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A Note about November

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I found a note I wrote to myself last year that said: 

“November is the last month of the year, act accordingly.”

 Before you panic, see if this makes sense to you too.

I wrote that note after finding that it took me some time, well into mid-January to be honest, to review my previous year and complete the goal-setting exercise for the new year. And while I believe we can set goals anytime we want because I agree with “There is nothing magical about January 1st”;  I also believe in the power of collective beginnings.  

That is why I decided last year that I would dedicate December for my goal-setting exercise and wrote that note-to-self.

Have you ever done that?

I am excited that this time I won’t be doing it alone. I will do it with you in my mini-course launching soon!

Add your email to be the first to know.

A Note about November

Figuring Out My Why

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In a recent podcast interview with me, I was asked why I was doing all this, “this” meaning this blog, my Instagram content and my podcast. Especially that I am still not generating money from it.

To be candid, I have yet to formulate my specific smart why according to Simon Sinek’s methodology in Finding Your Why book. However, I can easily say my reason is to Teach.

“Teach” happened to be my word of the year 2019, which I embodied that year by sharing weekly videos on Instagram about books I read and self development experiments I applied and benefited from and thought worth spreading.

In my previous job, I remember a conversation with my boss asking for her approval to be part of a soft-skills-in-house trainers program and to take 2 days of official leave to give a training program to other fellow employees, with another expert trainer. I told her almost these exact words: “To feel happier in my job, I need to do this training”. I got the approval and did it, and it was great, I felt I was in my element.

A couple of years before that training, I was attending a-soft-skills training myself as first-time team leader and I enjoyed that training so much that I kept answering all the questions enthusiastically, too much so that I can easily remind you of Monica character in friends, “Me, me, me, I know, I know!”. The topics he discussed was all what I love to read and talk about. I was even approached by the trainer later on for an opportunity to work with them. I took one session of TOT (training of the trainers) with them, but things did not work out due to changes happening in their organization. We are still friends to this day.

In my early work years, I volunteered with Injaz, a local non-profit organization to teach various important life skills, such like decision-making and problem-solving, to young public school students. It was such a rewarding experience.
As a kid, of course, I liked using the blackboard my parents installed for us to play teacher with my siblings. They had to oblige as I am their big sister.

You see how the theme of teaching has been around in my life for years?

That’s why I felt thrilled when I recently discovered that my Enneagram type was 5, the totem, and my Sparektype was the Sage, also the one who gets sparked to life by teaching. It was simply a validation of the choices I already made.

The medium of teaching for me evolved from writing on this blog to making videos and then creating my podcast and of course going Live on Instagarm consistently since last year. I feel the most alive when I study a subject and share the knowledge I acquire with others.

In my current job, I created Sales Talk Tuesdays to help new recruits learn from the experience of their seniors to support them in their onboarding, and for me learn more about selling and also teach what I learned about the human behavior that will help and motivate these employees in their daily work.

I create opportunities to live what makes me most alive.

What about you? Did you figure out what brings you to life?

Figuring Out My Why

Insights from my latest creative endeavor

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I am writing this post feeling lighter than usual as I finally shipped my latest podcast episode out to the world about women’s productivity according to the 4 seasons of the menstrual cycle. I insisted on publishing it on a Saturday at 9:30 PM, which was too late in the day for anybody to listen, because it was time for this labor of love to take a life of its own and for people to experience it. I, on the other hand, needed to free the space this episode was renting inside me, for a new endeavor and a new week of possibilities.

The creative process behind this episode was very interesting.

I kept wondering why I was not starting, and the answer was the script. Reading, writing and editing the script took 70% of the effort put into this episode. I haven’t recently tracked time I spent working on an episode, but a quick math showed I spent at least 20 hours of hard work on this one. I edited the script too many times that I stopped counting. I recorded 40 minutes and deleted them all at one point. I felt I could study the subject for 2 more months and still not be ready to talk about it, but I persisted and reminded myself that what I learned about it thus far was good enough to be shared.

