Gold Price $4,981.50
Oil Price $61.03 per barrel WTI

Need a homeschool break?

Join 1,000+ homeschool families using Acadia Learning to make learning fun and take charge of their education.

Homeschool families use Acadia to:

and more.

Book your first session by the end of the month to get 50% off your first month.

Book your session

And It’s FREE to listen to daily, available to listen on iHeart Radio Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify, and of course Youtube.
You can also listen to Daily Sip with Marcel every day on Spotify HERE

Read Maggie MacDougal’s SPLASH!

Grab your favorite mug and get cozy—here is everything you need to know to start your week, brewed to perfection.

The Federal Reserve remained the center of gravity this week as the January meeting minutes suggested a "wait and see" approach to further rate adjustments. While inflation continues to cool toward the 2% target, the labor market showed unexpected resilience in Thursday’s jobs report. Retailers are also signaling a shift in consumer behavior; after a robust holiday season, there’s a noticeable pivot toward "essentialism"—spending on services and needs over luxury goods. The takeaway? The "soft landing" remains on the runway, but the engines are still humming.

Diplomatic channels were buzzing in Brussels and Tokyo this week. A landmark green-energy pact was signed by the EU and several Southeast Asian nations, aimed at diversifying the global supply chain for rare-earth minerals. Meanwhile, the Arctic Council reconvened to address the record-low ice levels reported this winter, sparking renewed debate over sovereignty over shipping lanes. In the background, peace talks in the Middle East saw a quiet yet significant breakthrough on humanitarian corridors, offering a glimmer of stability amid long-standing tensions.

Domestically, the conversation was dominated by the "Digital Infrastructure Bill" currently making its way through the Senate. The bipartisan effort aims to strengthen the national power grid against cyberattacks, following several small-scale outages earlier this month. On the West Coast, California is celebrating a "miracle winter" as a series of atmospheric rivers replenished reservoirs to their highest levels in a decade, though the victory comes with the logistical headache of widespread mudslide cleanups.

It’s the season of high stakes. In the NFL, the championship matchups are set after a weekend of nail-biting finishes that saw two underdogs punch their tickets to the big game. Over on the hardwood, the NBA’s mid-season trade rumors are reaching a fever pitch as the February deadline looms; expect some major roster shuffling Today. Meanwhile, the tennis world has its eyes fixed on Melbourne, where the Australian Open has delivered a series of upsets, proving that the "next generation" of stars has officially arrived to challenge the old guard.

Hollywood is officially in "Gold Season." Following the announcement of major award nominations earlier this week, the industry is buzzing over a surprise indie darling that swept the top categories, leaving several big-budget blockbusters in the dust. In the streaming world, a surprise "drop" from a legendary pop icon sent the internet into a frenzy on Friday night—proving that the surprise album format still has the power to stop the clock. Lastly, the box office saw a rare win for original sci-fi, as audiences seem to be trading in sequels for high-concept storytelling.

You know the feeling. It’s 4:00 p.m. on a Sunday. You’re finally sitting down with your favorite mug—the one that actually fits your hand perfectly—watching the steam rise from a fresh pour-over. You’ve just achieved peak relaxation when suddenly, it hits you: The Sunday Scaries. That creeping dread of Monday morning starts seeping in. You realize that in less than 24 hours, you have to put on a real bra and listen to "Corporate Chad" explain quarterly projections while you mentally calculate how many days of PTO you need to fake your own disappearance to a remote island.

We spend roughly 90,000 hours of our lives at work. That is a terrifying amount of time to spend wishing you were literally anywhere else (like, say, browsing a Target aisle in peace). For years, I treated my career like a bad cup of instant coffee—bitter, uninspired, and something to be endured while waiting for the weekend. I was chasing the "dream job," convinced that if I just hopped to the next company, I’d find a magical land where emails sparked joy and deadlines felt like a warm hug from a golden retriever.

I was so wrong, the "dream job" is a myth. It’s a flavor profile that doesn’t exist. Happiness at work isn’t something you stumble into; it’s something you brew yourself.

Here is the recipe I used to turn my daily grind from a bitter dreg into a rich, full-bodied roast—no resignation letter required.

First, I call this the "Piece of Furniture" Strategy. I used to think making work friends required the charisma of a late-night talk show host. I was wrong. It turns out, you just need to be a piece of furniture. Science calls this the "mere exposure effect."

Basically, if you sit in the same spot in the breakroom or attend the same meetings consistently, people will eventually like you simply because you’ve become a familiar object—like a reliable lamp. Once I realized my colleagues didn’t secretly hate me (it’s just the "likability gap" making us feel more awkward than we are), I stopped hiding in the bathroom to scroll Instagram. I found a Work Bestie. The data shows that having just one person you can exchange "the look" with during a meeting makes you significantly happier and less likely to quit.

Next, I have a hack, I get excited with the word “Done”. My to-do list used to look like a CVS receipt—endless, overwhelming, and a monument to my perceived failures. Then I flipped the script and started a "Done List."

Instead of obsessing over the mountain of tasks ahead, I started writing every small win on the pages of my yellow legal pad.

This is the "progress principle" in action. Seeing those notes on the page creates a dopamine loop that fuels you for the actual hard stuff. It turns out we are simple creatures; we just want to keep track of our wins.

Now, let’s talk about that pre-presentation heart race. I used to think it was a sign the world was ending. But you can actually trick your brain. When the jitters start, don’t tell yourself, "I am terrified." Say, "I am excited!"

I know, it sounds like a lie you’d tell a toddler to get them to eat broccoli. But studies show reframing anxiety as excitement can boost performance by 22%. It even improves your odds at the White Elephant gift exchange, which, let’s be honest, is the only high-stakes negotiation that truly matters at the office holiday party.

Finally, I stopped trying to be the office robot. At Microsoft, they have a "Glitch Report" where they openly discuss mistakes to fix them, not to shame anyone. I started my own.
I admitted when I didn’t know something. I asked for help.

People trust you more when you admit you’re a human being who occasionally spills coffee on her white blouse, rather than a flawless machine. Vulnerability is the "social glue" that builds a real team.

Here is my final sip. Remember stop waiting for the perfect beans, the perfect water temp, or the "perfect" job. You can’t always control the corporate grind, but you can control the brew. So, sit in the breakroom until you make a friend, celebrate the tiny wins, and for the love of Sunday, tell yourself you’re excited, not stressed.

Marcel

Get a FREE MOON READING for this month

And if this sparked your interest, hit❤️, and follow for more.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your day today. Embrace the sunrise, chase your dreams, and make today the day you turn possibilities into realities.

Grab your favorite hot beverage and join me in keeping Sunday in a Sip thriving. Your financial support—no matter the amount—fuels the heart and soul of this weekly inspiration. Together, we can lift Sundays to new heights, turning quiet moments into something extraordinary. Every sip, every contribution, makes a difference. Let’s make it happen—together.

If you want to learn more, send me an email. Leave comments, and I will answer. Don't forget you can also read all past newsletters here.

Marcel’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.