5 ways to increase earnings

One of the blessings that Allah has given His servants is money. Most of us are preoccupied with the seeking of money to an extent we almost forgotten the reason of our existence that is to “serve Allah”. How many times have you heard, “Money does not buy happiness”? Lots of times, right? 

Our culture sends us two very conflicting messages about money. The first, a message that tells us money is everything. We feel jealous when we see a house bigger than ours, a car newer than our car and etc. Then, there’s the completely opposite message, the one that treats wealth – and the wealthy – with suspicion, that works hard to teach us NOT to envy them, to see the limitations that wealth has and the potential trouble it can cause. In some families, it gets to the point of feeling that money is somehow dirty, that it’s not a proper topic for conversation, that flaunting what you've got is tacky and that being poor is almost a virtue. 

Whatever we feel about money, people with money, or the pursuit of money, can we at least agree that money IS important because of 5 reasons:

1. Having money means that you will not be poor and you’ll be able to fulfill all the five pillars of Islam. 
2. It enables you to have more control over your life, more freedom to carve out your own path and less constraints on your choices. 
3. It means being able to give your children the best education, the best health care and the best start in life. 
4. It enables you to give back to your community, to pick the charities and causes you believe in and support them. 
5. Having money enables you to live life to the fullest, enjoy adventures and textures and tastes of the world. 

I would like to share 5 ways to increase earnings taken from Yasir Qadhi's book, "15 Ways to increase your earnings from Quran and Sunnah". This book compiles a short treatise explaining the manner in which Qur'an and Sunnah describes how Muslims could treat wealth and ways to increase their earnings.

1. The Taqwa of Allah

And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way out (from every difficulty). And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion. [At-Talaaq: 2-3]

2. Seeking forgiveness and repentance

(And to preach thus), Seek ye the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance; that He may grant you enjoyment, good (and true), for a term appointed, and bestow His abounding grace on all who abound in merit! But if ye turn away, then I fear for you the penalty of a great day. [Hud: 3]

3. Tawakkal

If only they had been content with what Allah and His Messenger gave them, and had said, "Sufficient unto us is Allah. Allah and His Messenger will soon give us of His bounty: to Allah do we turn our hopes!" (that would have been the right course) [At-Taubah: 59]

4. Thanking Allah

And remember! your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): "If ye are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you; But if ye show ingratitude, truly My punishment is terrible indeed." [Ibrahim: 7]

5. Spending in the Way of Allah

Say: "Verily my Lord enlarges and restricts the Sustenance to such of his servants as He pleases: and nothing do ye spend in the least (in His cause) but He replaces it: for He is the Best of those who grant Sustenance. [Saba':39]

Lastly, let's ponder on this quote: “Wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants”. Having few wants is probably the best insurance against greediness, because it’s human nature to want more, and the more you have, the more you want. It’s a never-ending cycle. 

May Allah give us peace of mind, contentment, happiness and freedom from worries and anxiety.

9 tips to practice positive thinking

Now I realized that I have been practicing positive thinking since I was an innocent kampong girl. I appreciate  that my behavior and the way I think is actually something big in making a successful person. “I can do it” has always been my motto. I remember that I always wanted to be the top of the class, the best athlete in our school team and the best child in my family. Alhamdulillah, so far I have achieved and done everything that I've ever wanted. I am living my life to the fullest with the power of positive thinking.

The Qur’an has a lot to contribute towards positive thinking. The positive thinking style can be divided into four aspects:

1. Not to lose hope in Allah’s mercy. Examples: (Yusuf: 87); (Az-Zumar: 53); (Ali Imran : 139). 

2. To have hope and trust in Allah’s guidance and help. Examples: (Ali Imran: 154); (At-Talaaq:3) 

3. The concept of reliance (Tawakkal) upon Allah. Examples: (Al-Maaidah: 23); (Ali Imran: 159). 

4. The concept of fate (al-Qadaa’ and al-Qadar) if taken in its correct interpretation by making the required effort and then submitting to Allah’s will. Examples: (Al-Furqaan: 2); (Al-Hadid: 22-23). 

Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head every day. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information. 

If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you're likely an optimist — someone who practices positive thinking. 

You can learn to turn negative thinking into positive thinking. The process is simple, but it does take time and practice. 

