Hi friends,

 

It's my first working day of the year after taking a much-needed 6-day staycation with my family. I slept till noon most days. Yes, the 5 am advocate. Not just me, but my kids too, as we spent time with my sister and nephew who came from abroad to spend their short school winter break here. I felt like I lived in a very cozy bubble this past week. I don't think summer allows us to spend this much time together with its fast-paced activities. So, for the short break, I am grateful.

 

One of the best moments was finishing a 500-piece puzzle with my daughter, sister, and sister-in-law for the first time. My daughter's best puzzle score was 200 pieces, and it's been a while since we got new puzzles, so I am glad she is now enjoying more intricately detailed puzzles. We solved the puzzle over two days and finishing it felt very satisfying. We plan to do it more often.

 

I ended the break by spending three hours online with my All-Year-Goals Program participants yesterday morning, dreaming and prioritizing our goals for the new year. The feedback I received after we finished was beyond amazing. Before the session, most group members felt disconnected from their goals and did not even think about planning for this year. After spending time with a brilliant and like-minded group of people, there was a tangible shift in the group's energy, and they felt hopeful about setting and achieving their goals. If you want to join the 2024 All-Year-Goals program, keep an eye on my emails in January.

 

During family evenings last week, we reflected on last year, and each of us set a 6-month goal to achieve before our family reunites again in the summer.

 

Here are some questions we asked each other (while making fun of each other a little, of course):

 

Try asking your family members these questions, and enjoy getting to know them a little bit more.

 

Also, have you started thinking about your word or mantra for the year? My sparks today will help you.

 

P.S. I am aware I have the privilege to live in a temporary bubble when others are suffering. I still chose to share my very ordinary first week of the year with you, but that does not mean I will stop talking about our most important cause. Thank you for being here!

 

The Puzzle Achievement 

Here is your weekly dose of The Sunday Spark ⚡️ a newsletter listing 3 sparks that I thought were worth starting your week with*: 

 

1. ✨ From my desk: Why should you choose a word of the year? 

 

 

2.  My podcast episode about Word of the Year,  and a list of words for inspiration.

 

3. 💭 Compassion is a word that is calling me and might be the finalist in my Word of the Year quest, will keep you posted. Here is a quote about it:

 

"When we practice compassion toward a person who is suffering, we feel motivated to do something to relieve their pain. We don’t want to punish the person or make them feel worse. We want to help. We want them to know they are not alone in this.

Consider this the next time you are feeling pain yourself. How would you react if your friend or loved one was in the same situation? Try to react with kindness rather than irritation or disappointment that you are suffering, and see if you are able to soothe your pain a little more.”  

―A Year of Self-Love

(Thank you Readwise for helping me find this quote from my readings)

* Note: To the best of my ability, I am trying to share content by authors who have not disappointed me, and they are hard to come by! Please let me know if any author I share about showed disrespect to Palestine.

 

For the third year, I am delighted to present to you the New Year’s calendar as a gift to use to track your one key habit every month, to plan your appointments and projects, or to jot down one moment to remember every day.

 

The calendar this year is special because it has 12 quotes from Palestinian authors. Yes, I dedicated this year’s calendar to Palestine and the authors we need to know about, read, and celebrate. While “celebrate” seems like a harsh word nowadays, I wish you would get the chance to spend time with your loved ones, like I am tonight, and that you would forgive me if you do not. I wish you joy and peace, even for moments, and I truly wish we would all celebrate a free Palestine soon.

 

Enjoy your gift from me, how you use it is up to you. 

 

Click the button below to download it. Print it soon.

 

 

 

 

See you next Sunday First name / my dear friend