40Days to transform my life!

Feel like you are letting yourself down? Know you can do better but aren't sure how? Make great resolutions but don't follow through? Sounds just like me. Which is why I am resolving to commit 40Days to making a lasting difference to my life, insha Allah. This blog is the online home of my personal 40Day Challenge - you can join me or simply follow my progress (or lack of it!).

Sunday, April 03, 2011

The first of 40 days!

Bismillah

Too many things have occurred to me in these two days alone, subhanAllah! What with all the wonderful messages from sisters ready to make positive changes in their lives, learning about their 10 habits and how their first day went, I have been overwhelmed by the love and support sisters have displayed.

Alhamdulillah, my first 2 days went well. I drank my hot water with lemon in the morning, both days and worked out: 30 minuted on Day 1, 1.5 hours at the gym on Day 2. I can't tell you how much enjoyment and satisfaction I am getting out of working out and SWEATING these days! For the longest time, I kept putting it off, thinking that I don't have time, telling myself that I'm not that overweight anyway, so who cares? And of course the fact that only those in my private sphere will see me without my overgarment!

However, when I started taking my diet seriously (and by 'diet' I mean my food lifestyle), I realised that I was eating more than I needed to, eating too many of the things that I knew weren't good for me, and eating too often. And the results showed!

So I cut down on the amount of food I was eating and decided to eat mindfully - being aware of and careful about what I was putting into my body. And I started working out.

At first, it was hard to get the enythusiasm to work up a sweat but I was determined: for the sake of my health and for the sake of my looks. I won't lie: I want to look in the mirror and say 'Alhamdulillah' AND 'Masha Allah' because I am truly pleased by what I see. And I think many of us do - it's not about being a size 0, or looking like some air-brushed celebrity; it's about knowing that you have put the effort into looking the way you want to look, being fit, strong and healthy.

So, on the working out front, I am happy with my progress.

I am frustrated with my Qur'an reading though. I have always struggled with reading the Qur'an fluently in Arabic, with getting that flow while reading. Alhamdulillah, I always make progress in Ramadhan - but slip back afterwards.

My frustration with Surah Qaf (which isn't one of the hardest ones there) made me realise that I need to put more time into my Qur'an reading if I ever hope to finish it in Ramadhan. So I will be concentrating on that more, as well as reading with the kids and reviving the star chart. We had a busy weekend! (Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!)

More insha Allah later today. I noticed that many of you mentioned that you wanted to change the way you interact with your kids. I'll have a special treat for you tomorrow insha Allah: some profound advice from an amazing sister on how to mother without turning into a monster - and how to discipline without disrespecting. Watch this space!

May Allah bless us all with a pure intention and the best fruits of our actions, ameen.

Wasalaam

Na'ima

PS. If you'd like to follow my journey in 'real time', follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/naimabrobert)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In regards to Quran reading, I also found it difficult, obviously as reverts its not something we learnt as kids, but its important that you make time to improve, you must realize that you are not going to open the Quran and start reading fluently just because you want it, it takes time and effort. I'll give you some tips:

1) Join a halaqah -
Join a class where you can learn tajweed and read to the teacher and let them correct your mistakes, by doing this you will know what areas you need to work on, and knowing that you have to go to class will give you motivation to review your portion for the week.

2) If your husband or close friends know tajweed spend some time reading together to practise with someone else.

3) Read after fajr, so no matter how busy your day gets you have done some reading for the day

4) Think about your children
Many people want their kids to be hafidh of quran and they push them in order to achieve that or at least memorize some portion of the quran but when the children see that the parents don't put time into the learning the quran they will feel like why should i. You want to be an example for you family - and if they see you serious about the quran it will rub off on them

5) We often get so busy trying to do everything, challenge the misconceptions about islam and muslims, represent islam positivly to the society, have a career an active social life and a family but in all this we forget that are primary purpose is to be a slave, to serve Allah and part of this is having a relationship with the quran - we look like muslims, the best of muslims infact who are active and superwomen, but when it comes to the book of Allah our beloved we can't make time.

6) read portions you are not familar read in order to work on your free reading.

7) pray qiyaam ul layl - if you pray 8 raka with a juzz then you can revise your reading - there are opinions which say for non-fard prayer you can read from the mushaf.

8) make dua, remember that Allah is the one who gives us ability to do anything, so if you can be magizine editor, be a mother then you can be a righteous slave - just ask him.

9) remember the one who stuggles gets double the reward so don't lose hope, persevere and be patient.

10) set a goal to finish a khatam in a certain amount of time and stick to it.

All the best and I pray that Allah makes it easy for you.