Dear friends,

Surely when you google this line “101 ways to increase . . .  example business, sales, friendship..etc” you will get hundreds of blog or website discussing about those topics. The search engine will advise more than 7 millions topic to go with this but when we change the topic to the deen of Islam suddenly the figure drop tremendously to merely few thousands only.  DO an experiment yourselves with this two sentences.

1. 101 ways to increase our business, and then

2. 101 ways to increase our Iman

You will see the result very obvious. Why? Because not many people are talking or discussing about the deen or to be specific about the topic Iman (Faith). This is the true picture about living in this world. Not pointing to any races or religions people are more incline to talk about worldly things rather than the hereafter topic. All people knew that living in this world is very short when compared to living in the hereafter but we all seems to think that we going to live here in this ageing world forever!

So why not today, we share a topic on this Iman. Shall we? If you say no, I am going to tell it all here anyway!

Before we could discuss how to increase our Iman, we should see our Iman weaknesses.

Signs of weak Iman or Faith:

• Committing sins and not feeling any guilt.
• Having a hard heart and no desire to read the Quran.
• Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for salat
• Neglecting the Sunnah.
• Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and bothered and irritated most of the time.
• Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Quran, for example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad tidings.
• Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making zikir.
• Not feeling bad when things are done against the Syariah.
• Desiring status and wealth.
• Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth.
• Ordering others to do good deeds when not practising them ourselves.
• Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others.
• Being concerned with whether something is haram or halal only; and not avoiding makruh (not recommended) things.
• Making fun of people who do simple good deeds, like cleaning the mosque.
• Not feeling concerned about the situation of Muslims.
• Not feeling the responsibility to do something to promote Islam.
• Liking to argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof.
• Becoming engrossed and very involved with dunia, worldly things, i.e. feeling bad only when losing something in terms of material wealth.
• Becoming engrossed and obsessive about ourselves.

So now how to increase our Iman?

• 1. Pray in the last third of the night.
• 2. Go to Fajar and Iysa’ in congregation the least but most preferred all five time salah.
• 3. Say Azkar in the morning and evening.
• 4. Remember Death often.
• 5. Contemplate over the creation of Allah and how vast and beautiful his creation is.
• 7. Remember the purpose of life
• 8. Fast Voluntarily
• 9. Pray as if it is your last prayer
• 10. Read Quran
• 11. Gladden the heart of sad ones.
• 12. Visit the ill ones.
• 13. Pray to Allah with full faith
• 14 : Realize the effects of sins and disobedience
• 15: Make dua, realize that we need Allah.
• 16: Be humble
• 17: Remember the different levels of akhirah, for instance when we are put in our graves, when we are judged, whether we will be in paradise or hell
• 18: We must fear the miserable end to our lives; the remembrance of death is the destroyer of pleasures
• 19: Make wudu’ properly according to sunnah.
• 20: Know the meanings behind Allah’s names and attributes
• 21: Realize the greatness of Allah
• 22: To get optimum benefit, remind yourself that Allah is speaking to you through the Holy Qur’an
• 23: There shall be no sin unto those who believe and do good deeds for what they may have eaten (in the past); so be mindful of your duty (to Allah) and do good deeds and again be mindful of your duty and believe and once again, be mindful of your duty and do good deeds. Allah loves the good! (Surat al-Maidah 5:93)
• 24: Remember the vastness of Allahs mercy, compassion, and love

If you more kindly share with me here so that we could reach the target of the topic 101 ways to increase our Iman.

Keep sharing.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Are you a dreamer or are you a worker? No matter what or who you are, you need to make it in 2010!

In today’s challenging world it is vital to have energy, enthusiasm, and optimism in all areas of your life. The ‘Positive Thinking’ attitude will transform your approach to living, so you can feel good about yourself, create worthwhile relationships and perform in business more successfully. A solid foundation of positivity will help you get the best from life and from your work life balance.

With 2009 coming to a close, it’s important to get an idea of what you’ll need in 2010 for your business to stand out, and for your income to be higher and more stable than ever before.

Of course, you may want to forget 2009 as fast as possible. After all, if you came up well short of your expectations, you may want to put the last year in a paper sack and burn it.

But, as they say – those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it and it’s essential that we pay attention.

