new year Archives - The Sheikha of Chic

Here We Go…

January 13, 2021 No Comments

Hey everyone, I am sure you guys are tired of hearing about resolutions but it’s that time of year where everyone starts talking about their resolutions and what they are looking to accomplish for the upcoming year. Every year I would makes these elaborate goals and very strict resolutions and then I would feel defeated 2 weeks in because I would get this burst of motivation in the beginning and then run out of steam as the weeks progress. It’s the same thing like when you see everyone in the gym in January and then by February only a few remain.

What I did differently this year was that I realized that it wasn’t so much the goals itself, but I needed to focus on the systems. The systems that I need to put in place that will put me in a position for success. Once I focused on that, it has made it easier to accomplish goals that I have set up for myself. I’ve been listening to this audiobook on Audible by Kevin Hart called The Decision and it’s so good!!! First of all he’s extremely entertaining to listen to and the information he shares is very easy and digestible. I’ve been listening to it for the past couple of days and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed it! It talks about decision making and the things that affect it and how you can overcome them!

Listening to it made me realize all the excuses I make to myself on a daily basis. Some of it is subconscious and others are bad habits and limitations that I am putting up. Once I realized that, I began to be more intentional with my decision making and not just have resolutions but actual changes that I can make every day. Even if it’s just one step towards the positive change and I just focus on that, then I’m going in the right direction. I am going to be writing some more posts elaborating on the changes that I am making that helps me so maybe in turn we can hold each other accountable. I know 2020 was a difficult year for most in one way or the other and many people are still dealing with those ramifications. I pray that everyone has a positive, healthy and fulfilling year and may we all make the changes that get us closer to living a life that we envision for ourselves!

Lots of Love,

Sahar

Either you run the day, or the day runs you. – Jim Rohn

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A lot has Changed

May 22, 2020 1 Comment

Hey Loves,

The last time I posted, I was talking about my new years resolutions and preparing for a baby. Well, the baby is here and currently 3 months old! If you are one of those people where having a baby doesn’t disrupt your life at all, I commend you because any ideas I had of having some type of schedule and being more productive have gone out the window. I am a first time mom and although the changes in my schedule are so welcome because I have never experienced a love like this, it was literally survival of the fittest in our household in the beginning. As soon as Baby Yaqoub would fall asleep, there was a mad dash to get either sleep or food. I know I’m being a little dramatic but it really did feel like that at times. We were just trying to keep up and then on top of all that I had some complications after pregnancy so I was dealing with that as well. Then when we finally thought we were getting the hang of it, Coronavirus landed in NYC and we went into self isolating. All in all, it’s really strange to be a first time mom in this situation, but now I feel that I am slowly finding my rhythm and we (the baby and I) are slowly understanding each other. Lately, I have been trying to create some type of schedule especially with quarantine happening and not being able to do much, some of the days started to blend together. I have been using some new apps to hold myself accountable and also learning some new things on a couple of online courses Coursera. I am also back on trying to find my rhythm with blogging so be on the lookout for a lot more content coming your way. I feel so grateful to be able to even have an opportunity to be doing these things where I know so many people are really struggling. How have you guys been spending your time during this crazy time?

Lots of Love,

Sahar

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3 Changes For The New Year

February 7, 2020 No Comments

Hey everyone! Isn’t it crazy that we are in 2020!! I don’t know if you guys are into making resolutions in January and sticking with them, but I always try to make resolutions in January and then three weeks into it find myself falling off and going back to the way things were the year before. This year I want to create more productive habits that I can do in my every day life that will help keep me consistent and not whenever I feel inspired. Here are some of the resolutions or healthy habits I incorporated into my daily life in January.

1. Journaling- I started journaling as a way to clear my mind and kind of brain dump. As someone who is about to have a baby for the first time and going through all these physical and mental changes, I needed a healthy outlet of expressing myself without dumping it on everyone else around me! Even though I’m lucky to have such an amazing support system around me, it was really nice to be able to just have that quiet moment with myself.