9 tips to practice positive thinking 

1. Identify areas to change. If you want to become more optimistic and engage in more positive thinking, first identify areas of your life that you typically think negatively about, whether it's work, your daily commute or a relationship, for example. You can start small by focusing on one area to approach in a more positive way. 
2. Check yourself. Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you're thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them. 
3. Be open to humor. Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings. When you can laugh at life, you feel less stressed. 
4. Follow a healthy lifestyle. Exercise at least three times a week to positively affect mood and reduce stress. Follow a healthy diet to fuel your mind and body. Learn to manage stress. 
5. Surround yourself with positive people. Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways. 
6. Practice positive self-talk. Start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you. 
7. Reliance and trust in Allah. Look to our greatest role models for encouragement, we need to put our trust in Allah 100 per cent, knowing that nothing can happen except by HIS will. 
8. Self-Indulged powerful statements of positive affirmation. Affirmations are positive statements that you speak out loud when you need encouragement. They are always formatted to accentuate the positive as if the desired results have already been achieved. So, if you are being held back by self-limiting belief that you’ll never be able to memorise the Qur’an for example, you could start saying these affirmations: 

• So far Allah is pleased with me; I am careless what anyone else thinks! 
• No matter what happens, I can handle it 
• Just do it! Face it head on! 
• Allah will not burden the shoulder of HIS slave with what he cannot bear 
• Allah knows I can handle it and that’s why HE has given me this test! 
• I deserve the success that has come into my life.

Choose 3 top power statements that serve you, write them down and place them where you can see them always. If you repeat your affirmations several times in the morning, whenever you have spare time during the day, and again before you go to bed, you will be conditioning your self-conscious mind to start the process of making you successful by removing the inner chatter and barriers that are holding you back.

9. Be enemy with fear. Fear of failure or success is the biggest and main obstacle that holds people back, and as a result we end up sabotaging ourselves unconsciously, at the same time hiding our self-esteem. There are no regrets except lessons to learn. 

Fear throws us off balance, giving us a sense of insecurity and uncertainty. You need to become fearless, just feel the fear and do it anyway. Whenever you walk through fear, you overcome an inner barrier that has held you back and you can now move on to new territory. We will never exactly welcome fear, but we can learn to accept it as part of change. See your fear as an opportunity to grow and play to your strengths.

If you tend to have a negative outlook, don't expect to become an optimist overnight. But with practice and doa, eventually your self-talk will contain less self-criticism and more self-acceptance. You may also become less critical of the world around you. Plus, when you share your positive mood and positive experience, both you and those around you enjoy an emotional boost. 

Practicing positive self-talk will improve your outlook. When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you're able to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way. That ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of positive thinking. 

Let’s read this doa. This is a doa Prophet Muhammad (SAW) taught one of his companions who was going through financial and personal difficulties.

O Allah! I seek refuge in You from sorrow and sadness, and I seek refuge in You from weakness and laziness, and I seek refuge in You from cowardliness and miserliness, and I seek refuge in You from the harshness of debt and the overpower of men.

Happiness everywhere

Yesterday, “happiness” followed me everywhere. First I came across Harith Iskandar happy faces promoting “Happiness is roaming with Celcom…” in goingplaces, the Malaysian Airline inflight magazine.

Second when I read New Strait Times, “happiness” appeared in Rueben Dudley’s letter to the editor, “Money and happiness – they do not necessarily go together”. He commented about a survey by a leading wealth magazine on more than 500 Chinese millionaires had found that "the richer you are, the less happy you are". Many Chinese millionaires, in particular, the super-rich, find difficulty getting adequate sleep, balancing work and life, and spending quality time with family and experience considerable health problems. These rich people face a host of perpetual problems arising from pressure and commitments associated with their businesses and wealth. 

Third, while reading Readers Digest January 2013 issue, I found 5 steps to find happiness:

1. Value your relationships 
2. Express yourself
3. Spend money on others 
4. Focus on the positive 
5. Hydrate yourself

Fourth, when I browsed through books at the MPH bookstore in Midvalley Megamall, I found more “happiness” in Dr. ‘Aid al-Qarni’s book, “You can be the happiest woman in the world”. Realistically enough, he makes it quite clear that life in this world will never be perfect, but it is within our ability, with the help of Allah, to make the most of what we have in this world and attain a level of contentment and happiness no matter what our lot in life is.

Later, despite my endless tears while watching “The Impossible”, there was happy ending for the Bennett family. In this movie, one minute the mother is peacefully reading in paradise, the next moment she is clinging onto a tree for life. One minute her young sons are snorkeling to view brightly colored fish, frolicking with dad in the pool, and being called to see pristine aqua waters; the next moment they are submerged and tossed by violent waters into darkness of tsunami. Take from the movie lessons you can apply to your own life: Paradise can quickly turn to hell. Circumstances can change in an instant. Lives, and those you hold dear, are precious. 

Lastly, I encountered more happiness when a sweet young taxi driver managed to take my daughter and I, safely, on time, to the Subang Airport in the heavy rain, for our flight back to Kota Bharu. Alhamdulillah, yesterday I was the happiest person on earth! 

