Hi friends,

 

Last week, I held a Zoom session with my 5@5 challenge group to answer the questions they sent about journaling, waking up early, and anything they would ask me if we were to have coffee together.

 

I chose the time of the session at the halfway point of the challenge because it represents a significant point in any goal we embark on, such as a course we take, a workout routine, or a habit we want to have. It’s the messy middle. When we started, the group chat was on fire with good mornings and journaling pictures, but then the excitement faded off, and the momentum subsided, and I was expecting it because this is how goals work.

 

I learned this firsthand when I took the one-month altMBA workshop in 2019. The coaches used the roller coaster 🎢 symbol to remind us that this is perfectly normal. We start excited, participating every day and fulfilling every assignment,  but then, just like the halfway point of the roller coaster, we stall, we slow down, we stop checking those course emails, we stop opening the group chat, we stop doing the work because life catches up with us as it always does and we forget why we signed up in the first place.

 

Here comes the importance of community to remind us that this feeling is a healthy part of any new challenge; we only have to recognize it for what it is: the messy middle. We need to expect it, catch it when it happens, and welcome it as a natural part of extending ourselves and shaking our regular routines to challenge ourselves and what we are capable of doing.

 

Two things you can do to get the juices flowing again and keep going past the messy middle:

As a Sunday Sparker, I am glad to offer you free access to the Zoom session recording, AKA halfway pep talk. After you watch it, I would love to hear what was most helpful for you.

 

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P.S. 👉 📢 Last week! I am offering  50% off my fantastic journaling course for you Sunday Sparkers, Use the code: RISE50. Code expires by end of November 30. 

 

Here is a recent testimonial from my friend Zain, thank you Zain!

 

Snapshot of the week: tummy time is going well.

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

 

1. ️✍️🤔Do you overuse the word "very" in your communications? Here is The Problem with Very from Seth Godin.

 

2. 🎧 💼 Since 2019, my work routine pretty much consists of going over to Brain Fm, selecting deep work mode and time duration, and the rest is...focus. This is the week to try it for 14 days for free and then 50% off the annual subscription. Thank me later.

 

3. 💬 If you have trouble delegating tasks, the quote of the week might help:

“The challenge in delegating a new task is to remember that you are growing an individual, not just getting the immediate task completed – you are building capability for later use, not for immediate benefit, a bit like planting seed for a later crop." 

 

- Bill Ford, High Energy Habits

This is Sunday Spark issue #208

 

 

 

 

Calendar love: This is week 48, day 329 of the year. 

Still reading? I'm flattered! Here are some cool resources I personally use, love and recommend:

 

 

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.

In case you missed this on Instagram…

 

See you next Sunday First name / my dear friend

 

* 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 was disrespectful to Palestine.