Hitting “Publish” on this one felt like a sweet relief. I am now ready to move on to the next project.

Indebted to the amazing book Period Power by Maisie Hill for all the knowledge I gained and used in preparing this episode.

Insights from my latest creative endeavor

What a pastor said about time management

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I was mesmerized by this sentence that a Lutheran pastor named Amy shared with Cal Newport, “Time management is a core spiritual practice.” It deeply resonated with me and my increasing interest in time management.

Planning our days helps us appreciate how finite time is. Practicing digital minimalism helps use our time and attention better. When we plan our day we can be present with whatever task we have; it’s the task we planned to do and this is the time allocated for it and that’s how our monkey brain can quiet down.

Then, we can experience the dimension of presence and flow in our work.

It also reminded me of what Nir Eyal said, “Time management is pain management”. Can you stay with your uncomfortable feelings long enough without initiating distraction?

What a pastor said about time management

Radio Crush Encore

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It was such a beautiful morning.

I wanted to request a song on the radio for a music artist I love, this rainy morning just begged for it. To my utter surprise, the next song they played was by him. I turned up the volume, enjoyed the song and then sent the radio station a voice note to thank them, because that’s how radio stations engage with listeners these days, voice notes instead of phone calls. I thanked them because listening to songs you love on the radio has its magic. Even if we can simply play them on YouTube or a music app. It does not feel the same. Plus I love this radio station, for many reasons, like I was once a guest in this morning show.

I admit that I also love the customized music mixes on YouTube, Anghami and Spotify. The algorithms have gotten so good that I feel like yelling at some point while listening, “How did they know?!”. That’s magic right there that can’t be denied. Still, maybe I’m old school, but I think nothing beats the rush you feel when you hear your favorite song on the radio.

Songs on the radio are like little signs from the universe. They say: “You are aligned. Keep going”.

Anybody feels the same?


Radio Crush Encore

No highlights in your week?

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What were the highlights of your week? If nothing was your first answer, think again. 

I am sure you made some kind of progress, received an insight or kindness from others, or were kind to others who needed it.

Maybe you were more patient than usual or smiled to strangers or shared something powerful with your friends.

Maybe you saved money or called someone or visited someone sick.

Perhaps you spent good time with your family, or homework time was easy for a change, or your kids(s) slept at 7pm or pulled an all-nighter for the first time (yeey!) ?

I hope you did well in your exams or studied hard for them.

I guess you might have had an exceptional meal or two? Or someone cooked for you?

It’s possible you got sick, and you can’t really remember anything about last week, but you really appreciate your health more, and will make sure your body would get the rest and nourishment it needs from now on. 

There is a lot to be grateful for, the key is to notice those moments right when they happen, which will double their positive impact. You feel good when you become aware of them AND when you reflect on them.

Note: I shared this first in my newsletter The Sunday Spark, see archive and subscribe here

No highlights in your week?

Guilt & Light

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I skimmed through my copy of A Course in Miracles this morning hoping to find a relief of the heaviness I was feeling.

I noticed my recently highlighted passages in chapters 12, 13, and 14 and realized that the feeling was guilt. I brought yesterday’s events to today and couldn’t forgive myself for how I behaved with other people in my life. I complained, I was aggressive and I even gossiped. But A Course in Miracles says God always sees us as innocent and when we hold on to our guilt we cannot see our light. We are not our mistakes, although that does not mean we don’t own them or try to rectify them. We take action while having the conviction that our mistakes do not diminish our worthiness of love.

An affirmation that I keep repeating is: “The more I love myself tenderly, the more love I have to give to others & feel God inside me”. My guilt made me harsh on myself and deemed me unworthy of love from myself or from others. In this state, even If I receive kindness or praise, I brush it off. I don’t believe it, because I don’t even like myself at the moment. And what happens next? Becoming even meaner to others. What a vicious cycle.

