![]() The season of spring brings new life all around us - as we awaken from deep winter slumber. It's a season of hope. It's a season to dream again. It's a season to believe again. However, this year - 2020, it's a different kind of spring. With the pandemic engulfing the globe and many loved ones leaving our lives, it may seem like a season to run away and hide. Instead of hope, there is wide spread fear. Instead of belief, there is wide spread disbelief. Instead of dreams, it's like a horrible nightmare. I acknowledge what is happening right now. I'm in it with you - we are all in this together. The plans you and I had for 2020 have all suddenly been squashed. There's a good few things I've learned over the years of heavy trials and tribulations. I've overcome many obstacles and no doubt - as my Queen Mama says - I have so many more to see in my lifetime (and I so don't want to!). On March 28, I turned 40, and I could sit here and write about all those trying times - but I've actually learned lessons and have grown so much that those trying times don't feel trying anymore - even though at times I was at the brink of suicide! Yes, that deep! It was deep then - I couldn't breathe - I didn't think I could make it through another day. But I carried on and here I am today to bring that hope back into our lives. After this post is published, there may be more negative news, and it may even be personal to us, but I know that it too shall come to pass and God is the best of all planners. This life is temporary - we know this - and we all have to leave for our afterlife one day. Today, here, we are going to learn from what is happening and the unexpected things that continue to unfold daily, and we are going to spring into action. We are going to take responsibility for our lives and whilst taking the current circumstances into consideration, create a plan for us. Life is going to continue and we can't die until it is our time. That is the truest fact and reality of our existence. We can succumb to the current situation or get a grip on ourselves so we stay focused and calm during the storm. Our family needs us - my elderly parents (and cats) need me right now and I need to be in the right frame of mind to be able to handle the situation and what God sends my way. Amidst the uncertainty, fear, confusion, I must stay strong and focused and so must you - you are needed right now and always - we surrender to God's Will and follow His commands and the guidance from our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). We must get prepared. ‘Oh you who believe! Fear Allah and behave with taqwa. Let every soul consider what it has prepared for tomorrow. Allah is surely aware of everything you do.’ (Qur'an; 59:18) We will be questioned on how we used this pandemic to grow, learn, and become better and stronger humans. ‘Call yourself to account before you are taken to account. And weigh your deeds before your deeds are weighed.’ (Hadith Tirmidhi) You may be hurting or angry right now, so take a deep breath, release, and for a moment, believe again. Just believe again, and read on. Here are the 7 steps that I'm taking daily to spring into action this season and do my part. Yes, I too have my down moments - and that will happen - it is part of our being and day to day life - however, we must become strong to handle our emotions and what is written to happen and when the down moments visit us - because they will! I hope these 7 daily steps inspire and motivate you too. 1. Connection - to our Creator - God Almighty. I start here. We must start here - for, to God we belong and to Him is our return. He sent us here - it was His Will and He will take us back when He decides He wants us back. Everything is already written to happen - it's in the Al-Luh Mahfuz - the Preserved Tablet - which is with God. So it was written, so it shall be done and God does not burden any soul more than what she or he can bear. What do we learn from this? Firstly, that everything is already written to happen and that is the decree. It just is. Take a moment to reflect on this - really connect deeply to God during this time and then carry it with you throughout your lifetime - long or short. We are all in isolation mode now - quarantine - and we don't have work to rush to - we don't have assignments to hand in - we don't have exams to prepare for - but the current exam happing now. You have all the time in the world right now that you didn't have before because of your daily responsibilities, to stop and really, truly, connect deeply with God. It's what you always wanted, right? You got it now! Secondly, since God has assigned us all with our unique burdens (yes, they may be similar - but still unique to each of us), He already knows we can handle it! It's His promise that we can handle it. So, why did He (swt) give them to us? To see how we respond - are we grateful or not - and to purify us and to strengthen us. Take this time to connect with Him and let's work on our daily prayers and daily Qur'an recitation. This will really shape us to being who we are meant to be and we can understand all that is happening and why it's happening and start living a life of purpose. You won't never need to read another conspiracy theory again! (And I'm a conspiracist!). Make a daily plan for your daily worship and study and get to it right now - see and feel the difference it's make instantly. Start small but start now. It will really help you during this time. 2. Perspective - reframing We each see, feel, and experience life from our own personal world view. All that we have been going through has shaped up our perspective. My perspective to this pandemic will be different to yours and yours different to your family and so on. We respect each others life journey and try and understand each others perspective. Reframe what is happening around you and see if you can give it another meaning - a meaning more positive. If we continue to keep ourselves stuck in, 'Why is this happening' and look for the negative answer, we will find it. Do you need to get healthier? Eat healthier? Reconnect with God? With family? With your purpose here? Who you are? Need to slow down from the race of life? What other meaning could you give to this which is more beneficial and positive for you right now? It's there - if you seek it - and if you want it - it's there. 3. Mindset Affirm health and healing to yourself. The more negative we consume - the more our immune will weaken - and the more susceptible to illness and dis-ease. Yes, it does all start in the mind and with our thoughts. What thoughts are running in your mind right now? Are they helping you or making things worse and causing anxiety and panic? STOP - reframe - choose new thoughts. You know I specialise in mindset transformation. I took on a challenge for myself back in 2015 to start reprogramming my mindset and heal myself from toxic thoughts and a toxic life. On the outside I was achieving educational success but on the inside I was entertaining sad and negative thoughts which lead to sad and fabricated stories - which never existed - but in my mind they seemed wonderful. Why did I do this? Long story short - starts in childhood and we keep the tape playing in adulthood. So, what thoughts are you going to choose? Those which bring life and healing to you or those that will keep you stuck and in unnecessary pain? You have a choice right now to choose healthy and positive thoughts. And YES still wash your hands and take the precarious and stay indoors! 4. Focus What we focus on increases - simple! So, following from the point above, really, what are you focusing on right now? When I watched too much news and kept reading everyones stories on social media - which, my heart and soul goes out to them and I pray for them, I started getting nightmares. It started affecting my sleep which led to my low energy during the day. Only two and a half years ago, my family and I were victims of an armed robbery hostage. My life completely changed forever. I barely slept for 13 weeks after the incident. I'm still not out of the incident completely - I still have trauma and nightmares and sometimes daytime trauma. All this led to my ill health and weakened immune. I know what to do to help myself out of it. So, action point, change your focus. Start with your home environment, your bedroom, your closet, your books - get spring cleaning - it's spring after all. Get rid off the clutter and start creating healthy energy around you. Get to the spring cleaning tasks you wanted to ten year ago, NOW! Change your focus - change your life. You have a choice. 5. Pruning Following from the above - as you clean up your physical environment - start pruning - just like plants and trees need pruning so they grow back healthier - we too need to start decluttering and pruning - keep that which you need and get ready to donate or get rid off that which you do not need. Mindset - prune your thoughts - cut those which are harming you and choose those which will serve you and bring healing. Social media - God knows we need to cut back on this!!! It's time to prune what you read online and what you watch and listen to. Look, even I read the daily breaking news and keep up to date with the basics. Everything else? Pruned! Why? Read #4 above again! Get pruning and bring in healthier air and space around you and within you. Again, results are instant! 