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.]

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 webeinspired@selfaware.com with your feedback and stay blessed! :)