🌅 Why Breaks Are Necessary

Salaam, friends!

Ten days later, I feel ready to be back.

Before I went on a 10-day family vacation, I was overwhelmed by the amount of work I had. My day job requires a lot of mental energy to plan, present, and assist with educational operations. The podcast, which is usually run by a team and has multiple handles. My writing, which feels directionless since I'm working on multiple projects at once.

However, in the past ten days, my worries were replaced by canceled tickets that I had booked without receiving notice, scratching a rental car, and spending hours trying to get a kitten out of my car engine box on a Thursday morning. I had no routine; I slept, ate, and went out whenever I wanted. I spoke to taxi drivers or hotel workers who worked long hours for little compensation. I spent a lot of time watching the sun rise and set. I hiked to waterfalls, swam in clear water, and zip-lined from one side of a mountain to the other. And here's what I realized:

1. Dreams and Goals are important parts of our human pursuit. Those who have something to strive for every day tend to be happier than those who don't. This doesn't have to be something as grand as winning the Nobel Prize; things like losing weight, learning a new language, or teaching one’s kids how to read can make us feel like we are making progress. However, it's easy for us to get consumed by our daily routines, which can blind us to certain aspects of life that can only be seen when we step out. I believe that traveling, spending time in nature, and being with family forces us to look at things from a higher perspective. The things that truly matter in our lives rise to the surface, while the rest sinks.
2. Doing something about a thing you don’t understand is much better than doing nothing. Six months ago, I had no idea what it took to run a podcast. Five years ago, I didn't even know that there were master's programs for aspiring writers. Fifteen years ago, I couldn't speak a word of English. At the beginning of each of those pursuits, I knew nothing about what it required to get to where I am today. All I knew was that if I took action: took a course, reached out to someone doing what I wanted to do, or talked to a friend, I would move closer to my goal, even if it was just by 0.1 percent. And if I did that every day, or every other day, I would make recognizable progress.
3. Intention is everything. I grew up in a culture and religion that emphasized intention before every action we take. It doesn't matter how big or small the action is; always ask yourself why you're doing what you're doing. The answer doesn't have to be noble every time, but it shouldn't be driven by vanity. Goals that are pursued to help others, improve one's quality of life, or create a better world tend to have more longevity than those pursued solely to feed the ego.

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🍿 Movies I’m watching?

On the plane I watched more movies than I should have, but what I enjoyed the most was rewatching two of my favorite movies The Shawshank Redemption and The Revenant

💎 New From Me

My first published story “Home is a Holiday” is now live for you to read. I worked on this story for a whole year. When I first wrote it, it only took a week. I had a deadline for workshop while at my MFA program. I was supposed to revise a story I had written earlier that semester but after a few failed attempts I figured I’d write something new. I kept the character, Mustafa, and threw everything else. The first draft surprised me. For the first time I wrote a story with two point of views. It was fun, fast, and exciting. It took many many revisions, and the help of other writers who were generous enough to continue to give me feedback on it. Writing with others is far more enjoyable than writing alone.

Happy reading!

🔖 Quote I’m pondering

“You don’t become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror, but by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are. Outwork yourself doubt.”

— Alex Hormozi

📸 Through My Lens

Please give me feedback on the newsletter by replying to this email. What do you want more or less of? Or other suggestions?

Thank you for reading. Stay Creative!

Mohamed