EP 8: 7 Habits of the Highly Effective Muslim (feat. Hamza Fletcher)

The Deenspiration Podcast

It’s not every day that you get someone to beatbox your intro theme song on a podcast show, but hey, that’s only one of the reasons why you should listen to today’s episode!

In Episode 8 of the Deenspiration podcast show, Usman is joined by the wonderful Hamza Fletcher who shares somes highlights from his popular ‘7 Habits of the Highly Effective Muslim’ workshop which he has delivered across the UK.

This episode is full of take-home gems and practical tips for kick-starting our own journey of self development, both spiritually and materialistically. Some of the gems from the show have been highlighted below as ‘tweetables’ – simply click to tweet them on your page. Go on, try it on this one below:

“The only way we can change is THROUGH Allah, and the only reason we should change is FOR Allah.â€

Click to tweet this gem

What you’ll learn

Below are some (edited) notes from Hamza – those he uses during his presentations. You’ll find some gems in here that may not have been highlighted in the episode. However, be sure to listen to the full show for a much more in depth explanation as there will also be points mentioned in there that haven’t been noted in these show notes. (Oh, and you’ll get to hear Hamza beatboxing!).

• Everything starts with intentions. May Allah make us sincere, Ameen. Ask yourself: “Am I speaking for my EGO to be manifested, or for the truth to be manifested?”
• Everyone talks problems. But lets talk solutions. BECOME the soluition. We’re part of this ummah just like anyone else. You may not be able to control other people, but you CAN control YOU. How You and I conduct ourselves will shape the world to come, even if but a small amount.However – Outcome is with Allah , Efforts are with ourselves.

Outcome is with Allah , Efforts are with ourselves

Click to tweet this gem

• Allah (swt) asks us, “Fa Ayna tathh haboon?†– Where are you going?  [81:26]

What are your dreams? Do you have goals?

Almost all of our thinking is controlled by the questions we ask ourselves.

We start by asking ourselves: ‘Where do I want to be in 5 years time? Or even 1 year?’

Some people don’t like this question and respond with:

“Don’t ask me! I’m spontaneous, I don’t like schedules or rigid plans..â€

Practical step 1:

• Take time out, away from all. Hit pen to paper / Keyboard to Laptop
• Regardless of feasibile etc. Splash onto page ALL your goals, dreams, desires.
• Cannot stress this enough. It’s perfectly fine that these will evolve over time.
• Once you have a lot on your paper. Pick from that list and then make it very clear what you want and by when. Again, CLARITY!
• Put deadlines on yourself.

People are often so worried about not knowing exactly what to do, and this can prevent them from getting started. Or often times they want to do it perfectly, that they never actually get on with it. Remember – Experience is your best teacher! Get stuck in, take massive action, make mistakes and Learn, Learn, Grow!!

Bad example of Goal:

“I want to make moneyâ€

Good example of goal

“I intend to make £1000 in exactly 1 months timeâ€

Practical step 2 – ‘Chunking’ Take a huge task and break it down. This turns into small daily victories, which then creates strong momentum.

IF that doesn’t work , break it down even more.

A beautiful piece of Advice given to me by Ustadh Adam Kelwick, Liverpool.

“If you wish to gain a particular quality in life, then find someone who has that quality and spend time with them†Find people who are driven and It’ll rub off on you. “Who you spend time with, is who you becomeâ€

Another Question to ask yourself:

Why do you want that goal?

When you ask that question and dig deep, you get interesting answers.. To be liked? To be happy? To feel good? You’ll find a lot boils down to achieving a certian Emotion. Example: The Wifi at home has broken. You could fix it yourself, but you cannot be bothered. However, because of the greater wellbeing of the family, for their satisfaction and happiness, you fixed the Wifi. You had a greater WHY, and your emotional connection to your family’s happiness pushed you to achieve that goal.

Find a reason that’s GREATER than yourself. You’ll move mountains, metaphorically. Make this reason fun, exciting, creative! Something that’ll drive you and motivate you to the core.

When you do it for others, you can save lives, raise money, educate, and many others great things.