Beware of such lies that your ego would have you believe with the purpose of separating you from the feeling of oneness with your fellow humans. Love yourself up and show it the tenderness it needs so that you can be loving to others. Otherwise, you will project your self-hatred outwards. You will see in others only the darkness that you think is inside you. Your belief in guilt obscures your light and your perception becomes clouded with judgment.

Remember my friend, only when you truly believe that nothing can touch your light that you can begin to see light in others.

Guilt & Light

Don’t Hoard The Chips

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I enjoyed the new short LinkedIn course that Seth Godin created about decision-making where he approached the concept of sunk costs in a whole new way. It’s a concept I first learned from him in this blog post and his signature altMBA course which I took in 2019.

This time, Seth Godin focused on the idea of chips, the ones we earned by working hard or paying a lot of our money or/and time. An example could be the certificate we worked hard to achieve and paid so much for. We look for a job that matches the certificate we earned (the chip). If the job that this certificate provides for me turns out horrible or makes me miserable, I don’t make a decision about leaving it because I am hoarding the chips I earned. The chips weigh me down from making a new decision. A good decision about my happiness. Although I have new information: “I am miserable doing this job”, I still choose not to make a decision based on the past price I paid to get here. Which is irrelevant. It’s already a sunk cost. Seth calls it a gift from your past self to your current self that you don’t need to accept. You can simply say no, thank you.

Make your decisions based on the information you have now and the logical consequences that would follow. The longer you hold on to something that does not serve you, the more you will get attached emotionally to the chips, to the identity, to the status. Along the way, you hoard more chips that will stop you from embarking on new paths and new decisions.

Check the course out. You have 24Hrs to preview it for free.

Don’t Hoard The Chips

Did you make a promise?

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Last Sunday I did not go Live on Instagram as I promised in my newsletter. I said I would go live every Sunday of September and I went on Live for 2 Sundays in a row, however, the third Sunday did not work out because of my lack of coordination with my planned guest. I also admit that I wanted to visit my parents that Sunday evening because I couldn’t do it over the weekend as usual. So, I simply did not do a Live. I did not apologize for it in my newsletter. I did not apologize for it in an Instagram story. I thought to myself “people are busy already, it’s not like they are waiting for it, I only mentioned it in my newsletter 2 weeks ago, oh and at the end of the 2nd live too when my guest and I said we’d continue the subject the week after…”.

Maybe it is true. Maybe people were actually too busy to notice I did not show up Live as promised. But, I knew. I made a promise. I should have honored that promise, or at least given an explanation of why it wouldn’t work out. I could have checked with my guest and found out she wouldn’t be able to make it early enough to be able to invite another guest or prepare a topic to talk about on my own.

Here is my late apology. I will show up on the 4th Sunday as promised.

This is your gentle reminder to work hard at keeping your promises, too.

Your word is your promise.

Did you make a promise?

Redefine your obsession

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I woke up last night and couldn’t get back to sleep, so my brain decided to get active solving a current problem for me; what to wear to the employees awards event at work. I started mentally scanning my clothes to figure out just the right outfit that looks special enough to wear as the event MC and also comfortable enough for dancing, without the need to get something new. I nominated 2 outfits and checked with my friend today, who in turn helped me make the cut.

I am telling you this story because I noticed that I have been lately obsessing about a relationship in my life. Whenever there is an idle moment in the day, I start thinking about what they said and what I said, and this started to annoy me. The outfit story, however, made me finally realize that it’s simply not an obsession. My brain believes this relationship is a problem to solve. It keeps running scripts and what-if and if-only scenarios to help me reach peace about it.

I felt relief when I got this. It’s clear to me now. I have two choices; I either start a difficult conversation with the other party in the relationship or accept the fact that mistakes happened and things changed, maybe forever. I need to decide how important this relationship is to me and act accordingly.

Meanwhile, I can pray on it and put my mind to peace. It’s a problem at a whole another plane. The spiritual plane. Thinking it over will not make it disappear.

Redefine your obsession