Recipe For Success: Post 1

Bismillah...

Sometimes I do dream of making money from my blog.. But I get anxious when I see too many traffic lol I think I can never be comfortable with fame. I also don't like to see all the affiliate ads on other blogs so I don't feel like putting them on mine.

I continue blogging despite it being unpopular for the love of writing. And I do hope readers (whoever you are...) get something out of my writing. If what I'm writing is of no substance, I hope what I personally share show you that life is not always rainbow for everybody.. It's always a sum of highs and lows...

I have a habit of reading inspirational stuffs since childhood. I don't particularly remember how it started but I've always been a big fan of "Chicken Soup for The Soul" and also a big fan of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Even until today, I never fail reading something inspirational on daily basis. So yesterday, I found this post "23 Things Successful People Do Before Turning 40" on this blog .

I'll summarize it here, but I think you really have to go through that post because it was how the points are expounded that appealed to me. Please bear with my tiny handwriting hahaha

Some of the points are rather obscure, don't you think? That's why you have to read the original post (^^)

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1441 Resolutions

Bismillah....

I'm supposed to switch on the laptop and start on either my presentation slides or my article on HIV. But then, I feel like writing something on my blog hahaha

"The purpose of this glorious life is not simply to endure it, but to soar, stumble and flourish as you learn to fall in love with existence, We were born to live my dear not to merely exist" - Becca Lee


One of the best things in being a Muslim is that you get to celebrate two New Years every year and that means you get to make two New Year's resolutions each year too. While some people might not believe in resolutions, I find making resolutions set a firm foundation for the things that I want to achieve on that particular year. Those who know me well know that when I put my mind to something, I will most likely be able to achieve it and that could be as trivial as being compliant to my Fish Oil supplement hahaha


The beautiful sunset above was captured during my run yesterday; a magnificent sight that marks the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. Just a quick fact, the Hijri calendar was initiated by the 2nd Caliph, Umar al-Khattab. His reign was one of the most triumphant in the Islamic history and during his ruling he needed an efficient and standardized system to accurately regulate and record transactions and also record history. He gathered notables, discussed the matter and finally came out with the Hijri calendar. Obviously, I was busy taking in the beauty of yesterday's sunset that the echoing Quranic verse recitation from the mosque behind me didn't trigger me to utter the end of year and the new year du'a. I went to search what's the implication of that and could it be done later. That's when I learned that the practice is actually an 'innovation'. So, yeah, I was saved~ Alhamdulillah hahaha

I've mentioned in one of my post before that I currently feel like I'm stuck in an environment that impedes my growth. Every day feels like a time loop; standing for hours listening to unfocused discussion and repetitive stories while you actually have many tasks lined up to be settled in what limited time you have left. New ideas and suggestions are being dismissed and worst, ridiculed. Even when you have solid evidence in your hands, that will not help you. And one thing I despise most is when this person start to scorn all those that obviously have achieved more than he did. I can't help but think that he has a full package of attributes that will lead to the grievous of failures!

Pardon my negativity please... Hahaha

It's overwhelming that my thoughts are constantly shrouded by pessimistic thinking. Like,

 "What's the point of me spending money and working hard to learn more when I'm working with someone who always think he is the only one that's right even when he is on the wrong..."

But then, it suddenly dawned on me that I should focus on my own intention in gaining more knowledge. Who is it really for? Who will benefit from it? And am I delivering to only one person all this while...? It's really easy to be blinded when you're only looking at the dark side. The prompt answer to the last question is a BIG NO.

So for this new year, I resolve to just ignore the insolent figure.
I lose nothing from not being heard or appreciated by one person. I will focus on materializing my masterpieces in my own way and in my own time. People who are not use to doing things in excellence can never understand the value of the process....

I'm not the type who burn bridges.. To me, every single encounter and relationship should be cherished no matter how brief it was. However, in some circumstances, letting go of something or even someone is inevitable...

20's was a decade that was more of fooling around and thriving towards frivolous goals like 30 countries before turning 30.. Which was achieved hahaha Although my 20s wasn't that bad nor wasn't that wasted, I intent to make the 10 years of my 30s an even better one. As you get older, it's unavoidable to shoulder more and more responsibilities. This actually ensued while my 30s was approaching and that's when I feel I should take life more seriously and fulfill my obligations in the finest possible way. For that, I had to adopt some changes especially how I prioritize things in life and that was also the time when I learned the art of 'letting go'.

With what I'm aiming to accomplish these days, I can't afford to have distractions.

If I were to have a man by my side, he is to be someone that will propel me to the stratosphere as I would do the same for him. He is to be someone I could work as a team with and there should be an equal give and take, treating each other with the equal amount of love, care, honesty and respect. And one thing for sure, if it's not going to be something that last forever, it definitely is not a battle that I should be a part of because I have other battles with a more purposeful causes to get through.... I won't be able to get through them with an additional unnecessary emotional interruption..

Yes, this Hijri new year, I finally found the willpower to let go....

"Are you just another lesson or is it really 'you'?"... And I've figure out the answer to that too...

So for this 1441 Hijri, my main goal would be to remain focus on the growth that I've been seeking, dodge all the negative voices that rings in my head and let go of the things that could potentially weigh me down...

Life is never promised to be easy.. But that what makes it beautiful..
And I have too many things to be grateful of... (^^)

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Du'a....

Bismillah....

The above is where I'm writing this post; inside my rather luxurious room in Putrajaya.