6. Planning So, our 2020 plan may have been disrupted, however, we still need to plan. You had a plan of action for getting your food supplies and the sanitisers right? Same again. Review your 2020 plan - whether that's for your family life, your studies, your work, your career, you business, your health, your children, your pets - whatever is your flow right now, review your plan and taking current situations into consideration, rewrite that plan and schedule in what you need to for the next 3 - 6 - 9 months of 2020. Personally, I'm a 3 month type! So, although I'm reviewing the whole year for myself, I'm breaking my business goals down to the next 3 months each. Also, Ramadan is literally upon us and I'm factoring that in too. So, what can you review and replan? There are things which you can take control of right now, so go ahead and grab your journal, diary, planner - just don't throw it out the window yet! 7. Action And, ACTION! Review all the points above and take action on each point where it resonates with you and which is important for you and your life right now. If something pops up in your head which I haven't covered then rest assured that pop up is important to you and for you so taking the above as a guideline, take action on what you need to - make that plan - stay focused - start pruning - let in positive light and healing - allow only specific information that will help you in your immediate health and safety - stay and keep informed - keep things in perspective - see them as they are, not worse, envision the better, and above all - get and stay connected to the One Above! ................... This is how I'm helping myself daily and my hope is that you too will help yourself to help your families to help all those around you. If I don't follow the steps above then I'll be one messed up soul and THAT is not good for anyone - especially me! Just like you, I too am in this with you and I don't want to be, but I'm here, you're here, we are all here. Qadr Allah - God's Will - but He's also given us the ability to help ourselves. Will you choose to help yourself? Let me know in the comments below what resonated with you the most and what action steps you will take. Sending you and your family lots of love, duas, light for your health, healing, safety, and protection. Please do keep me and my family in your duas too. Nadia. [BTW, if we've just met for the very first time right now on this blog post article and you resonate with my words and you want to learn more about me and how I can help you, then I invite you to CLICK HERE to join my 'Inner Circle Tribe' and grab yourself some FREE Masterclass trainings to start learning from me right away. They'll really help you during these tough times. If you're a regular WBI'er then you're good for now - keep an eye out for the regular emails.]
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![]() What a decade! I'm sure, just like me, you've had a crazy ride with all the highs and lows. So, as we end this decade and look forward to a new year and a new start, lets's take a moment together to recap the top 10 blog post articles and top 10 videos from We Be Inspired. After all, WBI was born in this decade. I wanted to create a platform where I could share with you daily inspiration and motivation to help us live a life full of purpose, with purpose. It's what I want for myself and it's the path I've been on for the last almost 26 years now. I'm (sometimes) obsessed with being the person I was created to be and to find myself through all the challenges and difficulties as well as the good times. Together, I wanted us to use all our God gifted abilities and talents to truly live out our best life, helping ourselves, each other, humanity, and all of creation, and in the process also get closer to our Creator, God Almighty - Allah (swt) - work on strengthening our connection with Him, working on perfecting our ibaadah - our worship - and preparing for our best afterlife - for as I always say, each moment is our only moment! This is my passion and my life purpose - to help you reconnect with God! So, grab your hot or cold drinks and snacks, and get ready to be inspired and motivated, and step into the world of Islamic Spiritual and Personal Development. And if you're new to this world, then, this is an awesome place to start right now, and when you finish, continue browsing the website for more content, articles, videos, and resources. Oh, and, make sure you grab your notebook and pen - you're going to need it for sure! Let's do this. Let the class begin. Bismillah-ExCel! Top 10 Blog Post Articles from 2011-2019: #10 YOU are NOT a Mistake! God created you for a reason - for a purpose. Each moment is teaching you a lesson and this lesson is shaping up the human you are meant to be - the human you are being right now. The only thing is how you perceive it and how you react. This will determine your path in life and what you achieve. YOU are needed in this world - it's time you believe this and start living life full on! #9 Give and You shall Receive! We live in a society and culture where we want to work hard only so we accumulate all the goods of this world. We want, want and want! Its ok to have goods of this world - if done in moderation. We need a roof on top our heads and clothes on our body. We need that. So we work for it and its ok. But it's not always just about us as an individual, but we as a group, a community, humanity. After reading this post, you'll become a giver too (if you aren't already) and watch the abundance you receive in return. #8 I'm a Victim - Get ME out of HERE! The topic we are going to look at today is about 'Self-sabotage' and 'Victim mentality'. Today's topic is pretty deep - in more ways than one. So before we begin I request you to read this only if you are ready to move on from all negativity in your life, if you're looking for some solutions and answers and if you want to start making positive changes in your world. If you're feeling very low and emotional then this topic may really hit home and may upset you or may even make you angry. But do read it and do the exercises as it'll really help you. #7 Need A Quick Spiritual Fix? So here's the plan for us insha'Allah. I'll give you the overall plan, but its for you to make your own schedule - because we've all got different daily schedules. I mean normal people's schedule begins from 9am til 5pm, but someone as abnormal as me, my schedule is 5pm till 6am! (Don't ask!) (Side note - it's 2019 and it's still the same - the 5pm till 6am thing!). #6 Are YOU Aware of YOU? How do we spend most of our days? Do we consciously go through the day knowing what we are doing or do we just ‘flow’ through the day on auto-pilot? Maybe you’re half and half – half on auto and half conscious? And, so, the question is – what about the other half? Time to find out now! #5 Courage Doesn’t Always Roar! Today's topic is about; 'Courage and being Courageous’. Before we continue further I just want to point out that this topic is not only for females but also for males. In a society where gender biases are at a high we are always told that men are brave and women are weak. We're not talking about the gender differences which Allah (swt) has created but how we always tell boys; 'Boys don't cry they are brave' and we tell girls; 'It's ok to cry, you're a girl!'. You might cry when you read this post, but it's OK, it's a healing process. Watch how your courage is unleashed. #4 Is YOUR Patience A Virtue? ...Or does it make you more impatient? Well, we have been hearing all our lives that patience is a virtue! Is it true though? And has it worked for YOU? Has patience become a virtue for you or made you even more impatient? Let's find out and cultivate patience in our life. #3 What are YOU doing this Moment? Moments: Know that every moment you have is an opportunity. An opportunity to grow, to excel to make your dreams a reality. How do YOU spend your moments and what are you doing this moment? Each moment is our only moment so find out how you can live each moment to the fullest. #2 Have YOU Found YOUR Purpose Yet? * Ever questioned and asked what you're doing here on Planet Earth? * Ever had one of those days when you said; 'I've had enough! No more! I don't get it! Why ME!?? * Ever wanted peace and comfort - enough of the hustle bustle of daily life and just time to be you??? *Reflection Moment (take a minute)* If so, then I ask you, what's stopping you from being you and having peace and comfort in life? Read to discover your purpose in life and then live it out full til the end of your lifetime. #1 There's something Special inside of YOU "You say that you are just a body, but inside of you is something greater than the Universe." Imam Shafi (rahimullah). We are spiritual beings living in physical bodies - both need taking care of. Our soul needs ibaadah (worship) and our body needs the right foods and exercise. When both the soul and body are aligned - we are at an overall state of peace and ease. But when either one of them is misaligned then we are at dis-ease. Have you ever felt at dis-ease? Then step inside of yourself and discover who you truly are! Top 10 Youtube Videos from 2011-2019: #10 Ramadan of Excellence 2019 #9 Challenge Yourself Daily #8 Students you're in it to win it! #7 What the FOMO is all that about? #6 The Power of Chunking #5 How to get Instant Soul Therapy & Heart Relief #4 Let's share the burden today #3 Challenges have Solutions #2 Your Map of the World #1 Who the Heaven am I? So, there you have it, a selection of articles and videos to help you heal from your wounds and the past, release the negativity, set the intention, and step into the new decade - into 2020 - with excellence, health, and abundance - in ALL areas of your life. Thank you for being part of this journey and I look forward to your company in the coming decade(s), insha'Allah - God willing. I'll recommit to excellence and helping you to reconnect with God. Please keep me in your duas too. With all my love, duas, and light, Nadia :) [BTW, if we've just met for the very first time right now on this blog post article and you resonate with my words and you want to learn more