Hello friends and family,

Happy New Month! We are here; it’s November. Are you ready? How do you feel? Let’s take a moment to check in with ourselves. Place your hand on your heart and breathe in deeply, then release it. Are you okay right now?

With 2 more months of the year, this is usually when companies push for more, families have holidays scheduled, exams for kids, and a full plate of things to tick off before you take a moment to breathe. So please if all you do today is take a moment to breathe for yourself, you will make me extremely happy. (Keep checking in with yourself over these last months…set an alarm if you need it)

Right…let’s get to Issue 190! (Can you believe 10 away from 200?)

This week's theme is “Space for death”

If you have been here since the beginning you would know death and grief have come up a few times. One of my favourite humans died in 2019, he was incredible and a force of energy and love… greater than most on Earth. Losing him has been my biggest lesson and gift.

A lesson on death, healing, the long, long road back to living life, and my biggest personal development tool.

A gift because I would have never known the extent of my love for him and those who I hold dear in life.

Death is a fascinating thing…the sorrow, pain, mental game, tears, and mysticism behind it all. It’s the most human thing and one that no one prepares you for.

This weekend and past week, Mexico has been filled with the energy of death for Dia Del los Muertos (the day of the dead). It was colorful and full of smells of bread, incense, and marigold flowers. It’s a dedicated time to honour those who have passed on and to be with family and friends.

We have this in traditions around the world but I have never experienced it like this. We just sat with the energy, life stories, and tears. In a dark living room with glasses of Champagne, we sat and honoured the lives of those we loved. It was a very healing and cathartic evening. The passing of someone you love doesn’t get easier … you eventually learn ways to live and move forward with life. And for a moment it was nice to sit with someone who understands this.

I think it’s great that Mexico has this beautiful tradition added to educating the kids. It is a way of healing that should be shared with the world.

Your task this week:

• Live a little louder this week! In whatever way this looks like for you …

Remember each week, we are just moving one tiny step forward to creating a life you love. 

🤙🏾 Inspiration Labs

Inspiration Labs is a 1-hour call where we dive into your project, career, life, or big dream. This free session is to gain clarity, dream bigger, and walk out with 1 action step to start moving forward. This is the value I am adding back to the world 💫

I will open new sessions weekly for this. To have this available to everyone, you are allowed 1 session only. (Sorry I wish, I had all the time in the world to only do this but I have to work too)

I love this video, a quick series of tips to stay creative. What I love about it is that most of these tips kept my newsletter going. Carving out time on a Tuesday night weekly, kept this going for at least the first 100 weeks…

This year…I made a promise not to be at a laptop on weeknights. Sunday evening is an exception because I like to get ahead of the week. But having a dedicated time to be creative is something I can recommend because I know it works. The road to 200 issues continues…

🎨 Artists Who Inspire

Malinali Yuma

One more amazing Mexican artist, a smaller artist from Oaxaca. I love the way she merges patterns and animals into her work. This will most likely be a piece I own in the future and that is exciting.

Do you have a favourite artist or piece of art that you like? Hit reply and share anytime!

🎶 Song of the week

I was going to send you the full 2 hour set but I decided against it and chose this one track. The Hermanos Gutierrez brothers are one of the gems from my music adventures this year and I adore their music.

It’s something for those who need a background sound while they work and it’s equally appropriate for a chilled listening experience. Enjoy this one and go find their full concerts if you love it.

✈️ Travel Inspo

“To travel is to wash your eyes”

Opening up more of the world to you…this section will be shared by travelers. Feel free to reply with your travel pic and some words to share!

✌🏾 Pay it forward

New Section Unlocked: This space is for any of you to share projects, go-fund mes, help needed, etc.

❤️Made by Bilal

There are so many ways to help from afar, some in small as a repost or reshare, some more significant as educating yourself on the real reasons behind these genocides and wars, and some even more as rebuilding infrastructure. The Olive Tree is a high symbol of a people who are being erased. Take a moment to look around this project and see if this might resonate for a call to action.

💫 Send me info if you want to use this space 🙂 Happy to help promote those who need it.

Final thoughts:

Losing Damien gave me a gift of both, seeing the world in gray and in the full spectrum of colours. It made me hear a laugh from someone I care about as an explosion of love in my heart and put a fire in my soul to really live life to the fullest.

To anyone healing and dealing with grief …drink water, go lie in nature, and remember to breathe deeply when your chest feels heavy. This is not a solution or advice for closure …but it will keep you afloat… and keeping afloat is really all you can do during this time. 

✈️ Final note...I Made This 📒 ...You can click the link below to buy That Travel Book (My First Baby). Please drop an Amazon review as well…much needed for that platform. Thank you!

🚀 Click here to SEND this to your best friend for their Dose of Love from you ➡️