Perspective, Successful People & An Optimists Creed

I start in the name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Most Kind.

I came across this poem by Chanie Gorkin (not sure who that is) but I think this is an AMAZING 'teaching tool'...What can I say...perspective in life is everything.
Start from the bottom and make your way up...That's the best way to look at things!

♥
I recently found some scraps of papers in my room while organising my boxes of books and work...

When I have cleared my room out through the years I have always held onto things that I think would be useful to me in the 'future' at that moment. More often than not the 'useful' things have always been bits of paper and ink; words of wisdom.

Now, I am one to agree with 'I never think of the future it comes soon enough', but I think us humans are naturally inclined towards 'preparing' to some extent, whether we realise it or not....

 In that 'past', the 'future' that I looked at is the now, the 'present'. 

Presently, I found some papers that I saved. I know these papers were from some 'motivational' work-shop in high-school, possibly before my GCSE's ?

I don't remember much details about it...

However, one thing that I do remember is that the guy who delivered the work shop showed us a picture of himself sky-diving without being attached to someone and I think he talked about facing ones fears. For some reason I remember him talking about forgetting to pull the chord and one of the instructors had to pull it for him, he got angry at the instructor but then at the end realised that the instructor probably saved his life...

Not sure why I remember this and why this stands out in my memory, but I just do... Maybe there's some wisdom in it.

Something to learn...

So, today I share those bits of words on the papers I saved from years and years ago:

Successful People

Successful people take chances.

Like everyone else, they fear failure

but they refuse to let fear control them.

Successful people don't give up

When life gets rough they hang in

until the going gets better.

Successful people are flexible.

They realise there is more than one way

and are willing to try others.

Successful people know they are not perfect.

They respect their weaknesses

while making the most of their strengths.

Successful people fall, but they don't stay down

They stubbornly refuse to let a fall keep them from climbing...

Successful people don't blame

fate for their failures

nor luck for their successes.

Successful people accept responsibility for their lives.

Successful people are positive thinkers

who see good in all things.

From ordinary, they make 

the extraordinary.

Successful people believe in the path they

have chosen even when it's hard,

even when others can't see

where they are going.

Successful people are patient.

They know a goal is only worthy

as the effort that's required to achieve it.

Successful people are people like you.

They make the world

a better place to be.

I edited this a bit.

An Optimists Creed:

• To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
• To talk health, happiness and prosperity to everyone.
• To make all my friends everyone I come across feel that there is something in them.
• To look at the funny side of everything and make my optimism come true.
• To think only the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best.
• To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
• To forget about learn from the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
• To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give everyone I meet a smile.
• To give so much time to the improvement of myself I have no time to criticise others.
• To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Enough Words

I start in the name of Allah, Most Loving, Most Merciful.

"If what's ahead scares you and what's behind hurts you just look above He never fails you."

He never fails to help you.

When people mock, ridicule, humiliate and laugh at you...

When people hurt you intentionally or even unintentionally...

When people treat you like a pile of feces...

When people just don't understand...

It is not within our core to turn to [hu]man...

When this world gets you down and you feel like every door is closed on you...