So, what does Islam says about happiness? According to Sheikh `Abd Allah b. Abd al-Aziz al-Zayidi, the concept of happiness in Islam is expressed in the Qur’ân in a number of different ways. 

First, we find the Qur’ân discussing the “good life”. Allah says: “Whosoever does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, we shall make them live a good life, and We shall pay them a recompense in proportion to the best of what they used to do.” [Sûrah al-Nahl: 97].

This “good life” is happiness itself. It is realized through faith and good deeds. This does not mean that we will not face difficulties in our good life. Our worldly lives, even when they are bolstered by faith and good works, are never free from distress and displeasures. This world is the abode of toil, as Allah says: “Certainly We have created man to be in toil.” [Sûrah al-Balad: 90].

The Qur’ân also uses the concept of “the openness of the heart” to express happiness. Allah says: “Those whom Allah wills to guide, He opens their breast to Islam; those whom He wills to leave straying, He makes their breast close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies: thus does Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe.” [Sûrah al-An`âm: 125].

Another expression is the “contentment of the heart”. Allah says: “Those who believe, and whose hearts find contentment in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find contentment.” [Sûrah al-Ra`d: 28]. 

The contentment and openness of the heart are aspects of happiness that are achieved through keeping up the remembrance of Allah and through following the guidance of Islam.

I ask Allah to make us all among those who attain happiness.

Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy

Work and happiness

Why do we have to work? There are three reasons why people work:

1. People work to provide themselves and their families with the basic essentials or life: food, clothing and shelter. Once these basic essentials are met, other needs and wants become important. 
2. People basically like companionship. People seek companionship with persons who have interests similar to their own. Working is a means of associating with people who have similar interests. Being part of a group gives people a feeling of belonging. Your work can provide companionship and associations with other people. 
3. A person’s work can provide an opportunity to learn and grow intellectually and socially. It is a means of attaining new goals in life by developing new skills and learning new things. Work allows people to reach their fullest potential. 

As Muslim, we have to work because that is what Al-Qura’an told us to do:

“But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters." (Al-Qaşaş: 77)

We have to give this life its due share. We have to live it; we cannot escape from it, nor can we ignore the real challenges it poses. Moreover, Islam does not expect us to withdraw ourselves from the world. 

We see from the life of the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) that he was an active and successful merchant before being chosen as a prophet. During his life of prophet hood, he had family and dealt with worldly affairs like any fully-engaged human being. We, too, are supposed to lead life, utilizing all the resources Allah Most Gracious has bestowed on us. Accordingly, we need to educate ourselves in worldly matters and to use that knowledge to lead a good life and also to help prevent injustices and exploitation of humanity at large.

The obligation to live this life while providing for ourselves and our families effectively and by ensuring that we are not violating others’ rights. We ought to adopt attitudes where our actions strike the right balance between any competing and conflicting situations. We need to remind ourselves that by respecting the tenets of halal (lawful) and haram (unlawful) as laid out by Allah, we can lead a life where we can make the most of this life while our hearts are always conscious of, and devoted to, Allah and the hereafter.

“And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah, and remember Allah often that you may succeed” [ Al-Jumu`ah:10]

We can thus lead fulfilling lives by bringing more Islam into our lives. For example, we can become wise in our interactions and dealings with each other, fulfill our trusts and duties toward each other, be patient in adverse circumstances with an unwavering Faith in Allah, become thankful to Allah for His blessings and show gratitude to people as well for what we get from them, earn our livelihood through lawful means, and so on. 

Let’s remember that when we live our lives according to what Islam teaches us, we not only live fulfilling lives, we are also pleasing Allah and thus contributing toward credits that will count in the hereafter. However, while living this life none of these should take precedence over Allah’s Commands and none of these should divert us from our real purpose of life. The desire to attain the Favor of Allah (SWT) should supersede all other considerations.

Since most or your adult waking life will be spent working, it is important to choose an occupation that will bring job satisfaction. Your work can be a service to others. You, as well as your family will be happier if the occupation you choose is satisfying. In addition, people like to feel that the work they do is important and of value to others. People look for security in their occupations. Your work can provide you with this security. People want stability in their lives in order to make realistic and effective plans for the future. 

