How To Accomplish Big

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

If you want to accomplish big in this life, you have to stick to a course of action to achieve it. These are goals. If you want to lose 10 pounds by next month, for example, you have to identify the things you need to do and do it. You can't lose 10 pounds next month just by talking about it.

Goal setting is something that we hear about throughout our lives, but very few people actually sit down and articulate the things they want. They wake up, do things, sleep, wake up, do things, sleep ... no clear direction.

You won't be able to accomplish something big without real hard work and big sacrifices. Can you be a doctor with your high school diploma? Of course not. You have to do more years of studies and training and that requires more work, more time, and more money. You can't be a great professional basketball player by shooting some baskets in your backyard, you need a lot of training and years of competing in tournaments.

Take a moment and think what you really want in life bearing in mind that if you want this dunya (which is perishing), Allah will give it to you -- He will make you busy with this dunya and you are on your own. But if you want the Hereafter (which is eternal), He will facilitate your journey and He will meet you at the end of your journey. Do you get the picture?

As Muslims, our goal in this life should be Allah. Yes, Paradise is great and Allah has promised Paradise for doers of good, but there is something better than Paradise -- Allah's Beatific Vision, Allah's Noble Countenance. Each person of Paradise will differ in his experience of His Noble Countenance based on their individual rank with Him. So won't you set yourself up for the highest? Won't you want a home in Jannah with a view of His Throne and you can see Allah at anytime? All of us have that potential to be there. But the journey begins here. If you miss the boat, you won't get there. So let's not wait till the last minute to prepare for your journey.

Let's start by setting some goals in these areas -- improving worship, increasing knowledge and service.

1) Improving Worship

First, you have to change your day -- go to bed early, get up before Fajr and stay up after Fajr. Your day will have more blessings and you will get more things accomplished. Your mind is clear and creative ideas will start coming to you. Read a portion of the Qur'an everyday and put together Qur'an memorization schedule for yourself.

2) Increase Knowledge

Be educated Muslims. We should have some minimal level of knowledge of the religion. In the next year, you should make sure you have studied the Seerah and once every year thereafter, learn the Seerah from different sources, one at a time -- books, lectures, articles, etc. The life of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wassallam is our vision and inspiration. It will give you perspective and contemplation.

At the same time you have to make substantial gain in your Qur'an -- proper recitation, memorization, vocabulary, understanding. Qur'an memorization is the fundamental key to understand it.

3) Service

Set some time on a weekly or monthly basis to help people, not necessarily under the Islamic banner. If there is a good cause, be a part of it. Maybe you can help a poor or war refugee family abroad with food and clothing. Maybe you can help clean up your neighbor's yard. You don't need to publicize it (in FB status, tweeting it, etc). Do it for yourself. This will make you a better person.

These three things, if you stick to it, will make you a better Muslim immediately. Your love for the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam is increasing because you learn about him. The salawat you have been doing is deeper felt. Knowledge of du'a will bring you closer to Allah because you know what you are asking Him. This is knowledge. If knowledge is not helping your worship, then it is not knowledge.

Tips on creating actionable goals:

Specific -- When setting goals, they should answer the highly specific questions of who, what, where, when, and why. Instead of the general goal, "I want to improve on my worship," try for a specific goal, "I want to memorize the entire Qur'an by 2017," "I want to complete a course in Arabic and tajweed by end of this year," "I want to complete reading the Qur'an every month."

Measurable -- In order for us to track our progress, goals should be quantifiable. "I'm going to memorize the Qur'an" is far more difficult to track and measure than "I'm going to memorize 3 lines after each prayer everyday."

Attainable -- It is important to evaluate your situation honestly and recognize which goals are realistic, and which are a little far-fetched. Instead of, "I am going to lead the prayers at the Haramain," while admirable, it might be more realistic to say, "I am going to wake up before Fajr, pray Tahajjud, and go the masjid for Fajr." Instead of, "I am going to memorize all the hadiths in the Bukhari," it might be more realistic to say, "I am going to memorize the 40 hadith of Imam Nawawi,"

Relevant -- Is this goal relevant to your ultimate goal? Some good questions to ask yourself when figuring this out are: does it seem worthwhile? Is now the right time for this? Does this match my needs?

Time-related -- Setting a "due date" to meet goals not only keeps you on track, but it prevents pesky daily roadblocks from getting in the way. Instead of saying "I'm going to learn Arabic," you might consider saying, "I'm going to finish a course in Arabic by end of next year," Instead of saying, "I am going to learn the tafsir of the Qur'an," you might consider saying, "I am going to finish learning one tafsir of the Qur'an by next Ramadhan."

Also keep incremental goals small. Set priorities -- At any given moment, you have a number of goals all in different states of completion. Deciding which goals are more important, or time-sensitive, than others is crucial. Keep track of your progress. Journaling is a great way to keep track of progress. Checking in with yourself and acknowledging the progress made towards a certain goal is key to staying motivated.

Keep your focus on the big prize.

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ ﴿٢٢

[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant, (22) Looking at their Lord. (23)

[Qur'an, Al-Qiyamah 75:22-23]

And do things only for the sake of Allah.

إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ ٱللَّـهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَآءً وَلَا شُكُورًا ﴿٩

[Saying], "We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude. (9)

[Qur'an, Al-Insan 76:9]

May Allah enable us to grow in His religion and make us among those who He is pleased with and grant us His Noble Countenance. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam