What I learned in 2023🎉
Growing older is inevitable - the privilege of the ones who live to tell; growing up is optional.
And what I´ve observed is that most of us grow older without ever growing up.
One of the reasons why we don´t grow up is because we refuse to learn from life experience.
I´m a compulsive learner. Give me a course, a book, a podcast, any great learning tool, and I´m a happy girl.
Yet, I know that there´s no better school than life experience.
That is if:
1. We´re willing to look back with the eyes of a student;
2. We´re willing to learn from victories as well as mistakes;
3. We´re willing to change, adapt, eliminate, and add.
As I look back at 2023, here are the HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BEST & THE WORST OF MY YEAR.
Let´s start with the WORST:
1. Realizing the world is dirtier and more inhuman than I thought.
War in Ukraine. War in Palestine. War in our private lives. The circus of politics. Social injustice. Racism and other social diseases. The mechanization of human beings. AI replacing heart, talent, and brain. Health and education turned into businesses instead of basic human rights. An increasing number of homeless people. Children suffering.
Too much. Really, too much. My heart was hurting, literally; and frequently.
The ugliness got so overwhelming that I had to retreat into my bubble and stay away from "reality". Every time I glimpsed at the news, I´d get nauseated; physically unwell.
2. Physical and Mental Overwhelm.
This year, I worked my "derrière" off. Although it paid in terms of professional growth, I was reminded - in the worst possible way - that health comes first.
Add family and personal challenges to the cocktail; the assistance I had to offer friends and students who were also going through hard times; and the difficulty in dealing with the needless suffering in the world.
My nervous system went berserk. I could actually feel it going nuts, begging for help. Although I scheduled rest time, I often disrespected it. And my vitality suffered.
3. Over-giving
I´m an over-giver. Generous. Willing to go the extra mile for others.
That makes me an exceptional professional but it weighs on my back. It leads to depletion.
When you give, give, and give and you don´t receive back in a balanced proportion, you end up empty. Frustrated. And resentful.
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I find myself reflecting on these "losses" and how I can do things differently in 2024. Then, I turned into the sunny side of 2023.
Here´s the BEST of my year (abundantly exceeding the worst of the year)
The conclusion of the 1st edition of Joana Saahirah´s Signature Course - authentic Egyptian Dance & Personal Empowerment from the ABC to Mastery
Oh, Lord. Where do I start?
My Signature Course is the best thing I´ve ever created. The result of 25 years of career in Egyptian Dance - first, in Egypt; then, around the world.
A transformational ride that has changed the dance and life of students from different corners of the globe.
My original teaching method created from scratch, from within, from direct experience. A powerful combination of authentic Egyptian Dance, Personal Discovery & Empowerment. And the kind of care that sees students as family, not as clients.
In the first edition of Joana Saahirah´s Signature Course, we´ve grown together. And, now, I´m ready to embark on the 2nd - upgraded - edition of the course.
Want to join me?
➡️If so, SUBSCRIBE TO THE WAITING LIST for the 2nd edition - CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE WAITING LIST
Our trip to Morocco🥰
We hadn´t taken vacations for 4 years. Read it again: 4 years.
Once we finally managed to take 10 days off and head to Morocco, we were in heaven.
Traveling is one of my favourite things on earth. Doing it with the person I love the most is...(beyond words).
I already knew a bit of Morocco - I lived in Marrakech for a couple of months in 2018 - but this trip allowed me to go deeper into its culture. And magic.
The growth of Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School🎉
I thank you, dear companion, for making it happen.
In 2023, our school grew. Once again, organically. Through the power of word of mouth.
New beautiful students joined us and students who were already with us joined most of our courses (some, have joined ALL our courses).
I´m in awe and deeply grateful. Although I´m aware of the value we bring to the table, I also know there´s no success without a community of dancers who believe in what I do and support it.
My heartfelt THANK YOU❤
➡️For more information about our available Courses, CLICK HERE
My birthday celebration in Azores (a surprise from my husband)
and other short trips we took during the year
It was a tough year on every level. I feel like having been punched on a ring time after time with no space to get up and recover.
Offering ourselves mini-escapades was a survival mechanism, not a luxury. We deserved them and enjoyed them, fully.
The writing and publishing of my 3rd book "The Lessons I Learned from the Master" about the dance & life lessons I´ve received, first-hand, from Mahmoud Reda
➡️Click HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS BOOK
I doubted I´d be able to write, edit, and publish this book in 1 year.
In fact, I did it all in less than 1 year thanks to consistency and humble expectations. Every little moment I had, even if if was just 15 minutes between a task and the next, I´d sit down and work on the book. The manuscript was always open on my computer, waiting to be worked on, tweaked, loved.
None of the "ideal circumstances" were available so, I decided to make it under "less than ideal circumstances".
Result: I´m super proud of the book I created and proud of myself for not having fallen for the "no conditions" excuse.