All ambitious young people are interested in securing a beginning job that offers an opportunity for advancement. Employers are interested in employing persons who like a challenge and who want to be successful in life. Your work can give you success. Last, but not least, is happiness with one's work. Thomas Edison, the great inventor, was once encouraged by his wife to take a vacation. He responded by stating that he "couldn't think of anything he would rather do that work in his laboratory." Most people who choose their occupations wisely, thoroughly enjoy their work. This contributes to their overall happiness

9 Suggestions for Choosing a Career

1. Choose an occupation because you like the work, not solely because of the rewards in money or prestige.
2. Choose an occupation that will use the abilities you possess.
3. Do not choose an occupation just because a friend or someone else you admire chose it.
4. Avoid occupations that require abilities you do not have.
5. Do not confuse interest and ability.
6. Before making a final choice of occupation, find out what are all the things you might have to do in it. Find out which of these will take most of your time.
7. Do not expect to find a job in which you will never have to do anything you dislike.
8. Do not stay permanently in a job in which you dislike most or the things you have to do.
9. Remember Robert Louis Stevenson's counsel, "To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying 'Amen' to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive”.

Let’s make the following Dua part of our daily worship in which we ask Allah to give us the good in this life and the hereafter!

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Self-evaluation

The one thing I am always reminding myself of is to make sure that I am living today better than yesterday. I try to make sure I am growing, improving, learning from the experiences that come my way, and doing things that will allow me to take steps in the right direction day after day. I always remind myself that every aspect of life is supposed to continually improve and get better. Granted things may not always go the way we planned, but in one way or another everything should be progressing and moving you forward.

Are we making the best use of our 24 hours every day? There are so many possibilities we have each day to improve something about ourselves, change our perspective, learn something valuable, take another step forward, and accomplish something.

Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.)) said, 'The intelligent (success) was the One who (evaluate) himself, as well as the charity for the life after death. While the weak are those who follow their lusts and daydream to Allah”. (Narrated by at-Tirmidzi).

7 lessons about self-evaluation to be learned from this hadith:

1.   As a Muslim, we should always do self-evaluation in every activity of our lives, both related to aspects of the world (aspects of the job) and also aspects of the life hereafter. Muhasabah or evaluation can be done every day, every week, every month, every quarter, every semester, or once a year.

2.   Self-evaluation is very important in the life of a Muslim. Due to the evaluation, one can know the running portion of worship to God, whether related to others (muamalah and work), as well as directly related to the relationship to God.

3.   Self-evaluation is the key to one's success in this world and in the Hereafter, - as mentioned in the hadith above - that people are intelligent (read: successful) is a person who evaluates himself and do good for the life after death.

   

4.  Self-evaluation is like two wings of a bird in flight, both wings should move balanced. Balanced in both aspects of the life of this world (employment, income, goals and so on) and our worship to Allah. The concept of worship in Islam is misunderstood by many people. Worship is commonly taken to mean performing ritualistic acts such as prayers, fasting, charity, etc. This limited understanding of worship is only one part of the meaning of worship in Islam. That is why the traditional definition of worship in Islam is a comprehensive definition that includes almost everything in any individual's activities. The definition goes something like this: "Worship is an all-inclusive term for all that God loves of external and internal sayings and actions of a person." In other words, worship is everything one says or does for the pleasure of Allah. This, of course, includes rituals as well as beliefs, social activities, and personal contributions to the welfare of one's fellow human-beings. Islam looks at the individual as a whole. Islam, being a way of life, requires that its followers model their life according to its teachings in every aspect, religious or otherwise. This might sound strange to some people who think of religion as a personal relation between the individual and God, having no impact on one's activities outside rituals. As a matter of fact Islam does not think much of mere rituals when they are performed mechanically and have no influence on one's inner life. 

5.  Evaluate in the aspects of employment and acquisition of rizki. Check our self in term of bribe practices, neglect mandate, taking something that is not our rights, manipulation of attendance, lick the boss and subordinate stepping. Rasulullah SAW reminds us that one day on yaumul hisab, all will be questioned by Allah SWT, including the acquisition of fortune about us. The scholars say that one of the characteristics of people who is cautious "Be careful" in the lawful and illicit fortune. The above hadith shows that who could not explain his fortune he earned in his life on earth, later he cannot move the soles of his feet before Allah Almighty.

6. Evaluate in the aspects of social life (the relationship between human beings. This aspect is also a very important aspect to be evaluated. Because humans are social beings, who always need someone else to carry out activities of daily life. We need to evaluate with regard to our relationship to others.

7.  In addition to the evaluation or muhasabah, every Muslim also needs to cultivate the vision in his life, that his orientation is for life after death. Thus the hadith above illustrates, that an intelligent person (successful) is the one who evaluates himself and do good for the life after death". So that real vision of every Muslim is not only limited to 5, 10 or 20 years to come. But the vision of a Muslim is his world through all the dimensions of life, to the dimension afterlife (life after death). If such a vision is embedded within every Muslim, it is certain (inshaAllah) that the works, activities, worship, and in all activities his life, he would only have focus to Allah SWT alone. And this is the actual implementation of the word that we keep on repeating in the beginning of our salah (prayer): Say: "Verily, my prayers, my worship, my life and my death are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds” (al-An'am: 162).

