You’re Forgetting the Best Parts

You’re probably sipping your first cup of coffee, taking that first bite of your bagel, or settling into your desk before the day pulls you in ten different directions.

Before you jump into the work, I want to remind you of something today.

Whatever you’re building, launching, planning, or pushing through right now… try to have some joy in it. Don’t choke the life out of the thing you once loved. If it’s frustrating, give it a day. Go for a walk. Step away from the screen. And if you’ve been grinding on something for weeks or months and the spark is gone? Maybe it’s time to put it down completely and pick up something that actually brings you alive.

Everything worth loving has hard in it.

My son Amir is the perfect example. I love that boy deeply but navigating fatherhood is no joke. Many of you know that feeling. You love something and it still demands more of you than you expected—a beautiful burden.

So as we close out these last months of the year, breathe. You have time. More than you think. Time to create. Time to help. Time to spread your work and become the messenger of your message.

I used to want things so badly that I forgot the journey teaches more than the view. The view is a moment. The journey is where you actually change.

Presence, that’s what we’re all chasing. It's elusive as everything in our modern world tries to take away the very thing worth its weight in gold—this very moment.

Presence in writing, presence in listening, presence in looking someone in the eye and truly seeing them. Presence in gratitude.

And I’ve noticed too many people are carrying anxiety like it’s part of their personality. Serious about everything. Wound tight about every outcome. I stopped subscribing to anxiety like it was a channel I needed to watch. It takes too much time and energy and gives nothing in return.

If I don’t laugh at least once a day, I know I’ve wandered too far into my own head. Life is too short not to smile, breathe, and appreciate the small moments.

My favorite thing to do when I'm wound up is to let go, pull up YouTube and a Kevin Hart comedy special and watch until I laugh.

Laughing is truly my medicine, I stop taking whatever I was thinking about seriously, and I let go. Once I do, I usually come up with the solution that has been in front of me all along.

A few weeks ago, I was talking with my good friend Jordan. He was stressed about a project he desperately wanted to launch. I could tell it was still green. He was overwhelmed and trying to force it to bloom before it was ready.

I let him talk, then reflected back what I saw: “Maybe you’re too close to it right now. Let it brew. If it really matters, you’ll return with more energy, more clarity, more velocity. Maybe you need a day. Maybe a week. Maybe months. But you don’t have to push this thing into existence today.”

Yesterday he texted me saying he felt lighter. Sometimes stepping back gives you more progress than grinding forward.

Over time I’ve learned you can’t hold everything at once. Things come in season. One thing at a time. One day at a time.

My father used to remind me of that constantly.

This week in 2016, I spoke with him for the very last time. I remember the call like it just happened.

“Son, consider getting married, have a kid, live your life. Travel. Reflect. Be proud of how far you’ve come. You are enough. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Don’t forget to pray and practice gratitude. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.”

He was excited about my business but kept reminding me that life was more than business. It was family, friends, curiosity, and faith.

He passed away just days later, but I feel him with me all the time — especially now. His reminders show up exactly when I need them.

And when I look into Amir’s eyes and see him smile, I see everything my father wanted for me. I see the continuation. The blessing. The weight. The beauty.

We all have so much. We all have something worth being grateful for. We all have something worth slowing down for, paying attention to, and appreciating.

Sometimes we forget to look. Sometimes we forget to be here, really here.

Sometimes we may forget to enjoy the best parts and only realize they were the best parts when they pass.

Being present helps remind you that the best parts are always happening. If we can only focus on what we believe are the good parts.

Whether it be your book, the project, the business, life, kids, family, art, health, food, prosperity, possibilities, opportunities, friends, colleagues, or job.

Look for the best parts in your life with intention, and they will appear all around you.

Thank you for reading my newsletters over this past year. I'm grateful you take the time to spend with me on Wednesdays.

Enjoy that coffee, my friend, and the beautiful day. Smile big, great things await you.

Hussein