Noises in My Life Journey

A friend shared with me yesterday about her feeling down with the current challenges she is facing in her career. Being in that state, she wondered whether she should put more focus in her personal life and just 'go through the motion' at work.

Going through the motion takes the joy out of your living and you may not be congruent with your true purpose.

The underlying self talk could be "Are all these efforts/ over coming challenges worth the while?".

I am wondering and it is a good thing to wonder.

I reflected on my life journey till now and they are colourful. There were moments of joy and there were moments of disappointment when I went through life challenges.

I believe that these challenges or occurrences in life makes me to be a better and clearer person.

The challenges are just noises in my life, distracting me away from my goals and true purpose. Some of these noises are required for me to build my inner strengths. For example in the areas where I need to be more focus and in setting my priorities.

I am sure there are more challenges ahead. "When there is a problem, there is an opportunity". My friend, Master Ken Chee, kept reminding me.

What I usually do is to read biography and find out what were the challenges great human beings in the past went through, their state of being and how they overcame the difficult situations. There are lessons and learnings everywhere. I relate their life journeys to the noises in my life now. I learn from them as much as possible and apply the lessons and principles accordingly.

I love reading the 'Sirah' or Prophetic Biographies of the Prophets. My favourites are Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. on how he patiently developed the people around him and expanded the Islamic Empire and Prophet Noah a.s. on how he persevered for 950 years in preaching Islam. I read the journey of the Khulafa ar Rasyidin too especially Syaidina Uthman Affan on his challenges over coming 'fitnah' (doing some thing to cause problems between two parties) in leading the Islamic Empire till his death.

I am sure you have your favourite biographies which helps keeping the noises under control and keep you strong in going through your life challenges, to be on track pursuing your life purpose.

Before you go into the mode of "resigned and cynical" with the noises, take a deep breath, go into solitude and ask yourself:

1. What are my goal(s) and true purpose?

2. How do I attract this challenge(s)?

3. How would this challenge help me to achieve my goal(s) and closer to my true purpose?

4. What resources do I need to go through this challenge?

5. What is the first step I can take to overcome this challenge?

I invite you to face the challenge, have faith, everything happen for a reason.

Wallahualam.

Ciao.

Izam