So let us start now, to do self-evaluation and embed dimensions of life through the vision of the world, to the dimensions of our afterlife.

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said to a man while he was advising him:  "Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth, before you become old; and your health, before you fall sick; and your richness, before you become poor; and your free time before you become busy; and your life, before your death." 

The wisdom from bees

I realized that one of the beauty of retirement is that I have more time to observe nature. While I was strolling in my garden this morning, I had an opportunity to observe a colony of stingless bees (Trigona Bees) that was hidden at a corner of my house. SubhanAllah (Glory be to Allah). I saw the bees were busy coming out from the hive, flying around, resting on the flowers, back to the hive and out again looking for more flowers in my garden.

The Qur’an advises man to keenly observe Allah’s wisdom hidden in the universe and asks him to move about on earth and study and observe the creation of Allah scattered everywhere. But the purpose behind the study and observation should be to have a realization of Allah’s power and not to disturb the balance in the nature.

During my observation, I remembered the verse in Qur’an where Allah says in the Chapter called `The Bees’: 

[And your Lord inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct. Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you]." There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought. (Surah an-Nahl - The Bee, 68-69).

When I researched about bees, I was fascinated by the 25 powerful lessons put together by Michael O’Malley in his book entitled: `The Wisdom of Bees’.  

Here are the first 5 lessons that we can learn from bees.

Lesson One: Protect the Future

“One teaspoon of honey represents the lifetime work of roughly a dozen bees.”

The first lesson in the hive is to ‘protect the future’. As Muslims, we have a vision and aim when we start anything in our lives, whether it’s a business, a family, a community project. These are created with the future benefit of us and others in mind, thus the bees also start out with a common vision (in honey production). Many people lose sight of this principle with the pressure of maintaining their life in ad-hoc manner.

Bees teach us on the other hand to work in anticipation of tomorrow which makes them maximizes their resources.

Lesson Two: Keep the Energy Levels Up

 

“Like the treads on tires, bee wings don’t last forever.”

Given the sheer hard work taken to produce honey, rule number 2 in the beehive is to keep the energy levels up! From a faith perspective, we should start our day with Fajr salah and remembrance of Allah and recitation of verses from the Qur’an to help keep our energy level.

Lesson 3: Let Merit Be Your Guide

 

“Honeybee colonies are meritocracies. Unlike the institutions with which we are familiar, favoritism plays little role in the operations of the hive.”

It was interesting to learn this principle occurs even in the beehive. Every good leader is guided by the principle of justice in Islam, chosen on the basis of their knowledge, qualities and competency – which mean no room for favoritism in the hive. Among honeybees, females have the key role in tending to the survival and welfare of the hive making it logical to have the queen bee rule. These concepts of leadership by those who are best to fulfil it and to remove the leader by failure of their performance are not unfounded in Islam, therefore just as honeybees are performance orientated, so should we be as Muslims!

Lesson 4: Promoting Community, Sanctioning Self Interest

 

“The riddle of what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine is neatly settled by the bees”

Bees organise themselves in the hive so as to spread the good for the whole therefore the community is central to their operations. This is mentioned in the hadith where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “None of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” (Sahih Muslim). This suggests that our life ethics and environment should always promote goodness of the community.

Lesson Five: Distribute Authority

 

“the queen couldn’t possibly direct all of the actions in the field from her command post. So, she does what every good leader does: she delegates certain responsibilities to a set of lead bees who act as her agents..”

The idea of good leadership has become somewhat misinterpreted in our life today, we assume the leader has to do and dictate every decision and action. In the beehive, it’s quite the opposite and also the prophetic seerah is testimony to this principle as there are ample examples where he (peace be upon him) would choose the most suitable companion for their expertise in certain areas.

Bees offer many such precious lessons, so don’t bee-little them but watch and learn.

Lessons from eagle

This morning I attended a programme for parents of Standard Six students in Sekolah Kebangsan Islah, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. I would like to share some lessons that I have learned from Ustaz Wan Mohd Tarmimin bin Wan Bakar, a speaker from Jabatan Pelajaran Kelantan. He talked about “Ibu Bapa Bijaksana dan Cakna, Anak Ceria Berjaya”. In order to ensure sustainability and success, we have to transform from what we are today, to a better person until we achieve our vision in life. Process of transformation to be a better person can be learned from characteristics of eagle.

