Overview: 3 Investments are: Time, Patience, and Life into Life

Invest with Time

It’s paradoxical; you’ll need to put in time (loss) so you can increase the value of time in your future (gain).

================

Flyyy

2 Examples:

Walking - progress is linear (it’s in small bits and doesn’t get bigger or anything)

Catapult – Like flying there in 3 days vs walking for 3 months)

The hard part with a catapult is the set up.

For walking, it is easier and within the comfort zone…that’s why it’s the easier choice as well.

BUT here’s the thing, struggles and hardships will ALWAYS exist…when aren’t they there? You can either work hard once and reap the rewards than work hard throughout and reap (lesser and more delayed) rewards

================

Here’s what I did recently; it was during assignment times and I still took 2 hrs out to attend an interview. My justification was that it’ll give me a boost and increase motivation to finish the assignments so then I can move on to other stuff…and alhamdulillah it was the smarter decision

Part of my personal game-plan is to continuously feed my mind to keep it ripe n fresh – that’s something any student, professional, home-maker can adapt.

This could mean a bunch of things for you :

• If you’re tired all the time then maybe you’re not tired, you’re just BORED
• Sometimes when the progress in life is next to nothing, read a new book, research something you’re interested in, enroll in a class, spend quality time with important people, help somebody else etc.
• Start hitting the gym or pick up an old sport you used to love to keep physical shape

One way or another, create that zest for life and a love for living - not like an attachment to dunya love, rather excellence towards the akhira.

Invest with Patience

Y’know that interview I mentioned, it was of Lisa Gabriele (Canadian author and executive producer of the show “Dragon’s Den”) held at University of Toronto. One of the points about writing stood out to me, “most aren’t willing to just sit and wait…and then start.”

Sometimes all it takes is a bit of patience and you’ll get yourself through the project, exam, bumps in a relationship, writing an article on time management

Be patient with yourself, and be confident in the fruits of that patience

Here’s an excerpt from Don’t Be Sad by Sh. ‘Aidh al-Qarni: [one of the best books out there. period.]

Those who meet hardship with a strong bearing and a patient countenance are in the minority. Consider this: if you or I will not be patient, then what else is there for us to do?

…Those that achieve greatness have to surmount an ocean of difficulties and hardships before finally achieving success. Know that each time you escape a difficulty you will have to face another. Through this constant conflict, you must arm yourself with patience and a strong trust in Allah

Invest Life into Life

One of the most incredible things is to impact another person’s life through your actions and words.

A challenge of personal development is becoming more than mediocre, setting yourself apart from the masses. But psychologically and socially there’s a downward pull, kinda like gravity of human minds. It’s human nature to want to fit in with the crowd and NOT stand out. A lot of “head games” since we are social beings versus being isolated.

So it becomes challenging because you’re at crossroads with 2 options: get magnetic or get magnet-ed (obviously not a word )

You have to (consciously decide and) pull those around you towards better living (regarding deen, character, education, etc) or you’ll get pulled down…back to mediocrity.

2 Ahadith, sayings of Prophet Muhammad sallAllahu alayhi wasallam, relate to this point:

“Man models himself after his companions; so let each one of you see who he chooses for a companion” (At-Tirmidhi).

“He who calls others to follow the Right Guidance, will have a reward equal to the reward of those who follow him, without diminishing their reward in any way” [Muslim]

==================

YOUR TURN

Which 1 “hit” you?

Share any ideas on how to apply one of these points, I’d love to know. Comment Below.

Of course, if you don’t have much to say BUT you liked this article, just say“MORE” and I’ll get that your way inshaAllah

==================

ps. I donno what you thought of the article, but putting this together was refreshing for me. It’s been a while since I sat down to just think, write, and revise.

InshaAllah if the benefit comes across, I’d appreciate you sharing this with just 1 person or doing a FaceBook share so they may benefit.

Jazakallahukhair (May Allah reward you) for reading/commenting/sharing.