about me and how I can help you, then I invite you to CLICK HERE to join my 'Inner Circle Tribe' and grab yourself some FREE Masterclass trainings to start learning from me right away. If you're a regular WBI'er then you're good for now - keep an eye out for the regular emails.] ![]() ...Today I was going to give up and quit it all - all of it! I cried - a lot. Sometimes it gets really overwhelming and just too much for one soul. I made a dua in the early hours and asked Allah to show me the way. I've never been more serious about quitting than today. Today is also the Day of Arafah. Millions of people are right now on the plains of Arafah begging for Allah's mercy and forgiveness. A day when many are guaranteed salvation from the Hell-Fire and those who return from Hajj return as a new born - sinless - a Hajj Mabroor. I remember it clearly - like it was just today. It was 5th March 2001 - I was on the plains of Arafah with my parents and millions of other Hujjaj. A childhood dream come true and one of the youngest from my clan to do my Hajj. I was just 20 years old (actually, two weeks after I returned I was to turn 21 and I was in my final semester of my final year of my law degree at University). So many dreams in the eyes of a young 20 year old. I'm childhood ambitious. I have grand dreams. Not just for myself though - i'm not that selfish. I have grand dreams for our Ummah and for the entire humanity. I have grand dreams which involve YOU - yes YOU reading this now. I want to see YOU succeed in all areas of your life - in this world and the next. I walk the talk and expect 150% ExCel Mode from myself. That is what I operate at. You might say i'm too harsh on myself - or that I expect too much of myself. You're right - I do! I only have one life here - just one chance to work for that one vision Jannah al-Firdaus. It all starts here though - right here - in my front room, by the fire. It all starts in this world. How else will you and I achieve our ultimate vision of Jannah al-Firdaus if we don't work it here. Jannah has to be won - it won't be given to us on a plate. On a day like Arafah when gazillions are begging for Allah's mercy and forgiveness - here I was ready to quit - today 2013. I'm extremely sensitive. Only my very close souls know this. Everyone else see's the confident me. But my close one's know how deep I am and how sensitive I am and how I take things to heart. I don't cry in front of anyone - not my family, not my friends. Just with Allah - and Mano (my cat). I'm not overly emotional - like I don't burst out crying if you don't like me. Not me! I may have my shy and sensitive girly side - but i'm very much tom-boyish also. I have zero-tolerance on women and men who just cry over tiny things! I'm the; 'Yes we can! Let's do it now' type. So, for me to even be sharing a piece of my heart with the entire universe is deep. This is the vulnerable me - one which you might not see again - or might see on a very rare occasion - like today. I'm willing to give you a glimpse into my heart and soul - and be vulnerable like this whilst I have tears in my eyes. I share with you as you may be going through your own journey, trying to find who you are and what you want to be or supposed to be doing. You may feel lost and confused. You're trying and trying and yet nothing is working. No one is supporting you - like you thought they would! Just like me you may be ready to give up. I went to sleep crying with my dua of guidance. And then I woke up to a message from a sister who made dua for me and said; "...jazakAllahu khair for your posts they really are inspiring and I just wanted to say never give up what your doing mashaAllah. May Allah grant you a long and productive life sis and remove all your sins ameen. Don't let others negativity affect you. I know its hard but you touch more hearts than u know inshaAllah. Allah chose u for this - I don't see anyone else doing what u do and that is your calling so keep close to Allah and don't get knocked backed wen the road is so tough. Ur work is inspiring and an encouragement to others". I think I'm gona cry again! This one message has taught me so much instantaneously and touched my core. And the weird part is that this sister had no idea what i was feeling. She is someone i met a year ago and we have the usual facebook and whatsapp contact. This was deep. Read her message again - it's from me to you now. I'm ready to redirect my intention and focus. I'm here til Allah decides my time is up. For now - i'm staying :) Bismillah-ExCel! ![]() This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah” {Qur’an; 2:2} As another Ramadan draws to an end we may suddenly fall into the ‘Post-Ramadan-Blues’. We have barely broken our final fast that we start to moan and ‘Oh I feel sad and upset’. But isn’t Eid a gift from Allah? And should we not be grateful to Allah for this Day? And should we not look forward to the celebration? We seem to give more weight and precedence to other celebrations in our lives – whether that is a birthday, wedding, new born, graduation, new job, new house [insert the special moment you like to celebrate] and yet as soon as maghrib adhan is called on the final fast we seem to get the ‘Blues’. Our religion Islam is not about getting the blues or being in a negative state! Yes, things happen, we fall, cry, make up, break up and cry a little more – but does life end here? Maybe you have been through some of the above so you can relate – because I sure have been through a good few of those myself. You may be feeling blue because you feel you didn't do enough – and you feel you should have done more. Listen, you did as much as you could in your circumstance and honestly instead of worrying how little you did now – as Ramadan is over – make continuous dua that the little you did Allah accepts it. I pray that Allah accepts it from you and me. You may be wondering how I can sound so cold or be so direct about it. You may be thinking ‘Does she think she is better than the rest and all her deeds are accepted’ and the answer to your wonderings is ‘Absolutely NO!’. I too am sad that Ramadan is leaving and I too wish I could do more – however when we get into this type of negative rhetorical we fall downwards and downwards. We just got blessed with such a beautiful month and we are already being ungrateful for that by being blue? I mean we can at least read some voluntary nafl for gratefulness right? Or even some voluntary nafl to ask Allah to accept our deeds and allow us to continue right? Here’s the thing. Well, two things. Firstly we get hooked up on to the blues. We listen to and read about what everyone else is saying [think social media – the F word!] and then we may feel we have to feel the same way – so we put ourselves into that state and we become blue and start talking blue. It’s all in the mind we are the ones who are thinking what we are thinking. The Lord of Ramadan is still our Lord outside of Ramadan and how many more opportunities does He (swt) bless us with throughout the year which also have extra reward? Exactly! [Get pen and paper and list them please]. Secondly once we get ourselves onto the blue-downward-ride we seem to go round and round. We keep thinking we didn’t do enough – we keep thinking we should have done more – we keep thinking everything is over. But here’s the deal (halaal deal) – it’s not over! It’s not over until we are 9 feet under! So do yourselves a favour right now and snap out of it! I’ll be right here when you’re ready to continue and please only 5 minutes ok? Good! ……….waiting Back? Awesome! “I am as My servant’s opinion of Me.” (Bukhari) Think good of Allah as He is our Creator and He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Seriously, if we think negative – negative will happen. We need to watch what we say to ourselves. We need to purify our intention and sincerity. Energy flows where intention goes. Think positive of Allah – there is no need whatsoever to think negative of Him. I mean, this is a whole topic in and of itself however just for now know that if you are reading this then #1 you are alive, #2 you are more blessed that those in places such as Syria and Palestine right now and #3 There is ALWAYS hope – ALWAYS! So take a deep breath in – hold – release and say ‘THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE’. And now, let me ask you – and this is purely reflectional for you as it is for me – if Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an then how much did you and I read, recite and study the tafsir? And before you slip to the blues again – think RED – (it’s my favourite colour) You know by now that I’m all about self-help (i.e. as Allah says He will not change our condition until we first take that step, right) and I’m a personal development junkie. And if you’re reading this right now then that means you are someone who wants to make positive changes in your life starting right now and prepare for your best akhirah insha’Allah. See Ramadan may have left us but we shouldn't leave it or our ibaadah – worship – from this month. *Re-read that sentence and reflect on it for a moment* This is what the blues does to us – it makes us lose hope! Did you know that the Qur’an and the Bible are known to be the #1 self-help books? Shocked? And you thought that the dude or dudess who got onto the New York #1 bestseller list had all the answers for you. Nope! And just before I continue, yes do read self-help and personal development books, because I do and I write on personal development. However if you have noticed then you would have noticed that my message is primarily based upon firstly the Qur’an and Sunnah and then everyday life. Now what this means for us is that Ramadan may have left us for another year – and may Allah bless us with another Ramadan