2023 was a crazy year for me! I learned with time that there is no such thing as a “bad year” or a “good year.” There are good and bad days in a single year. Sometimes, there are more bad days than good ones, but I’ve learned to let the good overcome the bad, to let it outshine the negative times and make them seem small. It is extremely difficult to do so, but when you see the bigger picture, when you see how God can take the bad and turn it into good, you will thank Him in all circumstances and your hope will renew. Here are the lessons I learned this year!

January

No lessons learned really. I just love how January symbolizes the idea that you can always start again and it is never too late to do so! I started the year slowly. Of coure, I started it with reading books and the first book I read was Book Lovers. I particularly like the highlighted sentence in the picture below 😉. Oh, actually, I did learn one thing:

“People are never who they first appear to be because when we first meet them we jump to conclusions as to who they are. We quickly perceive them to be who we want or need or just assume them to be. It is we who “decide” who it is they “appear” to be. Then when we get to know them better we will probably find that our first perceptions were wrong. It is at this point that we realize that they are not as they first appeared to be.”

February

Lesson learned: There is no better place than home. And to me, home is Egypt. I spent the best three weeks of the year (maybe even of my life) there. I visited Cairo, Alexandria, Sharm El Sheikh, Luxor, Aswan, and Hurghada. It was a spiritual, historical, and cultural trip. I was connecting with my roots while feeling a particular change in my soul/faith. I’ve loved every single city (although there is a special place in my heart for Aswan and Alex) and met some of the most beautiful souls. There is a feeling, a certain warmth, that is difficult to describe, but it’s something you can only find in Egypt, or in other words, something you can only find at home.

March

Lesson learned: Sometimes, God will give you exactly what you wanted just to show you that it’s not what you needed. I remember thinking I missed out on an opportunity and when it came back to me, I jumped on it right away. However, little did I know that it wasn’t what I needed and God had bigger and better plans for me.

April

Lesson learned: When everything is shaking, God is up to something. April was a strange month for me. Many obstacles were coming my way and I lost control of them. I didn’t know which battles to choose and couldn’t process all of the things happening simultaneously. But I knew that there was a reason behind all of this chaos. This particular quote gave me so much hope:

May

Lesson learned: Rejection is redirection. In other words, rejection = God’s protection. I wholeheartedly believe that, and I will take this lesson learned as a motto for next year!! P.S: “When you ask for a big life, you cannot keep fighting for a smaller one to stay.” ― Brianna Wiest

June

Didn’t really learn a particular lesson. June was a bit like January but sunnier and more fun. A lot of reading, mostly self-help books. The picture below really spoke to me at the time.

July

Lesson learned: “People are not mean to us because they don’t like us, but because they don’t like themselves.” ― Jodi Aman

“Don’t believe the noise. Those mean, petty, hateful voices will never be the majority. They only seem loud and pervasive, because they have the idle time to broadcast their negativity. The rest of us are too busy with real efforts to make the world a better place.” ― Anthon St. Maarten

August

Lesson learned: “Without music, life would be a mistake.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

August was the month of music: I went to the OSHEAGA Festival for the first time in my life. I also attended the Egyptian Festival in Toronto (and met Mena Massoud!!!). I always believed in the power of music, but it was nice to see it this year ― how it brings strangers together and unites us all. Singing our favourite artists’ songs like they are ours; it’s a beautiful thing to witness.

September

Lesson learned: “When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated. This is why we sometimes attack who they are, which is far more hurtful than addressing a behavior or a choice.” ― Brené Brown

October

Lesson learned: A road trip with your girls is never a bad idea, or put differently, a change of scenery always revives the soul or your energy. Travelling makes you more openminded. You also discover various lifestyles and different mentalities. Even if you can’t afford big trips, small escapades are as valuable. On a side note, dreams do come true (seeing Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias was a childhood dream!!).

November

Lesson learned: If something is meant to be, God will bless it. I experienced this in my artistic projects. I always separated my personal projects from my spiritual life, but in the last couple of years, I have realized that they both go hand in hand. My artistic talents are meant to glorify God. On November 23, 2023, I released my 23rd podcast episode (23 is indeed a special number to me). The guest was Malak Sedra who, when he accepted to be interviewed, told me something in the lines of: “We either big or go home.” What he meant was that I should go further with my podcast: instead of recording my interviews and release them only in audio, I should film them because according to what he saw online, video podcasts were the new black. This was a big deal for me. I always wanted to level up my podcast, but I never knew how. Then, the opportunity came and I decided to go for it. The process was nonetheless overwhelming and a bit scary. I was always used to doing things alone and to have a crew helping me out was strange to me. Once the episode was out, I did not expect it to have reached the many people it did, to receive the feedback Malak and I did, and to have it make a difference the way it did. Some people never knew I had a podcast and had just discovered it. Others were really inspired by the content of the interview. This was not only thanks to Malak and him connecting me with great talents (shoutout to Peter and Emanuel), but it was also and primarily thanks to God. In fact, when I had thanked Malak for being a part of the project, he responded: “I am happy that God blessed it.” When he said that, something clicked in my head. I was never afraid to put myself out there until this year, but I realized that I should never be afraid as long as I follow God. If He wants any of my projects to happen, He will make it happen. If not, He will stop it. I should never be afraid of people’s opinions or anything in general.

December

Lessons learned: 1) If you feel like friendship is a complicated thing, that friends come and go and have never really loved you, then know that one day, this will change and some friends will become soulmates and will stay. 2) Service is an important part of the human life. We need to serve. It is life-changing and our priorities should be set around our service/spiritual life (which should be the first thing on our daily to-do list). 3) Trust someone’s experience and what they are teaching you. But “never take advice from someone who’s falling apart.” 4) The problem was never you, they just didn’t (know how to) love you. 5) People will always have something to say about you (mostly negative or non-meaningful things). You cannot control what’s being said behind your back. Thus, let it go, be yourself, follow your purpose, and be kind (read this article). 6) People see only one side of you on social media and their ideas of you are based on your posts. No one knows the struggles, the behind-the-scenes, the downs, etc. Therefore, don’t be surprised when they have an idea of you that you don’t relate to. Moreover, social media is deceitful, so do not compare your life to others’ picture-perfect lives. 7) “No one sees when you lose when you’re playing solitaire.” 8) People don’t like it when you succeed and you are different than who they are. They feel intimidated just because you’re ambitious. Do not let their jealousy lead you astray. It is not your fault that someone else feels small next you. Again, always focus on your purpose. 9) There is nothing better than what you are afraid of (from the series Zeinhom).