing you a 2021 full of those 5Cs and more. With Love & Gratitude, Sophia