insha’Allah [kul – ameen!] however it has left you and I with a gift – the gift that it came to remind us about – the gift that we've already got on our shelf – the Qur’an. If you are someone who wants to live a life upon the deen and prepare for your best akhirah then right now know that Ramadan came to remind you of a gift you already have which you may not connect with too often around the year. Now, dearest soul, is the time to hold on tightly to this gift! Do not fall into the shaytaan trap of the blues. Listen – it is ok to miss Ramadan and the unity it brings and the tarawih prayers and the sisterhood/brotherhood – I get it. But don’t let it leave now. It leaves when we hit the downward. So grab your Qur’an and be thankful to Allah that you have the best and #1 self-help book right with you. In fact it is your ULTIMATE self-help book and with it in your life you can never go wrong. We make a dua in Surah Fatiha where we ask Allah (swt) to guide us on the ‘Straight Path’ and subhan’Allah – look at the power of our dua – Allah (swt) answers it instantaneously in the next following Surah where He (swt) says that THIS BOOK (the Qur’an) is a GUIDANCE for those who are conscious of Allah – aware of Him – fear Him – love Him – want His forgiveness and mercy – this book has the answers! I invite you to embrace it and promise to read, study and live by it insha’Allah. I’ll show you how in the tips and action points below. But just before I get there I want to say a big phat EID MABROOK to you and your family from me and my family – taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum - may Allah accept it from you and us – [ameen!] You may not understand everything the Qur’an is saying at the moment – but that is ok because that will change – remember ‘Hope’. Also the thing is that because we are so accustomed to getting advice and help from elsewhere (friends, social media, etc) we can’t seem to connect to the concept that the Qur’an has all the answers for us. But all we need to do is look at the Seerah of Rasool Allah and we will come to know that yes the Qur’an does have all the answers for me as Aisha (RA) said that Rasool Allah was the ‘walking Qur’an’ – as he was the Qur’an translated into action. Tips and Action Points: 1. Believe! - Believe in Allah’s mercy, in His forgiveness – believe that when you ask Him to guide you and straighten your affairs He (swt) will. Nothing is more powerful in life than belief – and nothing is more powerful than believing that Allah (swt) will make it alright and He (swt) will show you the way. - If you’re having the doubts then firstly know it is waswasa from shaytaan and his job is to lead us off course and secondly think of all the times that Allah helped you (specifically where something major was happening and you called out to Him – we’ve all had that moment in our lives). - Purify your intention and sincerity – these two are really important for us in all that we do – so let’s make it a habit to purify them at each step insha’Allah. 2. Make a Qur’an Plan - Just like a ‘To-Do’ list or scheduling your diary make a plan for your Qur’an. So in this plan you will write how much you will recite each day, what times, for how long and when will you study the tafsir, attend Qur’an courses (including hifz and tajweed) and what resources you will use. Some of the resources you could use are online YouTube videos (Like Qur’an Weekly Ramadan Gems - if you haven’t already then I highly recommend you watch them all – 30 short 5 to 10 min videos) books, getting teachers (maybe private teachers). There are a lot of resources available to us – you have to be curious enough to do your own research – that is your study part – you can’t expect anyone to do it for you. Also in this plan you could include Family Qur’an Time – especially if you have younger siblings or children – this is the best self-help start you can give your family insha’Allah. 3. Your Dream Team - Who is in your world? I.e. who are your friends? Time for a friend check-up! - You want a team who will help you realize not only your potential as a human and what you’re capable of achieving but also a team who loves Qur’an just as you do – for there is nothing worse than having those in your life who don’t share the same passions and who don’t love and appreciate the Qur’an and its message! - In this dream team you have your supporters, mentors and coaches. And you would be the same in someone else's dream team. We all need A* players in our world - on our side. Allah created us social beings and it is in social settings we thrive and excel. This dream team will be there to support you through all your ups and downs and will encourage you to excel. This special team is called ‘Qur’an Dream Team’. Go create yours right now insha’Allah. The Qur’an creates a special kind of connection with our Rabb Allah – He is speaking to us through the Qur’an and we need to make it our #1 Book in our life insha’Allah. I do hope and pray that this post today does help you in some way or another. Please leave me your comments and let me know what three things you will do right now to keep the Ramadan spirit alive and connecting with your very own #1 self-help book – the Qur’an! :) ![]() Ever had a heart and mind conflict? ...'But my Heart says one thing and my Mind says another!' That's what we always end up saying when we're trying to make a decision or thinking about some next steps in our life. We fail to see the heart and mind as two separate organs doing different things and functioning in different ways. Yes ultimately they are linked - the entire system is linked and that is why we are functioning properly. But there are some fundamental differences between the two. I know you Scientists are going to love this because I'm the Legal Eagle and I'm disregarding probably everything you've learnt at Med/Science School. Sorry folks! But y'all know I see things differently lol! ...The mind does what you tell it or ask it. It's like a computer. If you ask your mind; 'Why am I unsuccessful' then it will go and look for all the proof and answers to back up your question and tell you why you're unsuccessful. But if you ask; 'Why am I successful or how can I be more successful?' Then it will go and look for all the proofs to answer your question. Yes the mind is an organ which needs exercise. So please read, read a lot - daily - give it a mental training and sharpen it. It does come in handy with those questions and we do need it so look after your mind and feed it with nutrients - not junk! (I'm not disregarding it - I love the mind because its all about the subconscious, conscious, thoughts, belief systems etc!). But today we're talking just about the heart - its a complete different ball game. See the heart 'KNOWS!' It knows the answer deep within and it knows that we know! Yet we fail to listen to it. Why? Because we are human. Because we are afraid. Because we have fears. Because we don't want to fall or fail. The list goes on. But what we don't realise is that we do more damage than good when we don't listen to it. We say our heart says one thing and our mind another so we should listen to the mind as the heart comes from an emotional place so it will always make us soft and squiggly and we will end up making wrong decisions. Have you ever made a decision from your heart? How did it feel? What were the emotions? What if we trained our heart with goodness, nourished it with goodness and worked on purifying it? Would we still listen to it or ignore it? Would we put full trust in Allah that He (swt) will pour goodness into our heart and guide us to goodness or are we going to give into our fears (which come from belief systems - the mind)? We are spiritual beings on a human journey. The heart is part of our spiritualness. Not the physical heart - but the spiritual heart. If we all went for heart examinations and cut open our chest the heart will not show the deep evilness on the surface. That's because that is part of our spiritualness. Just the way we can't see our soul - we can't see the spiritual heart. How does the heart become evil? Well, we are responsible for that. We feed it with constant jealousy, envy, anger, backbitting, slander and the list goes on. Allah (swt) says; 'Nay! But on their hearts is the Raan (covering of sins and evil deeds) which they used to earn" (83:14). So what does this mean? The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “When the believer commits sin, a black spot appears on his heart. If he repents and gives up that sin and seeks forgiveness, his heart will be polished. But if (the sin) increases, (the black spot) increases. That is the raan which Allah mentions in His Book: ‘Nay! But on their hearts is the Raan (covering of sins and evil deeds) which they used to earn’ .” Al-Tirmithi The purifying of the heart is a constant and daily journey. I guess you can say it's a bit like eating food daily and drinking water daily. We need this nourishment for our body to function properly. We need to feed our heart daily and cleanse it daily. Some of the basic stuff that we can do - because again this is such a deep topic that its for the scholars to delve into - pray our Salaah daily on time, read Qur'an, listen to tilawah, study the tafsir of the Qur'an - constantly remember Allah - which is also dhikr-Allah. Yes I know its a struggle. I do struggle too and sometimes I think why?! - Especially when everything was going ok - but its because we are human and this life is a test - we have to go through these daily tests. The Prophet (pbuh) said; "In the body there is a morsel of flesh and when it is sound the whole body is sound and when it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt. Verily it is the heart." Bukhari and Muslim So we need to rid it off the jealousy and envy - these two are constant bad companions. They are like best friends! We get jealous and envious of others lives and achievements - even if someone gets married and they are happy, people will have something to say about it! We need to stop corrupting our heart and if we continue then our heart will become black - full of raan and it will become dead - dead to emotions - dead to feelings - you know, cold heartedness? (yup, we've heard that before!). So what now? Here's today's Tips and Action Points: 1. Make a conscious decision and hand your heart over to Allah. Ask Allah (swt) to guide it always and to help you in everything. 