Remind yourself of Him...It may be that you forgot.

~~~~

The reason we feel down is because we forget...

We are forgetful by nature...

We FORget and He FORgives...

As soon as you remember, REMEMBER, and remind yourself...

We were made to REMEMBER Him. That's where we find solace, only with Him.

Remember Him: Allah.

Don't let the world, the people or whatever else grind you down.

Straighten your self up, humble your heart, remember Him and walk the right road, never give up, no matter what!

~I'll end this post with two Rumi poems~

How does a part of the world leave the world?

How can wetness leave water?

Don't try to put out a fire

by throwing on more fire!

Don't wash a wound with blood!

No matter how fast you run,

your shadow more than keeps up.

Sometimes, it's in front!

Only full, overhead sun

diminishes your shadow.

But the shadow has been serving you!

What hurts you, blesses you.

Darkness is your candle.

Your boundaries are your quest.

I can explain this, but it would break

the glass cover on your heart,

and there's no fixing that.

You must have shadow and light source both.

Listen, and lay your head under the tree of awe. 

.....The soul lives there in the silent breath.

And that grain barley is such that, 

when you put it in the ground it grows.

Since Wisdom is the true believer's stray camel,

he knows it with certainty, from whomsoever he may have heard of it,

And when he finds himself face to face with it, how

should there be doubt? How can he mistake?

If you tell a thirsty man -- 'Here is a a cup of water: drink!' --

Will he reply? -- 'This is mere assertion: let me alone, O liar, go away.'

Or suppose a mother cries to her babe, 'Come, I am mother: hark my child!' --

Will it say? -- Prove this to me, so that I may take comfort in thy milk.'

When in the heart of a people there is spiritual perception, 

the face and voice of the prophet are as an evidentiary miracle.

When the prophet utters a cry from without, the soul

of the people falls to worship,

Because never in the world will the soul's ear have

heard a cry of the same kind as his.

That wondrous voice is heard by the soul in exile -- the 

voice of God calling, 'Lo, I am nigh'.

Wonder Wall

I start in the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Kind.

These words have been stuck on my walls since the start of University. I copied them out years ago and the colour and writing on the pieces of paper have slowly faded with the passing of time.
Time flies, as they say.
Time also fades things away.

I called it a wonder wall because words make me wander and wonder...

These are by far my favorite words :

...and if you share with your heart, yeah you give, with your heart,

what you share with the world is what it keeps of you...

If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

There is only one you...Don't you dare change just because you're outnumbered!

Your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

Hold yourself to a higher standard than anyone expects of you. Never excuse yourself.

The resolve is not to seem but to be the best.

Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.

You are what you think. You are what you go for. You are what you do!

Nothing is too small to know, and nothing is too big to attempt.

Success is a lousy teacher it makes smart people think they can't lose.

Great thing are done by a series of small things brought together.

Cynicism is not realistic and tough. It's unrealistic and kind of cowardly because it means you don't have to try.

They key to failure is trying to please everybody.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great one make you feel that you too, can become great.

The time is now, the place is here. Stay in the present. You can do nothing to change the past, and the future will never come exactly as you plan or hope for.

Highly developed spirits often encounter resistance from mediocre minds.

Do not wait the time will never be just right. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.

With humility comes wisdom.

Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools.

People who have accomplished work worthwhile have had a very high sense of the way to do things. They have not been content with mediocrity. They have not confined themselves to the beaten tracks; they have never been satisfied to do things just as they are or as others do them, but always a little better. They always pushed things that came to their hands a little higher up,  this little farther on, that counts in the quality of life's work. It is constant effort to be first-class in everything one attempts that conquers the heights of excellence.

Man is never so tall as when he kneels before God...Never so great as when he humbles himself before God. And that man who kneels to God can stand up to anything.

Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realising that life is made up of little things.

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.

Some people have greatness thrust upon them. Few have excellence thrust upon them...and they achieve it, They do not achieve it unwittingly by doing what comes naturally and they don't stumble into it in the course of amusing themselves. All excellence involves tenacity of purpose and discipline.

Humility precedes honour.

If you want to be successful, it's just simple: know what you're doing. Love what you're doing. And believe in what you're doing.

Behind every great achievement is a dreamer of great dreams.

In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.

Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.

Procrastination is the thief of time.

Einstein:

"It's not that I'm so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer."

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."

"Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience."

"Strive not to be a success but rather to be of value."

"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."

"Never think of the future it comes soon enough."

"Insanity; doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge."

Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.

