By Syed Haseeb
This is Planet Earth. (Well, sort of)
There were 7,657,723,823 Earthlings dwelling on this planet by the time this sentence was being written. As of December 2013, 4.3 babies are born each second. Now, that is a whole lot of people.
In this dog-eat-dog world, how do we come across on top? What makes a person like you or me successful? The simple answer is Habits.
Habits make or break us. It is the accumulation of our daily habits that craves our destiny – our life is our typical day in miniature. Show me your morning routine, and I’ll show you your future.
In fact, a solid morning routine can get us ready for an awesome day in which we can showcase our true potential.
Mornings are the time when our energy, focus, decision-making skills, and intelligence are at the prime, optimal level. That is why we should use this time to our avail, and not be a complete slouch in the morning.
“And do not send away those who call upon their Lord morning and afternoon, seeking His countenance…” [Surah Al-An ‘am, 52]
Here’s how you can super-charge your day by giving yourself a head-start in the morning:
1. Make your Bed, and Head for Fajr
Nip the laziness in the bud. Do your most difficult tasks at the dawn of the day. And what is more difficult than getting out of the warm bed and doing wudhu for Fajr? When you do that, you train your subconscious to equip your mind with all the armoury you need to win the day’s battle. Get up in the morning and make your bed. That way, you’ll automatically supercharge yourself for offering Fajr with full Khushoo’.
2. Eat like a King/Queen
Now that you’ve super-charged your subconscious with what lies up ahead, it’s time for a proper fuelling breakfast that keeps you energised throughout. Don’t skimp on breakfast; it is actually the most important meal of the day!
3. Move Your Muscles
The Spartan warriors used to say, “Sweat more in training, bleed less in war.” Your life is your battleground, and each day is a new battle. Grab your weights or your gym mat, or head out for a long run, feeling the sun and breeze on your face. Why? You release Dopamine: the neurotransmitter for inspiration; Serotonin (the happiness chemical) kicks in, and Cortisol – the fear hormone is kicked out.
4. Gear Up the Gratitude
Research has it that being grateful has gargantuan positive effects on your happiness. At whatever stage you are at, pondering over all the things you are grateful for helps your joy step up a gear.
Take out a piece of paper, and start journaling all the things you are grateful about. For instance, you could jot down:
I am thankful to Allah (SWT) that:
- I can walk
- I am healthy
- I can read and write.
- I have a lovely home
Trust me, you’ll have a wonderful day ahead of you if you do that.
5. Perfect Your Presence through Zikr
In the world of distractions that we live in, focus is more important than even intelligence. The marketplace values it far more. The more you are present in what you do, the more you are likely to dominate.
Islam has given us a perfect solution to this: in order to practice the art of presence, you will need to get into a habit of daily mindful sessions of Zikr. Find yourself a quiet place and sit there in solitude, focusing on your Adhkaar.
6. Set Aside Time for Learning
The typical human being reads one book a year, but the average CEO chops off three to four books a month!
Super producers really schedule dedicated time for learning and you should do it too – take out some time during your day. If you are finding it difficult to commit a specific time, remember, you can start small, and incrementally increase the time you dedicate to learning.
7. Glue Yourself to Your Goals
Without the right goal-setting procedures you are confusing movement with progress.
If you work your fingers to the bone without any aim in your head, you are just being busy ‘being busy’. Goal setting is the backbone of the pursuit of progress. When you start off your day, set some goals as to what you will be accomplishing during its duration. And then glue yourself to those goals like you mean it.
So, there you are, the tips and tweaks that will let you equip your day with all the bells and whistles you need to fire it up for maximum results. I strongly hope that this advice will turn out to be impactful. Best of duas, and go be great!
Awesome share! Jzk