Becoming your best self

Assalaamu Alaikum! 

How are you today?

Just a few days after I wrote the last letter to you, something that I am really excited to be part of began. Its the Productive Muslim Masterclass conducted by Bluestocking (run by a Maldivian woman who is a trainer and partner of The Productive Muslim Company). She is also one of my good friends and has played a pivotal role in me starting this newsletter. Had it not been for her, I don’t think I would have believed that I’m capable of doing something like this. Over the past two weeks I have had the privilege of getting to know the new cohort of participants who have embarked on this journey.

If you are someone who has just started your journey of self improvement, congratulations on taking the first step! In a world where people are comfortable with living on auto pilot, ignoring the fact that they need to work on themselves, taking the decision to become better and trying to do that is a commendable act. Even if you are not participating in a program, self growth and cultivating better habits is something that can be done. In this letter, I am sharing a some reflections from what I have learnt in my own journey.

Knowing that I don’t know

One of the biggest things I have learnt over the past years is how much I don’t know and how much there is to learn. Becoming a better version of yourself starts with looking at yourself and accepting that there is much work to be done. Every program I join opens doors of new perspectives and knowledge. Every book I read reminds me that there are things that I need to learn more about. For some of these things that spark my interest, I have taken time to dig a bit deep and do some learning on my own.

Just as accepting we don’t know is important, its also important to not let self-criticism keep you stuck from moving forward. If you are in the cycle of criticizing and judging yourself for who you were in the past, moving forward and taking the necessary steps to become better may become difficult.

A balance needs to be kept between these two to be able to benefit from the programs you join or the books you read.

Its a journey

“We all are on a journey”

Maybe its something you’ve heard way too many times already, but its something that we need to always remember.

You have to understand that the starting point of everyone who’s on this journey is different. Even the ones who are starting together with you have struggles and hardships that are unique to themselves. The tests your companions face or have faced are different from yours. Don’t ever think that you taking a step towards becoming a better version of yourself is something negligible. Your decision that you are going to invest time, energy and money to become a better person itself is a success. It is a blessing of Allah that He guided you to a path that will help you align yourself and your choices to becoming a better servant of Allah SWT.

The only comparison you must do should be with who you were before. After you have spent some time in your journey, looking back you will see that you’ve covered quite a distance, even if you feel like nothing much has changed.

Its a marathon, not a sprint

Coincidentally, the first productivity related event I attended was a one day program held by Productive Muslim. I remember being so excited to be there that I didn’t even mind the the long walk I had to take to the venue. After spending a day listening to Muhammad Faris, the founder of Productive Muslim Company, I went back with lots of enthusiasm, perhaps a little too much. I excitedly wrote down a schedule that looked so good on paper. The “daily taskinator” was full of things I aspired to do daily and the Productive Muslim “habitator” had a long list of habits I wanted to develop. In my enthusiasm I had forgotten that I was also a full time student and it didn’t take long for me to become disappointed with myself as I had failed to accomplish my goals.

Years have passed since then and I have learned that self improvement is not a sprint but a marathon. If you start treating it as a sprint and try to go as fast as you can, ignoring the fact that this is a lifetime process, it won’t take you long to become exhausted.

I advice you to start your race slow, walk before you start running and do so at a pace comfortable to you at the season of life you are in. As you continue, you will be able to accelerate your pace and achieve “personal bests” too!

Anyone who has run a marathon, or any other long run would know how much words of encouragement matter. When there are people cheering for you along the route, you feel that what you are attempting is possible. When you think you can no longer run, another runner coming along with you and telling you that you can do this makes such a huge difference. There are also times that you fall and get bruises and its comforting to have first aid nearby to attend to you. What you experience on your journey of self development will be no different. Having people encouraging you while they are also running on the same route matters more that you can imagine.

This race goes on for life, so prepare yourself for a long run to truly transform yourself and finish the marathon of life as a winner Insha Allah!

Jazakallah khair for reading.

If you liked reading this, please do share this with someone else who might find this beneficial. I would also love to hear your experiences and reflections from your own growth journey.

Until next time,

Samar