2. Start listening to it - listen to your gut - you know 'gut feeling?'. Trust me, you'll have this fluttery feeling in your heart and you'll know. 3. Make a plan to start purifying your heart. Yes this is going to be difficult but we're all in this together and we can do it - with Allah's help we can! If we have a constant feeling/emotion/trait like jealousy - then firstly we need to find out why we have it, recognise it, see the shortcoming on our part and then fix it! When you start making these small but constant changes you'll notice the inner peace within you and you'll notice how you consult your heart more and you'll notice how you're consciously asking Allah to guide you to the answer. Try it! If we fix our relationship with Allah then we won't fear listening to the heart. Maybe we know the answer and we actually understand what the heart is saying but we don't want to listen to it (like don't go to that specific place as there is haraam there but we rebel and do it anyway!). As I always say to all my loved ones; 'Listen to YOUR heart. Hand it over to Allah and ask Him to help you and guide you - because He'll put the answer in your heart!' We need to remember that what will help us on the Day of Judgement is not our worldly successes but a sound heart. As the Prophet (pbuh) said; "Allah does not look towards your bodies nor toward your appearances but looks towards your heart." Muslim Its time for us to fix up our hearts insha'Allah. And listen to your heart - because it KNOWS! :) ![]() Success is personal and everyone has their own definition of it. And that's cool. Some would define success as academic achievements, some as moving up the career ladder or promotion, some as being the best parent/child/spouse, some as been able to pray night pray every night and few pages of Qur'an every single day and some would define it as a combination of all. Again, that's cool, because each one of us is different and each one of us has different dreams and hopes and wishes to achieve. All successful people - in whatever they are successful in - have daily routines and habits that they have established. The western personal development gurus swear by them and are always teaching and drilling these routines and habits into their students. Obviously they got it from Islam! :D For instance we are taught by Rasool Allah that he would make the following dua; He said: "O Allah, bless my Ummah in its early hours." The early hours are the best. Praying night prayer in the last third of the night. Then praying Fajr and then reading some Qur'an. Its also one of the best times to read Qur'an as it's witnessed and recorded by the angels. And then follow this with quiet contemplation or in other words dhikr-Allah. Recite some tasbee, focus on the meaning. It will help quieten the mind of useless chatter and help us focus better. There's a reason why many meditate and do yoga in the early hours and that's one of the reasons they can have laser focus and achieve so much! So, we need to develop some positive habits and routines. If you haven't already then master the morning prayer routine and then add your mantras to it. What are these mantras? They are like statements - positive statements - repeated often which get us into a positive mindset and help us focus on the task at hand or our long term goals. What is YOUR mantra? Would you like to succeed and continuously have that energy switch which gets you into top form as and when you need it? Then it's time to create YOUR 'Unique Success Mantra' (if you haven't already). Read it, memorize it and switch into 'Excel-Mode' as and when you need. But before we begin - we need to clear the clutter and have a soulful therapy moment. We need to get rid of the trash from our soul and know that 'things will happen' - yes they will - that's the nature of our lives - even if you're the happiest care-free soul, it doesn't mean you won't be put into compromising situations - even if its not to do with you directly, then a loved one, friends, colleagues - and some being intimate and close relations - how do you deal with their issue(s) successfully, help them through it and then switch back into your own 'Excel Mode', back on track? Its about recognising and appreciating the importance of 'each' moment, which ties into the core of your existence - your life - which is limited and being time-bound, we have to get the best and enough done in the 'time' we have and so that means working on our 'focus'. We need to keep in mind the above and work on a step by step method on regaining our focus. Well, how do we do that? Here's how; a) Appreciating your life as 'Limited, Time-Bound and Precious' b) Your goals and ambitions are all time-bound - we have to achieve them in a specific time. c) What is precious is cared for and looked after (like a small child/animal). So what is precious to you? Is your life precious? d) Know that there is someone who you call on 24/7, 365 days without an appointment and without waiting in a queue and who will help you - who? Allah e) Supplicate (make dua) to Him and ask Him to help you f) Know that you're a means by which Allah wants goodness for your loved one - He put you there to help them - He gives you the strength to help them g) Know that you can only help those who want to be helped - in the end its between them and God h) Be polite, assertive, direct and confident when helping your loved ones - because you need to get back to your work/life/study - and there's only so much you can do for someone i) Always leave them in a happy, positive state - leave them with duas, ayahs and ahaadith - leave them hopeful - and insha'Allah they will soon see the light j) After you've helped them go back to your 'Success Mantra' (which we will create in a minute) and point #a above k) Eat healthy food, fruit, vegs, plenty of water, light exercise daily, walk daily, be in nature, parks, trees, flowers and listen to some Qur'an. Take a tech-break - no phones, tv, net, social media etc l) If the issues are seriously intense - then do the above point #k at least three times (different things from the list insha'Allah to add variety) and read your 'success' mantra again and point #a above again - and you'll soon be back on track and you'll have regained your focus insha'Allah! As I pointed out above we need to fix the issues of our soul first and you know things will creep up but you have to create awareness and be ready to deal with them. "Richness does not lie in the abundance of (worldly) goods but richness is the richness of the soul." Sahih Muslim Book 005: Hadith 2287 So now we have regained our focus - its time to create our success mantra insha'Allah. I'm going to share mine with you. Use it as a template or be inspired to jot your own down. In fact, mine is not even a one word statement or one line sentence. Its a whole paragraph and was inspired by a personal development book I read. Its pretty personal to me as I add the things that apply directly to me so you can add your own and personalise it insha'Allah. Its helped me to create laser focus and to get things done - alhamdulilah. And I read it daily! Bismillah ***From this moment on I will do what I need to do in order to excel in my deen, my ibaadah, my spirituality, my studies, my work, my businesses, my health, my wealth, my relationships and my life! I will operate in '150% EXCEL MODE turBo flow' from now on in every aspect of my life and be the best. I'm tired of being second best. I will Excel. I choose to be Extremely Successful insha'Allah, ameen!*** :) So, there you have it. My success mantra. By the way success is allowed in Islam - its how we deal with it and how we use it. Remember we have 'One Life and One Chance' to do all the good and right things and we should all have that 'One Vision' - Jannah al-Firdaus and to get there we have to pass the tests from this life. And Allah (swt) grants success to whom He wills - this world and the next! "Whoever works righteousness - whether male or female - while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)" [al-Nahl 16:97] Ready to write YOUR 'Success Mantra?' Just before you create yours and read it I want you to do a quick exercise. This involves you getting into a peak state. Think of a time when you were really happy with your achievement (whatever it is). I want you to feel that moment throughout your body. I want you to smell all the smells associated with it. What things were going through your mind at that time? What were you feeling? Feel it. Use all your five senses. Increase the feeling. Make it very bright and visual. Make it into 3D. And when you're at that peak state (or a halaal happy high) write your mantra and start repeating it. Say Bismillah and just go do it! Hope that helped y'all! :) Leave a comment below to inspire all our WBI'ers and email me if you need help with writing your success mantra or to go through those steps to trash that junk insha'Allah! ![]() Today's post is a reflection post. I'm sure you'll be able to relate to it. It comes after, well, a lot of reflection... It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, its like we all have to go through this in our life. Once, twice, thrice...until we get the message, learn the lesson and move on. Its like, you set out to do good and spread good, but there is always someone who will shake a pointy finger at you and say; 'Well, that's just not good enough!' Or; 'You're wrong!' You know, it could have even started very young. At school maybe? Your teacher didn't like your drawing when you were in reception class age 4/5. You thought you were Picasso creating a masterpiece with your house and four windows, a door in the middle, a pathway leading to the front gates, a tree and a cat - but she clearly thought otherwise! (And no, that didn't happen to me and yes I did draw that drawing and admit it, so did you!). It could have happened in later life. Your parents, siblings, friends pointing that pointy finger, rolling their eyes and choruses of; 'You just can't ever get it right can you?!' Ever had that happen to you? Like over and over and... *Ouch* Its like a punch in the face and instant knock out. You're trying to get up and recover and there goes the bell for round two! *Double ouch!