When I researched about eagle, I am amazed to know that there are 7 lessons that we can learn from eagle:

1. Eagles possess vitality

Eagles are full of life and visionary but hey have they find time to look back at their life and re-energies themselves. This happens at about the age of 30. What happens is that when the eagles reach the age of 30, their physical body condition deteriorates fast making it difficult for them to survive.

What is really interesting is that the eagle never gives up leaving. Instead the eagle retreats to a mountaintop and over a five month period goes through a metamorphosis. It knocks off its own beak by banging it against a rock, plucks out its talons and then feathers. Each stage produces a regrowth of the removed body parts, allowing the eagle to live for another 30 - 40 years.

There are times in our life that we must look back and take stock of our life. Ponder upon the good and the bad experiences that we have been through. Are we keeping in trend with the current knowledge trend? Do we need to improve certain areas in your life?

Lesson: Great people are the ones that always do "check and balance" or muhasabah of their lives and make an effort to transform to be a better person.

2. Eagle have vision

If you ever happen to see an eagle sitting high above the tree or cliff of a stiff mountain, watch closely and see how attentive the bird is. The body sits still and the head will be tilted side to side to observed what is happening below, around and above it. Even if it is flying close by, you can observe how keen its eyes are looking for its prey. Eagles have a keen vision. Their eyes are specially designed for long distance focus and clarity. They can spot another eagle soaring from 50 miles away. 

Lesson: We must have a vision that guides and leads our life to achieve happiness, good health, wealth, success and blessing from Allah.

3. Eagles are fearless

An eagle will never surrender to the size or strength of its prey. It will always give a fight to win its prey or regain its territory. 

Lesson: Successful people are fearless. They face problems with courage.

4. Eagles are persistent

Watch an eagle when a storm comes. When other birds fly away from the storm with fear, an eagle spreads its mighty wings and uses the current to soar to greater heights. The eagle takes advantage of the very storm that lesser birds fear and head for cover. 

Lesson: Challenges in our life are many. These are the storm that we must face to rise to a greater heights. Like an eagle, we can only rise to greater heights if we take up the challenges head on without running away from it.

5. Eagles are high flyers

Eagles can fly up to an altitude of 10,000 feet, but they are able to swiftly land on the ground. An eagle doesn't mingle around with the pigeons. Pigeons scavenge on the ground and grumble and complain all day long. Eagles are not. They fly and make less noise waiting for opportunities to strike their next prey or glide with the current of the storm.

Lesson: Great person are problem solvers. They don't complain like the pigeons do. They love to take challenges as the eagle does when the storm comes.

6. Eagles never eat dead meat

An eagle never eats dead meat. In other words, an eagle does not scavenge. It only eats the meat from the prey it kills itself.

A successful person spends time with people who are vibrant and liberal in thinking. You have to be with people who can think, make informed decisions and take actions. These are the people who bring change into the society. They are lively and active people.

Lesson: People we hang around with and the books we read eventually determine the person we become.

7. Eagles nurture their younger ones

Eagles are known for their aggression. They are absolutely ferocious. What is more astonishing with this bird is their ability to nurture their young ones. Research has shown that no member of the bird family is more gentle and attentive to its young ones than the eagles.

This is how it happens. When the mother eagle sees that time has come for it to teach the eaglets to fly, she gathers an eaglet onto her back, and spreading her wings, flies high. Suddenly she swoops out from under the eaglet and allows it to fall. As it falls, it gradually learns what its wings are for until the mother catches it once again. The process is repeated. If the young is slow to learn or cowardly, she returns it to the nest, and begins to tear it apart, until there is nothing left for the eaglet to cling to. Then she nudges him off the cliff.

Lesson: Great parents grow with their children. They strive to make their children grow to their full ability. They teach and guide just like the mother eagle does. They never stop giving challenges but never give-up empowering and directing.

Health

New Strait Times January 7, 2013 spotlighted that health and fitness awareness among Malaysian is low, causing a spike in obesity and non-communicable diseases. Statistics showed that 32.7 per cent of the population suffered high blood pressure in 2011 compared with 32.2 per cent in 2006, while mental health among children aged between 5 and 9 years rose to 19.1 per cent from 12.3 per cent in 1996 and among teenagers aged 15 and 16, the figure increased to 22.2 per cent from 13.4 per cent. 

Since maintaining health and fitness is one of my retirement plans, this topic brings great interest to me. Alhamdulillah, I don't have any health problem. I have to continue maintaining my health and caring for my family so that we don't be part of the statistics.

9 health plans that I want to do:

1.   Increase vegetable and fruit intake - I love eating ulam with sambal belacan and salad with simple dressing of olive live spike with a bit rock salt and crushed black paper. My children don’t like vegetables but they love to eat fruits, so I have to buy fruits more often. 