A winner is someone who recognises his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.

Well if you are, what you love and you do, what you love, 

I will always be the sun and moon to you 

and if you share, with your heart

yeah you give, with your heart

what you share with the world is what it keeps of you...

Note: none of these quotes are my words. 

They are merely quotes I wrote down to remember, motivate and inspire myself all those years ago...And they are still on my wall but as time flies and things fade I thought I would share a part of what shaped me.

May God bless all the people who said these words, shared these words and the root of inspiration of these words. May all that we speak be good words, amin.

Sky Blue Heart

I start in the name of Allah, The Most Generous, The Most Loving.

I was walking on my way and saw the sky peeking out the clouds one day

I, by the Grace of God, captured it.

Oh for a long ol' while in nature can I sit

"Home is where the heart is."

"Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."

Balance

I start in the name of Allah, Most Generous, Most Kind. 

Allah knows best.

I think, balance, moderation, practice & preparation are some of the keys to this life.

♡

Literally, some can be professionals at balancing. It may even be their profession.

(◕‿◕✿)

Although, let's admit, not all of us have mastered that great quality/characteristic in regards to life.
Trying is the key - practice and preparation.
Life can be like a tightrope...And if someone does not learn balance they will likely fall. Everyone falls but those that know balance can get themselves back up and running again.

Here's to talking about BALANCE literally...But think about it figuratively too - in regards to life and the MIDDLE WAY:

Balance is probably one of the most difficult thing one teaches them self. 

Once you get a hang of it, it becomes easier and there is no fear. 

We, or others, fear falling when we (or they see us) balance due to the open-space and the ground.

It is the 'fall' that gets emotions all over the place.

The fall is more likely to happen without practice & preparation.

Balance vitally requires these two: practice & preparation.
I would say patience too, but patience sometimes is a by-product of practice and preparation.
Patience is learnt through practice and preparation.

For example, in a new environment one has to 'get to know' the environment in order to balance and to balance with confidence - it's the practice and preparation that helps one.

Those that balance are elevated, the higher up one is the more 'strange' one appears to others.

The higher up people see you, the more they fear for your [maybe even their own] safety.

The 'balancer' knows their practice & preparation, basically the hard work they put in. That gives them a sense of hope and they trust in Gods plan.
Even if they fell, it's worth it because it is God who gave them the ability to balance in the first place. It is God who gives them the ability to get back up and try again. It is God who gives them that patience. And if they cannot get back up they understand that it is a part of Gods Plan and they trust His Plan, with patience and perseverance.

The humble-hearted 'balancers' don't realise the heights they may have reached they realise moderation. They are always trying to better them self compared to their yesterday.
They are focused, they remember God and realise nobody is perfect - we all fall from time-to-time, so the heights don't affect them. 

If the height affects them then they realise that they are likely not balanced or balancing...

Allah knows best.

Du'a ♡

I start in the name of Allah, The Most Loving, The Most Kind.

I love this du'a [prayer].

Oh Allah, guide us amongst those you have guided, 

And grant us health amongst those You’ve granted health to, 

And protect us amongst those You have protected, 

And bless us in what has been given to us by You, 

And protect us from any evil You’ve decreed,

For You decree in truth, and none can decree over You, 

None can disgrace who You support, and none can honor who You oppose

You are the Blessed, and the Exalted, 

Oh Allah, to You belongs all praise, 

You are the Lord of the heavens and earth and what is between them, so to You is thanks and praise, 

You are the Light of the heavens and earth so to You is thanks and praise 

You are the Maintainer of the heavens and earth so to You is thanks and praise, 

You are the Truth, and Your Speech is true, and Your Promise is true, and Your Meeting is true, 

And paradise is true, and the fire is true, and the prophets are true, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is true,

Oh Allah we’ve submitted to You, and believe in You, and depended on You, and repent to You, 

And refer back to You, seek judgment from You, so grant us forgiveness from You,

For our past sins and the new, those hidden and evident, from all of them we repent,

And from those we’ve forgotten while You knew, 

Oh Allah, we ask You for paradise, and what will bring us close to it of actions and speech,

And we seek refuge in you from the fire, and what will bring us close to it of actions and speech,

Oh Allah, You are the most Merciful of those who show Mercy,

The most Merciful of those asked,

And most Generous of those who give,

The Sustainer of everything,

And You Alone Ever-live,

You who Hears what we do not hear,

You who Sees what we do not see,

You who changes the universe by simply saying “BE”

We don’t have the ability to praise You,

You are as you praised Yourself,

We thank You for our faith, families, health and wealth,

We declare You to be our Lord,

With no ilahs other than You,

You created us, we are Your slaves,

And fulfill our pledge to You,

We seek refuge in You,

From the sins that we commit,

Your blessings cannot be counted,

Your favors we all admit,

we also confess our sins,

And ask for Your forgiveness,

For none forgives sins except for You.

Oh Allah, You are forgiving You love to forgive, so forgive me,

Oh Allah, You are forgiving, You love to forgive, so forgive me, 

Oh Allah, You are forgiving, You love to forgive, so forgive me, 