* Why do we allow ourselves to get hurt this way? In fact, why do we do things to always please others or get approval? Why??? Its a proven psychological fact (you can google it) that humans have six basic needs. This theory was proposed by Maslow in 1943 in his paper; 'A Theory of Human Motivation'. In later years Tony Robbins (one of the Gurus of Personal Development and from whom yours truly is heavily inspired, motivated and influenced by) came up with his own six basic needs. Both Maslow and Robbins state that one of these needs is love/connection/belonging and another is significance (Robbins). We want to be and feel loved. We want to be and feel connected. We want to belong (either to immediate loved ones or in larger social groups - social acceptance). We want to be and feel significant. These are almost like our survival tools and to an extent a healthy dose of each is required for the healthy and holistic development of a human being. However, what can happen is that we get to a stage in life where we are always looking for approval and doing things to get attention so we feel significant - important - worthy. This may even lead us sometimes to do or act in unhealthy or immoral ways. Just so we get that approval. If you've ever been through any of that then know that its ok because what you were doing was being human (by the way I don't condone immorality). All humans do this! But the correct way would be if parents/teachers/guardians gave children the correct form of encouragement and support at an early age - even through our failures then we wouldn't be so messed up today. *Eureka Moment!* That's why I said at the beginning - we've ALL been through it. Because it started young and was embedded in us (usually around age 6) and we started to look for acceptance and feel low and sad if discouraged, it stayed with us. Its in our subconscious. It might even be eating you up right now! *Is it?* So even if your friends or family do this to you then realise that even they have been through it. Its like a sad, vicious, psychological cycle! *Yuk!* But it's time to break FREE - when? NOW! Allah (swt) has sent down a book of guidance. In it are treasures that even if Captain Hook knew about them then he would go out in search for them (and be one of the good guys)! This book - the Qur'an - is a guidance for mankind and therein lie all the answers. Do YOU want to stop this 'pleasing everyone' and looking for acceptance and feeling significant (beyond what is required as a basic need?) Then for YOU the Qur'an has a message... Ready? Bismillah... "Say: "Verily, my Salah (Prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of ALL that exists''. [Qur'an (6:162)] That's it! That's the one! Read it again, re-read it, re-read it again and now STOP - sit back, take 5 and reflect. I'll be right here when you come back - after 5 - we need to finish this post... Back? Cool! Ok, so yes, that's a verse which we need to memorise and truly reflect upon insha'Allah. What does it really mean? Simply this - that all that we do is for the sake of Allah - we live for Him and die for Him - only! And before you say; 'That's easy said than done!' - Well, yes, I know! This is life, it's not meant to be easy. That's not how lessons are learnt! If we give ourselves a chance and really apply this verse to our lives then almost all our worries will vanish. This is not to say that if you're at work you don't do what's in the job description or with a loved one you don't give them time etc - that's just silly. We have our worldly things to do and our worship to do. We have to balance it all. But if we understand this verse then the burden can be lifted and we can break free from these shackles. These shackles that weigh us down because we do stuff just to get approval and feel significant. And in the process are always unhappy, low, sad and have low self-esteem/confidence. Our purpose of creation is not to spend our days pleasing others or scheming of ways to gain approval. That's a waste of time and life and both are precious. Stop doing unnecessary things for approval! If they don't approve of you just the way you are then they never will! And if they laugh and hate then its on them - they have issues that they need fixing. The issue is not with you but them. And if you laugh or hate or treat others as though they always need your approval then stop and fix up as the issue is with you! If all of us could just take responsibility for our own actions and start fixing our broken hearts and healing our torn souls then we can start to be ok. We can't change anyone else's behaviour or actions but we can only change our reactions. Action Point & Tips: 1. What positive changes can you start making in your own lives? 2. How will you help younger souls (children/siblings/nieces/nephews) on this path to pleasing Allah alone (using the verse as an example)? 3. How will you react if you feel the need to please someone or seek their approval for your existence. Don't just read this post and be inspired by it only but get motivated to take action insha'Allah. Want to see change? Then be the change! Today! "Say: "Verily, my Salah (Prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of ALL that exists''. [Qur'an (6:162)] ![]() We live in a society and culture where we want to work hard only so we accumulate all the goods of this world. We want, want and want! Its ok to have goods of this world - if done in moderation. We need a roof on top our heads and clothes on our body. We need that. So we work for it and its ok. I don't judge as that's not my purpose in life. I believe if God has blessed us with wealth then we can buy what we want so long as we give plenty in charity and help our loved ones. That's my personal belief and I stick by it. But there is a difference in being rich and blessed by God and just wasting that money on things we don't need at all. Western personal and spiritual development Guru's live by the daily mantra of; 'Give and You shall Receive'. Its from the Bible. But what's amazing is that our deen - Islam - also teaches us to give. It teaches us this principle in depth - subhan'Allah! Giving in charity is fundamental in Islam and there are two types - obligatory and voluntary. We know that Zakah is one of the Pillars of Islam - to give 2.5% of our wealth to the needy (in the Qur'an there are 8 categories of people who are eligible for Zakah). This is a form of obligatory charity. Sadaqa is voluntary charity and something we should do on a daily. It is a form of ibaadah - worship. It is sadaqa to smile at another. Each new day our limbs perform sadaqa (ie prayer, giving etc). Allah (swt) says; "You cannot attain to righteousness unless you spend (in charity) out of what you love." (3:92) And; Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) related that Allah's messenger (PBUH) said: "No money ever decreases because of charity; when a servant of Allah forgives, Allah increases him in dignity; and whenever a person humbles himself to Allah, Allah will elevate his status." Bukhari & Muslim. So why are we so stingy? Why can we not give? It almost seems as though we will become poor by giving! However that is not the case. Look at the beautiful teachings of our deen yet we are so miserly and stingy - traits and characteristics which have openly been condemned and prohibited by our beloved Prophet (pbuh). The western gurus give, give and give and yes they receive, receive and receive. God does not withhold from His creation. He is the One to give. We are not looking at aqeedah or different belief systems (of different religions) but we are looking at the mindset - the positive mindset and belief system about giving in charity. And most of them make a 6 figure income (how do I know? I study them!). Do you then stop to wonder why the Ummah is in such turmoil and pain? I'm asking you to for just a moment put aside the 'signs of the hour' (which, yes they are coming true one by one) and look at it from a different perspective. On the one hand we have oil rich billionaires building tall buildings almost out of space and then we have those who don't even know where the next meal will come from. Why? Why has the Ummah fallen so deep? Please don't cry for another great pious leader to appear to take us to victory because they were human beings! They trusted in Allah, believed in Him and did the right thing. We don't worship the creation but the Creator! You and I - my dear friends - have the capability of being great and leading the Ummah to victory! YES WE CAN! Its all about the mindset and its all about giving. And its all about believing and trusting Allah. Have we lost faith and trust? Naud'billah! Subhan'Allah! We are that busy that we can't even