If The Sunday Spark is being sorted into your Promotions tab, or Spam folder, drag this email into your Inbox. It’ll help future issues reach you.

Hi friend,

 

One day, I will look back here and say I did the work. I showed up, never because I had to, but because I had to. There is no other way for me to be than to do this work, to show up for myself, for my mission, to share the knowledge I gain about the astonishing human nature, and elevate the understanding of my fellows on this journey so we will use it to fine-tune our days and make them meaningful now and not wait for vacations to feel good about our lives.

 

Yes, my message is all about achievement and getting after your goals, but this is not to say that your self-worth is tied to your achievements. You are valuable just because you exist. Believe that and let it sink into your bones. Let that be the place where you start. Believe you are inherently worthy, and let it be the springboard to your wildest ambitions. Like you, I am still working on unconditional self-love and reminding myself I am loving and lovable, mistakes and all. Over the years, I have evolved so much that Self-Compassion has recently been my word of the year and continues to be a light in my darker moments. A significant shift happened once I really got the idea that self-compassion is not leniency but rather the way to keep going after falling.

 

Alas, it’s my experience that we are at our best when we are intentional about our dreams and deliberate about using the limited resources of time, attention, and energy. For that to happen, we need to do the inner work of self-love and acceptance and the work you see here of consistently showing up, learning, sharing, and leading others on the same path.

Snapshot from my week: He turned 10 months old yesterday and it's his first 🇯🇴 day!

Did you notice the purple queen?

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

 

1. 🇯🇴 I follow The Local Product page to educate myself about local brands by Tala Bacouni. Subscribe here to receive a FREE COPY of a very nicely designed guide to local brands you probably didn't know existed.

2. 🇯🇴 A Jordanian website that keeps me plugged into my beautiful country's joys and sorrows: 7iber.com.

3. 💬 A quote that matches the sentiment of my letter to you today, written much more eloquently:

"A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life. Living in this manner—continually and stubbornly bringing forth the jewels that are hidden within you—is a fine art, in and of itself." 

― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic