SUBHAN ALLAH, so many a time we are quick to focus on our surroundings and setbacks that hinder our progress, but how many of us (myself included) are looking beyond the boundaries, taking advantage of our God-given circumstances and utilizing them to achieve the best.

I recently attended a seven-day summit in the UK focusing on self-development and leadership. At one of the sessions, we looked at notable, but inspiring, personalities, a few of whom I had never heard of before. A name that stood out more than the rest was that of Hellen Keller. Subhan Allah, when she was only 19 months old, she became deaf and blind, yet it did not hinder her from achieving what most able-bodied people would envy about. Amongst her many feats, she became a lecturer, a leading political activist campaigning for women’s rights, and an author of numerous books. The fact that she couldn’t see or hear the world didn’t stop her. In fact, she excelled far more than others due to her positive outlook on life, which enabled her to think anything was possible.

Often we limit our potential through excuses. How many times have we heard the following:

“I’m just not good at anything, there’s nothing I can contribute to”

“I feel restricted by my family or husband”

“I live in an area that nothing is accessible, no classes, no workshops”

“I am so demotivated and directionless”

Even though all the above may be true to some extent, much of this can be overcome with a change in mindset or, simply put, by developing a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA). We need to believe in ourselves first and foremost, which, Insha Allah, will create a spark that will give our excuses a black eye! The only limitation we have is in our mind. A great place to start is to learn from others who have been in the same position as us, but learned to overcome their hurdles.

"I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances." ~ Martha Washington

"We can't stop the waves, but we can learn to surf." ~ Jonathan Kabat-Zinn

And the best lesson comes from our own history and the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who taught us to be content with what Allah has given us, then we will be the richest of people. He has shown us how emaan (faith) is synonymous with amal (action).

Abu Hurayra said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer although there is good in each. Desire that which will bring you benefit, and seek help from Allah and do not give way to incapacity. If something happens to you, do not say, 'If only I had done such-and-such.' Rather say, 'The decree of Allah. He does what He will.' Otherwise you will open yourself up to the action of Shaytan." [Sahih Muslim] 

Every person sees the world through himself – through his actions, thoughts, and motives. So if our actions are noble, if our thoughts are pure, and if our motives are honorable, then the spectacles through which we see the world will be clean, and the world will be seen by us as it really is – a beautiful creation. If the spectacles become dirty and the lenses stained, then everything will seem to be black and morbid.

– Excerpt from ‘Don’t be Sad’ by Aaidah Ibn Abdullah al-Qarni, who highlights many of our adverse outlooks on life and teaches us how to turn them into optimistic thoughts and eventually materialize them into action.

Help is always at hand to take us out of our negativity and make tomorrow the start of a new, positive, energized beginning. Below are just some practical steps one can take to create that PMA:

Remember Allah

Indeed in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. (Qur’an 13: 28)

Keep the connection with Allah strong. Establish Salaah (prayer). Ponder over the Qur’an. Allah is our Creator; He knows us better than we know ourselves, so who is more qualified and able to give us aid during our weakest moments?

Vision

They say the most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but no vision. Ultimately, as Muslims, our vision is attaining Jannah (Paradise). But how will we get there? What steps are we taking to build our golden palace? There are many books and websites available that give us guidance on how to mine, refine and set practical short-term and long-term goals towards our vision.

Companionship

Birds of a feather, flock together. Are we around people who have lofty goals and are very active, or is our best buddy bringing down our ideas and aspirations? We need to be around people who lift us up and make us want to leap up from our seats and change the world. Their PMA will rub off onto us as well, and when we sometimes have those days when we don’t feel like getting out of bed and facing the world, they will be there for us to lean on and help us rekindle that spark of action.

Tools

Once we have the above in place, we need to look at what we have around us that can be utilized  to our advantage. I firmly believe that opportunity is always knocking at every person’s door, but it’s up to us to open it and welcome it with open arms.

Some tools to consider:

Productivity: Productive Muslim has great practical lessons one can implement in their lives to become productive

Volunteer: Get involved with one of the many local charity organizations (jam'iah khairiyyah) around you

Knowledge: Start small study circles in your own home with friends covering key areas of Islamic knowledge. Learn Arabic or join a full/part-time courses available in universities such as Islamic Online University

Youth: Teach or prepare interactive lessons for young children on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

Creativity: Write a blog or contribute articles online to various initiatives taking place nationally and globally such as Little Explorers

Offer your support to a local da’wah organization. I am sure they are in need of many volunteers

Internet: This tool has limitless possibilities with which once can really turn a vision into reality. There are endless resources available on the Internet such as books, audio, archives, websites, courses and much more to get into

Hobbies: Enhance an existing skill or develop a new one. Write a monthly book review or even learn to crochet Fruitful Fusion

Charity: Get involved with what’s happening in the world and contribute what you have to make it a better place Islamic Relief

The above list is just a fraction of what is available out there. Many opportunities are just waiting to be explored. As Muslims, we have so much to be proud of and so much to work for, not just for ourselves and our families, but also for the outside world, for Islam is all encompassing.

Work for people like Helen Keller stops in this dunya (worldly life), but our work continues to the akhirah (afterlife). That in itself is so profound, Subhan Allah.

"Excuses don’t change reality; the tiger walks alone, the sheep has plenty of company."

Something we all really need to think about.

May Allah wake us up from the sleep of the dunya and make us the best of ambassadors for Islam! Ameen.