stop to help our own immediate family and we want to help the Ummah? Yes, dua is the weapon of a believer - but dua is a pre and post requisite to action. Action doesn't happen by itself as we know Allah said in the Qur'an that He will change our condition only when we first change it ourselves - when we take the first step to positive change. So why are we so afraid to lose our wealth? Why have we become so greedy? The wealth we have is not even ours! Its Allah's amanah - trust - given to us so we can spend on ourselves, our families and all of creation - spend in His way on His creation. Give and you shall receive! And if you don't have a lot of wealth to help others then give a smile at least. Give a helping hand. Give a kind word. Each of us can give if we become a little selfless. Ask Allah (swt) and He shall give - give thanks and He shall give more - life is a test and preparing for our eternal bliss - supplicate to Him - see things for what they are and don't make them bigger (don't make a mountain out of a mole hill) watch your thoughts, words, feelings and actions. Its all a cycle - don't fall into the negative trap that you can't do or give because you are fooling no one except yourself. Instead create a positive cycle. Just the way a smile is contagious so is this positive cycle. Each of us right NOW has the ability to 'Give' and then to 'Receive'. We have all the resources we need to begin right now insha'Allah. Giving is so good for the soul that you can instantly feel the peace within and without. And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks, I will give you more (of My Blessings) {14:7} Let's become true and worthy servants of Allah who give in His way and when we receive we give thanks. Tips and Action Points: 1. Scan your life - what can you do without? What is useless? Get rid of completely (if it is completely useless) or give in charity (if usable). 2. Give £1 or $1 or €1 or whatever your currency in your country to charity once every month (that's the least we can do, co'mon!) 3. Get together with friends and family and think of creative ways to help the Ummah and humanity and animals. 4. Don't remember or note down what you gave but always remember what you receive and then give thanks for it! 5. Share this message with your loved ones and make today's mantra; 'Give and You shall Receive!' Insha'Allah! :) ![]() Its always nice to make a fresh start in life or to create New Beginnings... Did you read last weeks post? It was about 'Victim Mentality and Self-Sabotage'. It was DEEP! I hope you had a chance to read it and had some breakthroughs as this weeks post will only be effective if you practiced the tips in last weeks post. If you haven't already then STOP and go read {http://www.webeinspired.com/1/post/2012/11/im-a-victim-get-me-out-of-here.html} and then give yourself up to 72 hours then come back to THIS post. But, if you're done with the whole victim mentality saga then read on insha'Allah :) There's so much energy in new beginnings, don't you think? I mean they usually occur at the start of the New Year - we make resolutions - many quit - many soldier on - and many re-resolute six months on. New beginnings and fresh starts are also powerful when ALL our friends get involved. So if you want to lose weight, for instance, and your friends are not on this new resolution thing then eventually it can become discouraging and you may quit! Because it really does take A LOT to stay motivated and keep at it. Many contemporary scholars have also said that the best time to set new goals is the last ten nights of Ramadan. Sooo did YOU set any/new goals this Ramadan? Have you succeeded in them? Need to re-resolute? Waiting for 1st January 2013?? Why wait? How about 1st Muharram 1434 AH? Its the Islamic New Year. I hope and pray that its a blessed, productive, successful and prosperous year ahead for you insha'Allah, ameen! Don't panic now! The Queen of Inspiration and Motivation is right here for YOU and together we'll make this the best year ever insha'Allah! Excited? Yay, me too! Read on :D Umar ibn al-Khattab (radiyallahu 'anhu) said; "Bring yourself to account before you are taken to account (on the Day of Judgement)," and, "Weigh your deeds before your deeds are weighed." And... Hasan al-Basri (rahimahullaah) said, "You will never meet a believer except that he brings himself to account." These will be our starting points today insha'Allah (make a note of them). As Muslims we know that there is a life to come and to get the best spot in the next world - or the golden ticket - we need to work hard in this world - a world full of trials, tests, tribulations and lots of other things. At each point we need to take account of our actions and our intentions as; 'Actions come from Intentions.' (Bukhari and Muslim) Just today I got an email by one of the western personal development gurus and in it she said that she does not use the term 'goals' for 'goals' but 'intentions' because sometimes if you have a lot of 'goals' it can become very daunting. Now if we as Muslims look at this it does make sense because a goal really is an intention which turns into an action and we know that at each point we need to turn to Allah and ask Him to purify our intentions so our actions are purified. So, here's our Action/Intention plan today - Bismillah: 1. Let's purify our intentions and actions continuously as every thing we do is for the sake of Allah alone and to Him is our return. 2. Continuous dua - every single day; 'Ya Allah please purify my intentions and actions'. 3. Prayers come first! So plan your day around your prayers and not your prayers around your day. Those who succeed are those who work hard for their prayers. Also, daily Qur'an, daily adhkaars, daily dhikr. These are essential! Do not miss them! 4. Get a diary! Ok, if you don't like diaries get an organiser or notebook. Yes, do use all the technology available to you but there's power in actually using pen and paper. All our pious predecessors used pen and paper and we know how blessed they were. So time to go traditional again - pen and paper. 5. I schedule my diary at the beginning of the month. Some schedule it at the beginning of each week whilst others at the end of each night. So, what works for you, works for you. 6. Procrastinate? Instead of writing; 'To-Do' list write; 'Do-List' because 'to-do' suggests you will at some point/day soon will do it whereas 'do-list' shows a sense of urgency and a need to act NOW. 7. Have goals/intentions for deen and duniya. What does that mean? Well duniya could be your work, studies, businesses, projects and deen is your ibaadah - worship, dawah, studies but both deen and duniya can also be combined ie working on a project in and Islamic organisation. Have long term goals (as well as short term). Five years from now. Ten years from now. My long term five year goals include excelling in all my businesses (four at the moment) hifz of the entire Qur'an, completing and furthering my Islamic studies to become a scholar, completing an Mphil/PhD in Islamic Human Rights Law, insha'Allah. (Duas please). What's your long term goals/intentions? Aim for the highest and hope for the best! 8. Each day before you begin renew your intentions and each night for 15 minutes reflect on the day gone. Ask yourself, did I achieve? What could I have done better? What is more urgent? Etc 9. We're ALL suckers for technology! I admit - me too! But, seriously - and I mean seriously when I've had down time from technology, I work the best. 10. Cut the distractions. Consider your time - its precious. This means we all work best at different times. So when you're working on your goals/intentions make sure you're not getting distracted. 11. Read about biographies about our pious predecessors as well as historical figures. There's much to learn from them. I'm always learning something new or studying something new. My friends call me; 'Learning Machine'. It keeps me inspired, motivated and on the edge - to achieve! 12. For each goal set a realistic end date and break it down into smaller steps - like 'a, b, c' or '1, 2, 3' etc. That's the only way it will get done and that's what I do. Trust me. Its the only way. 13. Get motivating buddies. I know I personally struggle in this because I have so much to achieve. So I surround myself with my positive crew and so should you! Especially if you're going to embark on a big goal like studying a new course or memorisation of Qur'an. You NEED study buddies. And did you know that the 5 people you're around the most (minus) family shape up your world? Only the best in your world, ok? 14. Don't settle for less. Be the best. Ihsaan in everything we do. Why reach for the stars when YOU can have Jannah al-Firdaus?! Ready to aim high? Go for it insha'Allah and put 150% into everything! :) 15. Develop 'Laser-Focus'. I was once told by a fellow legal eagle colleague to develop laser focus like horses on a race track. They have blinkers on their heads and they can't see what's happening here or there except the finish line ahead. Well I'm not a horse (I am a horse lover though) but I've developed laser focus and when I'm focused I'm zoned out - I'm gone - you can't find me - but I get it all done hamdulilah! :D 16. Look after your health. Eat healthy and properly and get enough sleep that your body requires (note to self firstly!). Lots of water! I love water. Less 7-Up! (Ok, that was for me, sorry!) As they say in Urdu; 'Jaan hai tu jahaan hai' - 'If you have health you have the world' (Well that was my translation - roughly). Spend time with loved ones. Elderly. Children. Animals. Get involved in charity work. Volunteer. It will make you an all rounded person - holistic. That's what Islam is all about. 