2.   Reduce salt, sugar, oil and coconut milk in cooking - Alhamdulillah, I always cook for my family. We seldom eat out. Retirement will give me more time to plan for healthier menus. I have started replacing normal salt with rock salt in my cooking since last year. Being a sweet tooth, I really have to reduce eating cakes or sweet kueh. I have reduced using coconut milk in my cooking, by replacing it with low fat milk. 

3.   Use healthy cooking method – Steam or grill instead of frying. 

4.   Walk more – I have to start counting my steps, at least 10,000 steps per day. My house have 25 steps staircase, so going up and down more often would be good for my health. 

5.   Drink more water - I will make sure I drink at least 2 liters of water per day. I'll put a water bottle at bedside and at my office table. 

6.   Increase outdoor activities - After 5 is always outdoor except for rainy days. I usually do gardening or swimming in the afternoon and horse riding in the morning. 

7.   Get enough sleep - I always go to bed early and wake up before five. I enjoy how the day slowly gets brighter, when the midnight blue turns to lighter blue, and see how mother nature gets painted in incredible colors. What a glorious day! 

8.   Perform medical check-ups every six month - My last medical check-up was in May 2012. I have to repeat it soon. 

9.   Make a lot of prayer from Allah to give my family and me good health.

……... "My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favour which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds, such as please You, and make my off-spring good. Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims (submitting to Your Will)." [Al-Ahqaf: 15]

Wealth and Financial Freedom

In the previous post I wrote about “Retire Young, Retire Rich”. I would like to thank Robert Kiyosaki for making me aware that I need to manage and control my personal finance. However I don’t really agree with his suggestion to start creating wealth by acquire “good debt” which means taking risk by acquiring loans to invest in properties. Muslims are encouraged to become rich but not through debt. Only rich Muslims can practice all the five pillars of Islam: Shahadah, Solah, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj. Zakat and Hajj can only be achieved by rich Muslim. In addition, Muslim is also strongly encouraged to give alms (sedekah). All Muslim, poor or rich can give sedekah, but a sincere rich Muslim is capable to give more and InsyaAllah, will get better reward. "The best alms is that which you give when you are rich, and you should start first to support your dependants." [Sahih Bukhari - Book 64, Number 269].   

As a Muslim, I practice zuhud, means shunning that which is haram and that which Allah hates; avoiding shows of luxury and overindulging in worldly pleasures; focusing on doing acts of worship; and making the best preparation for the Hereafter. I simply live within my mean. I never spend more money than I earn. I remember that my starting salary as a lecture 25 years ago was RM1300. Alhamdulillah, that amount was big enough for me to give some good amount to my parents every month without fail. I started saving 30% of my income through salary deduction into my Tabung Haji account right from the beginning. At that time, Tabung Haji annual return was good and that’s where my wealth creation started. Once the money tree bears fruits, I started investing in assets rather than liabilities to build a passive income from my investments. That is how I make money work for me. Alhamdulillah, now I am looking forward to enjoy my retirement as a woman of wealth not a wealthy woman.

“Do not earn wealth and lose people, for earning people is a way to earning wealth.” [Dr. Muhammad ‘Abd Al-Rahman Al-‘Afifi, Enjoy Your Life, Darussalam Publication, 2008].

Retire Young, Retire Rich

I read “Retire Young, Retire Rich” written by Robert T. Kiyosaki when it was first published in 2001. Before that, I have read all his three books. His books really gave me new perspective about living and working.

I used to have the colonial mentality where we have been conditioned to avoid risk, and have learned to accept living in the rat race as something that is unavoidable. Since I was a little kampong girl, I only know that, I must study hard, get good grade, go to good school, go to university and get good job. Alhamdulillah, I passed through the life process without much hassle. During my school years, I was always at the top of my class, very active in extracurricular activities and was a head girl in standard six in Sekolah Kebangsaan Titi Serong and also a head girl when I was in Form Five Sekolah Menengah Sains Pulau Pinang. With outstanding result in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, I was offered scholarship by Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) to do Bachelor Science in Computer Science at University of Miami, Florida, and then proceed to Master Science in Computer Information Systems at the same university.

Life process was smooth, where right after my masters study, I got married and was offered to be a lecturer at two universities, UUM and USM, and I have chosen to serve USM because it is located in Penang near my hometown. So, there goes my life, in USM as employee for more than twenty five years, with several memorable achievements, juggling family life and career. Of course, without doubt family is my priority. As a lecturer, you are value less if you don’t have a Ph.D., therefore in order to elevate my self-value; I did my Ph.D. in Information Technology Project Management at USM as part time student and graduated in March 2003. Well, that was exactly ten years from the date that I have chosen to “Retire Young, Retire Rich”. Is it a coincident, or do I really plan my life or is it just a destiny determined by Allah? Alhamdulillah, whatever is the reason, Allah knows best.

