Hello friends,
 
It happened!
 
New week, new month, new year!
 
Happy New Year's Day Sunday Sparkers!
 
The last time this calendar magic happened was the year 2017. That's how much I nerd out on dates.
 
How was your new year's eve? 
 
Mine was festive and loud.
 
Instead of waking up at 5 am (I never did on a new year's day), I slept at 5:30 am after a lovely new year's party at my place.
 
Favorite part? My brother playing the Oud after the midnight celebrations. We love music and singing in our family. He plays, and we sing. 
 
We primarily sing old stuff like Om Kulthoum's songs, and most of us google the lyrics on our phones and start singing along. But yesterday, there was much dancing to Oud as my brother-in-law played the Tableh. Both of them play music at a professional level so it was amazing. Here is something you don't know about me: it's so hard for me to stay put when there is Tableh 💃.
 
My sister's better phone camera has taken all the New Year's photos, which I still need to get. Here is a different picture for your, our first lunch of the year by my mother:
 
Image item
 
I took almost all last week off, which felt great. I could feel my body relaxing from driving and sitting at my desk for hours. 
 
I felt at my best, as usual, when I was creating. I spent hours working on the 2023 calendar. Picking the 12 quotes from books I read and loved felt like a great idea. So you are getting 12 quotes from 12 books I recommend. I hope you enjoy them as much I did. 

Without further ado, you've been waiting for it and here it is! My 2023 calendar is ready for you to instantly download. Print it out in the way you like (I recommend using a spiral binding coil) and start making chains of your most important habit.
 
 
Note: Only when you work on a calendar would you find that October starts on a Sunday, just like January.  It turns out they are always alike in non-leap years; then you google this and notice more fun facts. 

Here is your weekly dose of The Sunday Spark ⚡️ a newsletter listing 5 inspiring things I thought were worth starting your week with: 
 
 
1. 🎯 I am proud to be the first guest in Sima Najjar's brand-new podcast. Listen to our conversation about goal setting; it was so much fun. You can watch it on YouTube  too.  Stay tuned for part 2 to be released this week. Congratulations m,y dear friend Sima for this achievement.
 

 
2. 🐤 Is waking up early a habit you want to cultivate in the new year? Here is an excellent article to get you incredibly motivated. After that, read my tips for waking up early.
 

 
3. ❓ This time next year, what 3-5 things will have made the year amazing?This is a brilliant question to use in your annual goal-setting exercise. If you don't set your personal success criteria, 
 

 
4. 📙 Be Your Future Self Now is one of the books I recommended in my 2023 calendar and it's on a temporary sale for 1.99$.
 

 
5. 🙏 A beautiful quote I wanted to add to my calendar:
 
“Our bodies already know that everything is a circle, that we’re coming back here again, that there’s no such thing as running out of time, that the Universe is infinitely abundant, and that everything is predictably rhythmic.”
― Kate Northrup
(Resurfaced through Readwise)

This is Sunday Spark issue #109! 
 
Are you seeing it for the first time? Here is the archive. I'll update it soon.
 
Was it forwarded to you by a friend? Receive your own by subscribing here, and don't forget to thank your lovely friend for me!
 
☕ If you like my work, you can buy me a coffee and share your supportive thoughts 🎉 

Would you like to receive my future blog posts in your inbox as soon as they are out? Subscribe here

Some cool resources I personally use, love and recommend, with discounts just for you: 
 
  1. I like to start the day with my personalized Momentum Plus tab, which helps me stay focused with a powerful mantra, an inspiring image, a to-do list, countdowns to big dates, and world clocks where I keep an eye on time zones of friends and family living abroad before contacting them. Being a newsletter friend, you would get a special offer of a 10% discount when you subscribe to Momentum Plus with the promo code: bardees.
  2. Enjoy a free month of the Readwise app, it is the BEST way to retain the knowledge you gain through reading. Using spaced repetition, it helps you remember your highlights from kindle books/articles you read.

Note: some of the links above may be affiliate links, but always keep in mind that I don’t endorse anything I don’t use and love myself. 

 
See you next Sunday First name / my dear friend! 
 

 

In case you missed these posts on Instagram…

 
 

 
Happy 2023!
 
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Apple music
Youtube
Podcast
LinkedIn
spotify