17. Exercise - both physical and mental. I'm swimming again and started re-training martial arts (Kung Fu and Kick Boxing). Try something new - new sport? Also, Read. Read a lot. What was the first word of the Qur'an? Read. Reading is powerful. Exercise the mind. Its a muscle and needs exercising. Read and learn. There's oceans of knowledge out there. Its like treasure waiting to be discovered. Go discover it! 18. Be Creative! Ok, well, I'm default right brain creative so I'm going to stress this big time. BE CREATIVE! Its fun! It keeps you inspired, motivated, curious, interested. I'm knitting little heart cushions, drawing cartoons, day dreaming. Its fun. Try it! :) 19. Here's where YOU add your motivation and inspiration. What do YOU do and why not inspire and motivate our WBI family? Let's help each other insha'Allah. The key here to remember is what works for you, works only for you. The above is a guideline. You may have tried it and it may not have worked. You may have a better list that works perfectly for you. That's fine. I hope the above was a good motivator for you to keep going insha'Allah :) Each moment could be our last but let's work so we don't waste a moment in attaining Jannah in the next insha'Allah. Comment below or email me on [email protected] with your feedback and stay blessed! :) ![]() The topic we are going to look at today is about 'Self-sabotage' and 'Victim mentality'. Today's topic is pretty deep - in more ways than one. So before we begin I request you to read this only if you are ready to move on from all negativity in your life, if you're looking for some solutions and answers and if you want to start making positive changes in your world. If you're feeling very low and emotional then this topic may really hit home and may upset you or may even make you angry. However that is NOT my intention. It is not a personal attack on anyone as I don't know your situation personally. My intention is to help you as I helped myself many years ago. This topic could also create some breakthrough moments for you and could leave you slightly overwhelmed and in a state of; 'What Now?!' I do highly recommend you read this as it will help you so after reading this if you need to talk one to one then please email me: [email protected] as I'm also an 'Energy & Emotional Healing and EFT/EMT' therapist. So, don't feel you're alone, ok? :) Everyone has a story to tell because everyone is on a journey. We are all travelers in this world and our ultimate destination is the next world - insha'Allah the gardens of Paradise, with our Creator - our Lord. But on this journey many a thing can happen. It usually all starts at a young age - in our childhood. But maybe it started later in life. You were a happy-go-lucky person and something happened and you retreated - back into your shell. It could be a physical shell or psychological shell. But you chose to close off from everyone. A bit like smiling and joking when in public but crying and depressed when alone. Something keeps eating you up inside and you let that something dictate your actions - your life as you live it day in day out. There's so much you want to achieve but you stop yourself every time you take a step forward. Or when working in groups you are loud and fierce and everyone is scared by your actions but when you're alone your like a soft cuddly teddy - harmless and kind. So ask yourself, 'Why am I one way with people and why am I different when alone?' Take a moment to truly reflect on this and write down your thoughts. Are you the loudest, proudest and over the top when with people and quiet, timid, reflective and reserved when alone? (Or opposite in opposite situations). If so, its your way of breaking free from those psychological shackles. You're trying to make a point. You want someone to hear your voice - your story. You just want to be understood. Deep inside - rooted deep within there are unresolved issue. Do you tell yourself; 'Well such and such happened to me which wasn't my fault so now I can't do this and that because I won't succeed, will fail, will lose...' And so on? Do you know what you're doing to yourself? Are you aware of how you're treating yourself? Its called; 'Self-sabotage' and 'Victim Mentality' Its when you always consider yourself a victim because something(s) happened in your life because of others actions and now you always think that you will get hurt again and keep telling yourself you're a bad person, not good enough and then you see the exact same cycle in life repeating it self over and over again and then you keep feeding yourself with the same negative thoughts - sabotaging yourself. I know how that feels. Because I went through exactly just that for 30 years! And it wasn't until I fell really ill two years ago on my 30th birthday that things finally started to make some sense. It was then that I saw my life flash before me and it was then when I understood. It was time for change. It was time to take responsibility. It was time to move forward with my life. What is Self-sabotage and Victim mentality? Its when passive beliefs and behaviour can be detrimental to the soul - to our life - daily. Its things in the past which are still eating us up today. I still achieved all that I wanted to. I still studied, got the degrees, had the job I wanted, the friends, the family, the businesses. The daily ibaadah - salaah, Qur'an, dhikr, talking to Allah, studying about the deen and then teaching it in my weekend kids club. But something was still deep rooted inside. I had to deal with past issues to move on - to take full responsibility. We HAVE to take full responsibility because the past is the past - its gone - it won't return. And if you feel that the same thing keeps happening to you over and over again then it because you haven't dealt with those issues. Its God's way of saying; 'When you've learnt the lesson you will be ready to move on!' And that's what happened to me! "Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls)." [Quran 13:11] That little voice in your head telling you you're not good enough will continue to tell you exactly just that until you take hold of it, shake it and say; 'Enough already!' Its time to claim back YOUR life! Negative beliefs need to be cut from the roots. Sometimes it takes time because maybe you don't realise when it all began or it could be lots of things. But you need to become more comfortable and confident in your soul and start taking care of your soul. We all take care of our bodies because imagine if we didn't shower or put on clean clothes? I don't think anyone would want to be around us. Yet we continuously neglect our soul. Not only do we need to nourish it with ibaadah but we also need to get rid off the harmful toxins that's slowly destroying it. Just as narcotics and substances destroy the body, the intellect and eventually the soul - so do negative thoughts, words, statements and beliefs. Yes, they comfort us and are there for us. But they are bad friends only there to destroy us. We need to stop being the victim or feeling like a victim and we need to get out of that negative hole fast - right NOW! (Else it'll continue to take us deeper and deeper down!) Why? Because only then can we truly start to heal and move forward. Yes, its difficult - I hear you. But one step at a time. One issue at a time. You owe it to your soul. We will be answerable to God on the Last Day. What will we say then? The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Take benefit of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free-time before your preoccupation, and your life before your death." (Hakim) Victim mentality and self-sabotage is not only detrimental to our own souls but all those who are around us - our family, friends, pets... Who wants to be around a grumpy, sad, depressed person? Not me! Not You! Non of us! Yet we're around our own grumpy, depressed selves! You know half the time when we talk to ourselves we are just sooo cruel and heartless!!! Imagine talking like that to your best friend or family? :-O Exactly! We wouldn't have a best friend or family left! You don't want to be stuck in this rut - I know - and I know you can be happier and more content. You will, insha'Allah. Ready to break free from these shackles? Alhamdulilah. Check out the following tips. Tips and Action Points: 1. Ibaadah - worship: Do NOT give up on your prayers, Qur'an, duas. They are soul therapy and a weapon of the believer. Never be unarmed. Always protect yourself with your armour. Our ibaadah is our armour! 2. Whose your crew? Did you know the five people we hang around the most (minus family) are the ones who help shape our lives. So whose in your crew? Happy dudes or nay-sayers? 3. Learn to forgive. If someone has hurt you - forgive them. Its VERY hard - I know - takes time. But you're doing it for yourself. By forgiving you are not saying that you condone their actions but you're releasing them from your thoughts. Let them go! 4. If you've been hurt physically or emotionally (domestic violence, abuse - sexual/physical) there is help available. By seeking help you are taking responsibility for yourself and saying you will heal and move forward. You are not weak but very strong and I'm proud of YOU! 5. Fill your soul will goodness - ibaadah, reading, friends, hobbies. Live the life you want to. The only one standing in your way is you. Get out of your own way and just go do it. I pray that this post has helped you in some way. I know its very deep and you may need to read it a few times. But know that you're not alone. I've also been there and it was very tough. That's why I launched; 'We Be Inspired'. If you need to talk email me [email protected] Know that you're special and unique. Love yourself. Because God loves YOU! :) |
AuthorNadia Leona Yunis Archive
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