2009 in Review Photo from Koalazymonkey

[Read Time >> 2.5 mins]

The Part I (with the exercise) is here

So this is my 3 Things I’ve Accomplished, Learned, and Will Focus On

3 Things I’ve Accomplished:

1) NahyanInc.com started (June)

• Lesson: start and then improve it, instead of trying to make it “perfect” because it’s never going to get there

2) Made my 1st videos

• May not sound major, but it’s quite weird talking into a camera by myself. (Most of the earlier videos are offline now)

3) KnowledgeHive

• I didn’t “DO” this, but attending KnowledgeHive from AlKauthar Institute was an unforgettable experience and a great learning experience, in and out of class. Looking forward to it in 2009.

3 Things I’ve Learned:

1) BS-ing (not a swear word if it’s an acronym right ) will only take me so far

• An excuse may work, but excuses are for losers. Feel that crappy feeling and resolve it. 

2) Get started and then optimize

• I planned many things to happen…but then wasted time until the opportunity was lost. An opportunity missed feels worse than an opportunity undiscovered.

3) Motivation dwindles

• Don’t let motivation become your primary fuel, create habits to “automatically” accomplish things and build a habit-based life

3 Things to Focus on in 2010:

1) Value, Value, Value

• it’s an incredible feeling to know that something I’ve done or contributed is beneficial. This isn’t just a focus for 2010, it’s a life mission.

2) Me = Guinea Pig

• More time management related experimentation (an example is Hot-Seat Sessions). It’s a shared benefit for you and I from the experiment and it’ll also increase how much I can write/teach.
• Up to now, writing articles has been inconsistent for me because I slacked in continually practicing time management strategies instead of just learning about them. I choose to only share what I practice/try-to-practice

more experimentation >> more learning >> more growth >> more things share-worthy

3) Videos

• It is today’s most powerful medium and (can be) highly impactful to learn with and da’wah

===============================

Did you do your 2009 in review?

If not, then do it now before the opportunity is gone. Check Part I

Here are 2 strategies that Belal Khan (Leechon Films) used that you can check out:

1. Brainstorming with a Mind-Map
2. Ask other people

Of course, if you’ve got yours done or wanna add something, post below.

I hope you benefit from this, and inshaAllah 2010 holds the best of your successes in dunya and akhira.

Photo from Koalazymonkey

2009 in Review

[Read Time >>> 4 minutes]

…so I’m curious if you’ve reviewed 2009.

—- 3 L’s for Goals and an Exercise below : 3 Things I’ve learned, 3 Things I’ve accomplished, and 3 Things I will focus on in 2010

Just before that though - Do you even need to review 2009?

If you want to invest the lessons and growth of 2009 into your future, then YES. “You live and you learn” right

Umar ibn Al Khattab (radi ‘Allahu ‘anhu) said, “Take account of yourselves before it is taken of you. Weigh your deeds before they are weighed for you (on Day of Judgement) and beautify yourselves (with good deeds)…”

Here are 3 reasons to do this immediately:

1. If you’re not learning from your mistakes, they WILL re-occur
2. If you’re not excited for your future accomplishments, it’s doubtful you’ll have significant accomplishments to be excited about
3. If the concept of thinking about life is uncomfortable…then there’s a serious need for this

========================================

Exercise:

Although an over-simplified exercise for goal setting, it’s a good start. You can do it in 5 mins or make it even better with 20 mins

1) Write down like 10 Things you’ve Accomplished, Learned, and will Focus on in 2010
2) Just brainstorm and then summarize to 3 or 5 so you can glance back at it later on.

Note: make it specific, time-bound, and slightly unrealistic to make it exciting (Few points from Sh.Muhammad Alshareef)

3) Share it – tell someone else so it has some accountability  OR post it below saying you’re “DONE”

Reason: It’s amazing how the way we think and talk impacts our behavior.

I’ve done #1 and #2 myself, my #3 will be in Part II

========================================

3 L’s for Goals:

Photo from Cannonsnapper

1) Life-en it – (ok this “L” is wack, but I really wanted to make 3 L’s

If you want to reach a goal, you must “see the reaching” in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal – Zig Ziglar

Make it real; KNOW that you can accomplish it, and don’t worry about HOW you’ll do it.

2) Love it – At a DiscoverU certification training with Sh.Muhammad Alshareef, during a coaching session, Noor said to Sh.Navaid Aziz “This goal should make sleep boring to you” - I found that fantastic.

“Sleep should be a necessity, not the objective” – Jim Rohn

Honestly, it doesn’t even need to be a “I’m going to take over the world goal”, even a simple “I will lose 4 pounds by ____ date to feel more energized waking up every morning” can motivate you enough to get it done.