Most important, attach this goal to ultimately pleasing Allah. Â (this also makes sure the goal is halal!)

Tip: Be around people who have the same types of intentions. This will empower you further.

Intentions

When you intentions are pure, our efforts will be filled with Barakah. With barakah, we get MORE done and achieve amazing things.

Example: Eating

We can eat to simply enjoy the taste. And this is permissible. Or we can eat with the intention of nourishing ourself so that we can work more and earn a halal living, repair our bodies, worship better and longer, etc. This intention has already quadroopled!

Practical tip 3 – constantly FEED your mind Listen to podcasts, read books, watch educational/instructional videos. Always be learning.

A strong psychology will pull you through when the mechanics/logistics are frustrating or boring.

You might ask:

‘But Why? I like chilling all day, watching TV, playing games, going out with friends and eating good food!’By pushing the boundaries, we reach heightened experiences and find more opportunities. We can GIVE more in life, and BE more in life when we push ourselves.

Note: chilling and enjoying ourselves is fine, but it’s about the balance. When we have our priorities sorted, and are working hard, then chilling has its purpose! Leisure time is also enjoyed a lot more when it’s followed by a marathon of working REALLY hard!

Progress equals happiness.

Once you start tasting the fruits of your efforts, and cross that border of what you thought you couldn’t achieve, your brain says “YEAH! … Now what else can I do?†#SnowballEffect

Even if the effort may seem small, just do it! Small progress is still progress.

“Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actionsâ€

Click to tweet this gem

When you’ve got some clarity, have set the deadlines, have learned the process of chunking big tasks into smaller ones, get around good company, and have built compelling reasons for your goals, then:

• It’s time to make that decision and take massive action. (Cut off from all other options, commit to something with massive action)
• Commit to mastery, to give up this idea of just “Trying somethingâ€

It’s not our conditions that shape our destiny, but our decisions.

Final notes & Summary from Hamza

I’d like to make one thing clear. The quality of your life is the quality of where you live emotionally

We all have a home.

Angry people find a way to be angry, even when life has nothing to be angry about. They always find it.

Sad people find a way to be sad.

Caring people find a way to care for other people.

So one thing you’ve got to identify is: where are you living? What’s your home? What’s your habit?

How to change that?

Step 1 is  to feed your mind. We all know the phrase “You are what you eat†Well, it’s the same for the mind.

One of my teachers taught me: “every day stand guard of the door of your mind and feed it something goodâ€

Feed your mind every day for 30 minutes, hearing / reading something. Something strong and nutritious for your mind.

Step 2 – You’ve got to strengthen that body of yours!

Fear is physical, and so is stagnation, numbness, sadness and rage. When you go out and change your body by intense workout, a run, or even an intense walk, and the blood is flowing through you, science has shown that this instantly changes your biochemistry. Now your mind and body are working together.

Step 3 – Look at so many of the most influential people: they found a mission that is greater than themselves. Something they wanted to aspire to, that matters more than their own pain.

Step 4 – You’ve got to find a role model. Almost everybody finds a role model that makes things real for them. For example: there is a lady called Sara Blakely – the youngest billionaire. When women meet her, they don’t just love her billionaire product. They love this woman because she is a role model and show’s what’s possible.

If you get a role model, it becomes real to you. If you make a goal, get a plan, then take massive action.

Step 5 – Understand that there’s always someone worse off than you are – I don’t care what you’ve done. If you can go help somebody worse off, it puts your life in perspective and also remind you that life’s not about ‘me’, it’s about ‘we’.

I always tell people that the secret to a great life, the secret to living is GIVING!

Even if you’ve lost your legs, even if you’ve been through a horrific financial situation, your life can improve, and more importantly, you have a more meaningful life because your life will contribute to the well-being of other people.

Hamza Fletcher

Red Oak Media

For more info or booking to deliver seminar/workshop, contact me on:Â [e-mail] ,

I want to help the Muslims in every way I can, InshaAllah!

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The post EP 8: 7 Habits of the Highly Effective Muslim (feat. Hamza Fletcher) appeared first on Deenspiration.