Extra Time with family
Life has a way of giving you what you need, not what you want, and making it work at the end.
I´m a realistic optimist; I´ve observed that life seems to be random and unexpected - impermeable to our need for control, our philosophies, and desperate attempts to make sense of the nonsensical.
All we can do is stay tuned and catch the cues, navigate the waves as they come, make the best of what we´ve got.
This year, I was given extra time with my close family. As a consequence, truths were revealed, wounds were exposed, and much joy was shared.
Although unplanned, such proximity is a gift I don´t take for granted. Thank you, 2023!
A satisfactory list of amazing books read in 1 year (20 books read in 12 months)
How did I do it?
Once again, I stopped waiting for the "perfect" situation. I carried a couple of books with me everywhere I went; I read during breakfast, before going to sleep, waiting in line, while others held their phones; whenever I could. Five minutes here, ten minutes, there. And 20 books were read in 12 months.
Why does this matter?
Because reading is one of the most important things you can do for your education and mental sanity; because books are a much-needed healthy evasion; and because education is power.
Our Marriage (yep, we got married and it´s the best feeling in the world)
Where do I start?
Marrying was never a dream of mine. That is until I met my husband.
He popped the question and I accepted but the truth is we already lived like a married couple and had said YES to each other´s hearts.
I never knew being married to the person you love felt this good - it does feel different. Sublime.
The pre-launch of "The Oriental Café" Podcast
➡️Click HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST TEASER
My podcast has been on the shelf for 2 years. Two blessed years.
With no time to upgrade, I focused on our school, my private coaching, writing, and the business that´s already up, running, and growing.
When the pain of not having my own podcast - a place where I could bring warmth, inspiration, and congregation - became impossible to bear, I yelled: ENOUGH. This baby is coming to life. I pushed through and gave birth to it.
Here it is: find the teaser on Joana Saahirah´s YouTube channel; the 1st episode will come out on the 15th of January 2024.
The successful implementation of new, better, life habits that have improved my physical and mental health.
Simple habits like:
1. Having breakfast under the sun while reading a book;
2. Going to sleep earlier;
3. No sugar, gluten, dairy, or processed foods/drinks 90% of the time;
4. Conscious breathing cycles throughout the day;
5. Surrendering to the things I can´t change (not stressing about it; truly letting it go)
We´re not machines, we´re humans. I fall off the wagon, once in a while; but I know how to hop back into it and that, in itself, is so damn empowering.
I gained a deeper awareness of the Mission & Vision of this blessed 25-year career in the field of Egyptian Dance & Self-Empowerment.
Sharing the Beauty, Magic, and Transformational Power of this art form with the world has never made more sense to me than now. THIS.IS.IT.
The road is clearer than ever - I´ll meet you, there🌞
Overall, a sense of accomplishment that comes from surpassing obstacles - loads of them - and turning rocks into gold is what pops into my head when I think about 2023.
The best of 2023 was the personal and the professional growth that happened despite, or because of, what life threw at us. Because I´m not a complainer, I refrain from listing the tragedies. But I got to be honest - this year hasn´t been a ride in the park. Every single joy and victory was achieved with a lot of effort, work, persistence, and faith.
Two words sum it up: Uff + Thanks.
And because the end of the year is a time for revision and celebration, feel welcome to follow the steps I usually take to revise the year that´s now ending and co-create the best new year:
Look back at 2023 and see:
What were the biggest lessons you learned;
What were your biggest victories;
What worked well; and what didn´t work.
Then, envision 2024 and see:
What do you need to change, eliminate, or add to each area of life in order to upgrade it.
Areas to consider:
Career and work
Personal Relationships
Health and Well Being
Hobbies and Recreation
Self-Development
Spirituality
Service to the Collective
2. What are your TOP GOALS/DREAMS for each area. Pick just 1 per area, for now.
3. Imagine you´re reaching the end of 2024 - what would you like your LIST OF WINGS TO LOOK LIKE?
Describe that list in detail and reverse engineer by asking: what do I have to do, from now on, in order to materialize that vision?
P.S: Remember that A SUCCESSFUL LIFE IS THE ONE THAT MAKES SENSE TO YOU. For some, career is important; for others, it´s family and service to the community; for others, it´s spirituality; and so forth. Don´t allow the world to shape a life that´s only yours to shape.
And because being a part of Joana Saahirah´s World is, I believe, a great way to upgrade your reality, I suggest you check our (exciting) NEWS for January and February 2024:
Feel welcome to JOIN "THE ORIENTAL CAFÉ" PODCAST NEWSLETTER if you wish to be notified about our upcoming episodes, bloopers, and exclusive content we´re sharing with our podcast insiders.
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In order to join our podcast newsletter, follow this link: CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR PODCAST NEWSLETTER
📯First Episode coming on January 2024!📯
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