3) Look at it - Actually 2 weeks ago I was really “feeling” it; I made many plans for the winter break, wrote them down, drafted future articles. Wonderful things. But the next week was one of those “off” weeks; going off track from plans, procrastinating, and sometimes resembling a sloth…

They were really wonderful plans, but I never looked back at them. It’s useful to get it out of your system, but goal-setting without a plan is just a fantasy. One way to keep reminding yourself about them is to keep them in sight.

Reference: Check out my notes from the VisionWeavers workshop by Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury

btw, a lot of 3′s in this eh

—————-

Your Turn:

1. Just do the exercise above (even a weak effort is better than nothing), then say “DONE” below
   
2. Do you see value in reviewing 2009 and planning 2010 or it just sounds pretty but no real benefit?
   

Lemme know…

Ultimate Vision - Toronto

[Read Time >> 5 minutes]

Note: This is my summarized notes from a workshop by Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury with VisionWeavers. Any inaccuracy and lack of depth in explanation is from me, it was a great workshop.

This event was only 2 hrs, more info on the 3 day seminar below.

————————————————————

Why bother with goals?

It’s absolutely essential to pursue goals consciously and appropriately; because otherwise 2 problems can arise

1 – Romanticizing about goals – You know those da’wah goals that is so ‘nice’ to talk about…but has no substance or real meaning; like “I will bring khilafah back” or “I’m going to study Islam…going to, not yet. But when I do I will…” and of course “”My goal is to change the ummah.”

2 – Life regains the attention – there’s a strong motivation to do something, but then it dies down. Then comes another one – that person is directionless

It’s a terrible thing to see, but have no vision”

Rocking Horse

Even when going after goals and working really hard at it, it may just be the “rocking horse” approach.

Especially in da’wah, sometimes the goal is “lets just do something…something ya’nee”. Of course it’s good and their reward is with Allah, however it is just movement without significant progress.

Why Visions

Clear Focus, knowing it’s this way and not that way. That clear focus on a powerful vision will energizes people.

Example: Shaykh Tawfique’s goal when starting AlKauthar Institute was: launch, then reach 5 continents in 2 years. Alhamdulillah that happened.

What do visions Do?

Vision = the ability to see the invisible

“Vision guides to today towards what you see tomorrow”

The ability to close your eyes and see the world after you’ve passed away, how your family remembers you, the legacy you’ve left behind…Now is the time to get clarity on how your family will be, what kind of house do you want to live in, what you want to pursue in life. And a good place to start as well is to write what you don’t want and see what options are left.

The Planning Myths

Let’s plan when we get there or it takes too long so let’s just start without it.

Example - if you’re travelling and plan on crossing a river by the bridge, what will you do when there are 4 options. 3 of them are broken, being repaired, while only 1 is open…the trial-n-error method wastes more time than planning ahead.

“Don’t confuse Distance with Displacement”

– this is huge, read it again.

[Note: There were some excellent images to illustrate this] Just because there’s a lot of movement doesn’t mean there’s progress. Like the people crossing a bridge may have driven 10 KM to check each bridge, instead of thinking ahead and only driving 2 KM to cross the river.

9 Parts of a Vision: (can’t get into detail, but here’s the list)

1. Attainability
2. Lucidity
3. Concreteness
4. Clarity
5. Complexity
6. Scale
7. Nobility
8. Loftiness
9. Correctness

The big question: WHY

It’s critical to have the why before the what…because the why will guide you to the where. Example: Travelling – Why can be (i) Vacation (ii) Business (ii) Alone time   –  Each one leads to a different destination

Jannah (Paradise) is a “why” and not a “where” because it’s the reason why we do things. And when there’s a weak “why” there won’t be any perseverance towards reaching the goal.

“If the why is strong, the what is easy”

What vision will you have and what legacy will you leave behind?

Other topics:

• Linear vs. Exponential growth
• Vision + Roles + Sub-roles
• Balance point with each sub-role

If you’re not driven towards your vision, you haven’t found the right vision

==================

YOUR TURN:

This wasn’t light information, so what did you get out of it? Lemme know below

If you did benefit, but don’t want to comment…just write “More” below and I’ll get that your way. InshaAllah.