We seek refuge in You from a heart that is not humbled, and an eye that does not tear, knowledge that doesn’t benefit, a prayer not lifted near, 

Oh Allah, make the Quran the spring of our hearts, and the light of our chests, the remover of our sadness, the repeller of our stress, 

Teach us what we don’t know, and remind us what we’ve forgotten,

And grant us the ability to recite, throughout the day and night,

Oh Allah, our hearts are vessels that carry our faith,

May You always have our hearts seeking Your Face,

For every heart attached to something appointed,

And to other than You, will undoubtedly be disappointed,

Oh Allah, we ask you for all good, good now, and good later,

And what we know to be good and what we don’t

And we seek refuge from all evil, evil now and evil later,

And what we know to be evil and what we don’t 

Oh Allah, guide for us our youth, bring them to the truth, protect them from influences that would cause them to be misled, 

Forgive our parents and grandparents and have mercy on our dead, 

Remove from us the overpowering of men, and the overburdening of debt, 

Give us success, remove our stress, marry our bachelors and bachelorettes, 

Grant Muslim students the ability to excel, in deen and dunya, and doubts and desires repel, 

Free our prisoners, and bring them back to their families safe and secure, 

Heal our sick from all ailments, You alone are the one to cure,

Oh Allah, we seek Your protection from being tested,

And protection for our family in the land that you made blessed

Syria and Palestine...

They are hungry so feed them, naked so clothe them, barefoot so carry them, terrified so console them, protect them from all directions as people of belief, replace them courage for their fear, exhilaration for their grief

Have mercy on their deceased, protect their sons and daughters,

Give them swift victory, and accept their martyrs, 

Have mercy on our family in Burma and the central African Republic, and remove from them oppression,

Remove from them their sadness, and punish those who oppress them, 

They have no state to support them, no Ummah behind them, 

No land to accept them, no one to carry them, 

It is them and You, ya Rabb, You are their only supporter and their only hope, 

All avenues are shut for them except Your door that doesn’t close, 

So be their greatest supporter and greatest ally

Oh Allah, You are Al-Lateef, be gentle with the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him), 

Have mercy on our family everywhere, Yemen, Somalia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Syria, Kashmir, Libya, and Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Palestine and Sudan...

Protect the ummah from the harms of those who would deceive it, 

Put out the flames of fitnah in Egypt, and bring their hearts back to you,

Oh Allah, have mercy on our teachers, those who showed us the way to You, 

Overlook their faults, and make them and us guided and guiding others, 

And have mercy on our friends and brothers, and everyone who requested our prayers, 

Forgive all of their sins, and correct all of their affairs,

Oh Allah, as You’ve allowed us to experience this life...allow us to be forgiven,

Forgive us, be with us, don’t punish us,

Forgive us, be with us, don’t punish us,

There is nothing that allows us to have the ability to stand before You, with all of our shortcomings and faults,

Except what You’ve taught us of Your Forgiveness…

There is nothing that allows our feet to carry us in Your Presence, with all of our sins and mistakes,

Except what You’ve taught us of Your Mercy, 

Oh Allah, If Your Mercy is only for the righteous, then who is for the broken weighed down by their sins, standing before You seeking forgiveness, repentance, a new journey to begin, 

Forgive us and our parents and our children, and all the believing men and women, 

Who is the one who asked You and was left wanting, 

Who is the one who depended on You, and was not carried, 

Who is the one who had hope in You and was disappointed, 

Oh Allah, make us of the people of paradise, and protect us from the fire, 

We seek refuge in Your Face, from being of the people of the fire, 

Protect us, our families and our ummah from all evil,

And heal the hearts of a believing people, 

Allahumma Ameen

Lost

I start in the name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Most Kind.

 

Today I came across the above words and they got me thinking...

We all feel lost sometimes.

Lost in a big wide world.

We think that we want to disappear, due to whatever reason we reason, but deep down inside we really want to be found.

I've noticed quite a lot of people are afraid to admit this. It is something I have observed in many peoples behaviour(s) over the years.
Or maybe the saying is true, "people can only meet you as deeply as they've met themselves".

I feel like a lot of people put a mask on in this world...

This world is designed to break us in many ways shapes and forms...

I remember these words from a lecture, the tests from Allah are a calling from Him to turn our hearts back to Him.

In this world our hearts are constantly turned by things. That is why in Islam we have rules to follow to save ourselves from the worldly burdens falling on our fragile hearts.
We are human and sometimes forgetful, heedless and negligent...We should always remember this du'a (prayer) and ask God to turn our hearts to The Truth because we can become lost sometimes, in whatever it may be...

Sometimes we think we are on the right tracks but can still feel lost.

We feel lost in a big wide world that we cannot fully grasp...

Something I realised, is that sometimes it is a calling from God to turn back to Him, when you feel lost.

We are only human and the heart turns...And one of the medicine for when you do feel lost is in prayer...

So long as you keep your connection, through prayer [salah, du'a, dhikr] to Allah, He will relieve the grieving hearts...

Where one decides to turn their heart towards is a CHOICE, remember that.

And Allah knows best.

Allah is near, Allah is with the patient, Allah loves those who do good.

May Allah guide us all, amin.

May Allah forgive us all and guide us, turn our hearts and keep us on the sirat-al-mustakeem, amin.