2. Exercise- I started implementing being more active even in small ways. I am getting heavier and as the due date is approaching, it’s getting harder to move around. By not putting that extra pressure on having a rigid workout schedule, I am able to just enjoy and actually get more steps and activity than before. I know that once the baby is here and I get the clearance from my doctors, I will be more active and get into the gym more, but for now this is what has been working for me.

3. Scheduling- I have been focusing on short term goals that keep me consistent and get me closer to those long term goals. What I mean by that is I used to have these grandiose plans of what I wanted to accomplish and it was a really long list and super motivated, but I didn’t know how to get there so then after a couple of weeks, I would get discouraged and give up and then procrastinate and it would just turn into this negative unproductive cycle. Now what I have been doing is I write down my big goals and then I break it down to smaller attainable goals, that way I am a step closer to that end goal. For example being healthy and in the best shape that I have ever been in is one of my long term goals for this year, so how I broke that down, is being more active, eating healthier, limiting junk food to a minimum or finding alternatives to foods that I like. The little steps that I can take will give me that momentum and get me closer to that long term goal.

These were just some of the little habits that I have been bringing into my daily routine. I know that once I have a baby, things will definitely have to be adjusted but I am happy to have the foundation and then I can adjust and adapt accordingly. What are some of the resolutions that you guys have been sticking to this year?

Lots of Love,

Sahar

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A Year in Review

January 31, 2020 No Comments

I can’t believe its been over a year since I last posted on my blog so a recap is definitely in order. This past year has been amazing and full of monumental moments. For starters, I started last year with family and hosted a big pre-New Years Eve party. It was my first time hosting people in a formal capacity at my home and it was a lot of fun! In February, I celebrated my first wedding anniversary and spent time with my husband. We went upstate and had an amazing dinner and spent the whole weekend with each other. It was so nice to get away and have a moment just us two. March was another big moment for me because I turned 30 years old. I’m not someone who really feels strange getting older so it wasn’t a feeling of dread but it definitely felt different and I was happy to be embarking on this new era in my life. My 20’s were interesting to say the least, full of loss and confusion and figuring out who I was and not really being focused or driven and a little lost. Towards the end of my 20’s is when I started to get more serious and started to become more confident in who I was and what I wanted and I feel that now in my 30’s, I am becoming more and more comfortable with who I am. Of course, I understand new experiences and challenges shape you and there’s always room for growth, but I think for the first time in my life, I am starting to love the person I am becoming as sappy as that sounds. Also in March, I went to visit Turkey for the first time which was definitely on my bucket list. I have always wanted to go and it was such an amazing experience and a place that I can’t wait to visit again! We stayed in Istanbul and Antalya and because of a delay in our planes, we also ended up staying in Germany as well. So, it was kind of like having two trips in one! In June, my husband and I found out that I was pregnant!! It is such a big decision that although we were ecstatic, I think I was still in denial. I was so anxious because we found out pretty early so I didn’t want to get too excited because I was nervous just in case something happened. I know that’s really silly but pregnancy is such a sore subject for so many women and I was really nervous especially because I had a pretty rough pregnancy in the first couple of months. I did start to get more and more excited when we started telling people and found out the gender and with each sonogram, seeing him grow! It’s such a beautiful thing to experience as crazy and round as I look..Lol. In September, I ended up going on an overnight trip to Philly with my sisters. It was just the four of us and it was nice to get away and spend time. We are super close, but we had been so busy in our own lives that it was nice to spend that quality time with each other. The rest of the year, we spent time with family and getting everything ready for the baby. I can do another post on the baby essentials that we received and purchased if you would like. That was my year and although I didn’t have too many wins in the career side of my life, my personal life definitely saw a lot of changes. What are some things you guys experienced in the last year? Feel free to comment below!!

Lots of Love,

Sahar