Just yesterday my friends and I were talking about Neelofa's beautiful du'a that she shared in a program called Naura Shares. I don't know anything about that program until they mentioned it yesterday. We were discussing about how specific her du'a was on asking for guidance and rizq  (sustenance). Well, we knew about the du'a on jodoh (soulmate) and actually Neelofa requested for that part not to be recorded but today that made the headlines and it's widely shared across social media. 

Your Lord has said, "Pray to Me for I shall answer your prayers. Those who are too proud to worship me will soon go to hell in disgrace" (Verse 40:60)

I think it's good to share du'a. Some people don't know that besides the du'a  in the Al Quran and those that are taught by the scholars, you can actually design your own du'a, some people don't know that you can recite it in your own language other than Arabic, don't know when are the best times to make du'a etc. I find that sharing du'a can give others some ideas of what else to ask from Allah because I do have friends who told me that they already have everything that they want in life and don't feel like asking anything else. Honestly, I can't relate to that at all because I think du'a is my private 'conversation' with Allah. To me it's not only about asking for something that you want, it's a way to seek for forgiveness, a mean of expressing your gratitude and supplication should be a continuous process.

In this post, I will share mine. Not the exact words, but basically what I ask from Allah in my  prayers. And honestly, most of them are inspired by others who shared with me their dua's and I was like "Oh! Why didn't I think of that?". And yes, I was told many many years ago, be specific in your du's and here goes...

My du'a starts with asking forgiveness for myself, my parents, my family, my friends and the ummah.

I read somewhere that you should start with yourself but I don't know why I can't follow that and will start with my parents...

I know I can never repay them for what they've done to me, ever. I owe them so much that I only have my du'a as my biggest gift for them in this world and for the hereafter. I ask Allah to have mercy on them, to give them good health, excellence in deeds and ibadah, the status of husnul mukminin and mukminah and may they be steadfast in the path of Allah until their last breath. As we grow, we realize our parents are humans too, who are also imperfect like the rest of us thus I ask for these.

And then for the whole family.. I ask for love and unity, for patience during hard times and may we continue to be grateful servants during good times. I ask for knowledge that will bring us closer to Allah. I ask for sufficient sustenance that are full of barakah (blessings) and to ease us from worldly debt. I also ask for continuous guidance in His path and not let any of us go astray.

Although for myself is later, but actually I ask A LOT!

I ask for good akhlaq (manners/attitude) and strong aqidah (conviction). I ask for ikhlas (sincerity) in my deeds and ask for Allah to prevent me from riya' (ostentation). Other than asking for guidance, I ask Allah to make me find lessons in my daily encounters that will remind me of Him and I ask to be protected from anything that will drift me further from His path. I ask for good grasp of knowledge, good memory to retain knowledge and for me to use my knowledge to enjoin good and not for something that does harm.

Like Neelofa, I admit that I also pray for 'jodoh' but it's nothing like asking to meet 'The One' pronto~ I started praying for my 'jodoh' many many years ago when I was still studying when an Ustazah point out that this is important because you're going to share your life with this person. In my du'a I specifically mention the traits and the qualities that I want (not to be mentioned here) and actually I always ask may I meet this person when we are truly ready for this amanah (obligation).

Just to share my experience.. When I was once faced with a complicated relationship situation, I prayed every single day asking for a good ending (pengakhiran yang baik). I was very specific when I asked for that; I want an ending that makes everybody happy, and that leads to more blessings and rewards for everybody. And mashaAlah, it was granted...Alhamdulillah...

And not so recently, maybe since last year or maybe since I turned 30, besides asking how I want him to be like, I also ask Allah to make me a good spouse to that person, to his family and I ask for me to be  someone who is also good for his religion as he would be to me. 

I also will ask for forgiveness for loved ones that are no longer here in this world. I hope it reaches them where ever they are.


And finally du'a for the ummah. I encounter many social issues among the Muslims that are against the teachings of Islam in my day to day job. You know they said, the weakest of Iman is to detest a wrong doing with one's heart. I always tried my best not to judge and focused on my role whenever  I'm faced with such situation.  Not being able to preach then and there when I was sitting with them used to give me a lot of guilt for not being a good sister who reminds them to be closer to Allah. But then, it was also imperative to gain their trust, keep them coming back to me, make them feel I'm someone that they can openly confide to and eventually help improve their treatment outcome. So I guess du'a for the ummah is my next powerful tool.


I ask for Allah to always give us guidance.. For those who are still on His path to remain firm and undeterred. And those who have gone astray, may they one day find their way back to Allah. I ask for peace and harmony. For protection of those who are tested with war and famine. I ask for Allah to grant them patience and strength and may those give them an even bigger reward in the Hereafter.


You see, one of people's misconception about unmarried women like me is that we devote our lengthy prayer asking for a soulmate. People speculate that unmarried women go for umrah to cry in front of Kaabah asking for soulmate hahaha I do have friends who think that life hasn't begun for them if they have yet to find their soulmate. They see that as an ultimate goal in life and would feel less like a person until they find him. It's their knight in shining armor that will make them live happily ever after....

But some unmarried women actually realize that marital status does not decide whether you are going to heaven or hell. Some women are ordained to not play the role as a wife or a mother in this world but yet they actually have the equal rights to enter Jannah with the roles that they are meant to play. One woman may enter Jannah for being a good wife and a loving mother, and a single woman who during her life have channeled her energy for her family and the betterment of the ummah will attain the same. Allah is the Most Just...

We ask things that are important to us from Allah so every person's dua is unique..
It all depends on what legacy we want to leave behind and who we want to present ourselves to the Creator when it's our time to return...
As long as we are breathing, live and never stop communicating with Allah...

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