While Malaysian government has revised retirement age to be sixty, many of my friends consider forty nine years old is still too young to retire. “Why do you want retire?”, “What do you want to do?”, “You’ll be bored staying at home”, “You’ll get sick when you retire” and many more questions were asked and many other statements were made. I simply said, “Retire Young, Retire Rich” has been my vision ever since I read Kiyosaki book. InsyaAllah, soon, by 31313 I will achieve my vision and definitely, before my retirement date, I will come up with a new life vision. By the way, I have already written my retirement plan in the previous post.

Retirement Plan

Soon, I will achieve the next milestone in life, “Retire Young, Retire Rich". Yes, I will retire at the tender age of 49, ha, ha, ha... still young, has not reach 5 series. I pray to Allah, so that I can start reaping the benefits of being financially independent. Retirement doesn't have to be seen as an end, but as the start of new opportunities.

Insya'Allah, after retirement, I will have more time in my hands to appreciate life, and explore new opportunities.

Here are my plans for the next milestone in life:

1. Stay physically active – I will continue horse riding with my beloved husband at Kelantan Polo and Riding Club, and swimming with my friends.
2. Exercise my memory - At this age, I feel that my short term memory is weakening. I seldom forget people's name, telephone numbers and etc. Insha’Allah, I will go for Al-Quran memorization class. Alhamdulillah, I have been reading Al-Quran every day, repeat it many times from I was first finish the Al-Quran at the age of 9 years old. I only memorize few surahs, but now I want to be Hafeezah - a lady that memorize the whole Al-Quran. Insha’Allah.
3. Learn Arabic, the language of Al-Quran - I am going to register Arabic class at Nilam Puri, Kelantan. I have been postponing this plan many times already. I have been reading Al-Quran since I was 6 years old but as a Malay, I am good at reading it but I don't directly know the meaning and lessons from my recitation because I don't understand Arabic. I always have to read the translation to appreciate the Al-Quran. I used to read the Malay translation of Al-Quran, that I received as a present for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia Best Student from Sekolah Menengah Sains Pulau Pinang, in 1982. Then I read the English translation that I bought during my umrah visit in Madinah in 1999. Now I am reading the Malay translation and tafsir that I received as a present from my Ph.D. student who graduated in 2009.
4. Stay up-to-date with technology -  As a Computer Lecturer since 13th July 1987, right after my graduation in M.Sc. in Computer Information Systems from University of Miami, I started by teaching COBOL Programming (I am pretty sure Y Generation know nothing about COBOL). Then I have taught C, C++, Java, Data Structure, Database Management System, Management Information System, Software Engineering and IT Project Management. Since 1st January 2003, after my transfer from School of Computer Sciences to School of Health Sciences, I have been teaching Health Informatics - the applications of ICT in Health and Medical, to Health Sciences students. I was pioneering the application of E-learning using Moodle in my university. Now, the university is using Moodle 2.0 as Learning Management System for the whole campus. Going for retirement, I start blogging, the thing that I always wanted to do but never have the opportunity because I was busy targeting the university's Key Performance Indicator (KPI), which to me was not quite fulfilling and it didn't really give me satisfaction. Yes, I will explore opportunities as blogger.
5. Maintain my garden - Alhamdulillah, I have huge garden with biodiversity. I want to start making compose to be environment friendly. All these while my gardener always burn the thrash and garden derivatives. Open fire is not good for environment, I know that!
6. Relax and take vacations - Insha’Allah, this year I want to go to Beijing to eyewitness and experience one of the seven wonders of earth, the Great Wall of China. I will also attend my daughter's convocation at University of Sydney in April, 2013. Yes, my daughter has graduated with High Distinction in B.Sc. Architecture. I am very proud of her. She is smart and has always been working hard. Congratulation dear. I pray to Allah, so that my daughter will maintain her excellence in Masters of Architecture programme at the same university. Good luck dear.
7. Read more - I already have vast collections of books in my home library. I will continue reading books that I have not read or have just read half way through.
8. Do volunteer work - I will start volunteer work at my sons' school, Sekolah Kebangsaan Islah, Kota Bharu and my daughter's school, Sekolah Menengah Sains Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra, Kota Bharu. I will see the headmasters soon to discuss about volunteer works that they require.

So, life doesn't stop when you retire. It is a wonderful time to start anew. I hope it will give me opportunity to learn, grow, achieve new successes, start new adventures, and meet new friends. It is the beginning of a brand new life filled with wonder, empowerment, and freedom.