2009 has remind me of the followings:

1. Businesses that succeeded in 2009 were based on trust, longevity, and personal branding.
2. Businesses that succeeded in 2009 provided real solutions to real problems.
3. Cheating is not a viable strategy. Corporate fat-cats, politicians, athletes, celebrities made the headlines because of back-room shenanigans and bedroom infidelities. They were caught and their reputations are forever tarnished.
4. Simplicity rules. Stay put to what you know best and make a simple possible product.
5. Repeat customers are your gold mine. Too many businesses in 2009 went after the quick score. They focused on up-front riches at the expense of their relationships and customer service. Those that weathered the storms of 2009 did so because they over-delivered on what they sold, and repeat customers are eager to buy from them again.

Here are 3 things that I believe you need to WIN BIG in Life and Business and Be Successful in 2010

1. Treat People Right. You have got to treat people right. You have got to LOVE people. You have got to CARE about them. You got to be willing to get burnt once in a while so that you can show people how GREAT they really are. Everyone wants to be SOMEBODY. Everyone wants to know that they are IMPORTANT. Everyone wants to know that they are VALUABLE. Everyone wants to be APPRECIATED. When you choose to speak a person’s GREATNESS INTO THEM. When you choose to show someone just how IMPORTANT THEY ARE, you just became the miracle that they are looking for.
2. Have The Heart of a Champion. You have got to have the heart of a champion. The desire and will to win is EVERYTHING. You have got to get FIRED UP and STAY FIRED UP. You are here to make a difference with your life. You have got to be willing to pay the price and a little bit more that success demands of you to win. You have got to be mentally tough and you can never…ever quit. QUITTERS NEVER WIN and WINNERS NEVER QUIT.
3. Get Totally Committed. You must be totally committed to what you are all about. You can’t just try something out to see if it works for you. You can’t become successful by dipping your big toe in the water to see if the temperature is just right. It’s all or nothing. JUMP IN and SWIM. You have got to be committed to doing whatever it takes to get the job done. Commitment gives you the courage you need to fight back..to motivate yourself when things get tough. And trust me….things will get tough. Things will not always work out the way that you want them to. Commitment gives you the strength you need to pick yourself up for the 8th time right after you have fallen flat on your butt 7 times. It gives you the strength to talk to one more person after 100 have said NO to you. It gives you the strength to learn the skills that you need to master a new piece of technology. Commitment gives you confidence…it strengthens your faith in yourself and what you are doing.

I would love to hear your thoughts on what you believe it takes to be successful in both life and business. I am sure that everyone has a suggestion or two about what they think are the most powerful attributes of success. So, take a minute to comment and share with everyone else !! I am grateful for all of your feedback !! Have a great day and wish you all the best for 2010!

Popularity: 6% [?]

This morning while at home, I am tuned to CNN news network just to catch on the morning news update. Then one interesting news apart from the US Presidential debate thing, the news about boosting one’s brain power with the internet creates a jump start of my day today.

As the news said Internet use ‘good for the brain’, I quickly search the internet on this keywords and found this interesting article.

The report says “For middle aged and older people at least, using the internet helps boost brain power, research suggests. A University of California Los Angeles team found searching the web stimulates centres in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning.”

This really an interesting research. Read the full article here, Internet use ‘good for the brain’

So guys, let’s get busy with the Internet today and I think that is the reason why I am being 42 and goin’ to be 43 in January, are still active and feel like a youth. That is why I am encouraging you to say something at YouthSays …hahahaha! I am maybe old but I am young at heart . . . .

• UCLA study finds that searching the Internet increases brain function

Popularity: 1% [?]

Guys, I know that you have just come back from the perfect holiday. It’s been two weeks of sun, sea, sand and pure relaxation. It’s your first day back at work and you are staring at the pile of work on your desk and the countless emails in your inbox. Your colleagues are hounding you for decisions on upcoming projects. You end up feeling more stressed and exhausted than ever. You need another break! (wow so fast). Hahaha! looks like I know what you did last two weeks!! How do I know? I look into my magic bowl (hahaha!)

Sound familiar huh! How then do you prevent this from happening again?

Some tips on how to overcome this.

1. Prepare early – Schedule your vacation during slower periods at work. Discuss the workload with your colleagues early so that the workload before and after vacation are manageable.
2. Communication – at least while on vacation, please do check your emails and communicate with your colleagues for any urgent and upcoming matters. At times do entertain SMS from your office for a really urgent matters. If you are holding a managerial post this is important to show that you are responsible person.
3. Right mindset – You must anticipate the unbelievables if any so that you do not have a breakdown. Deal with things in order of importance and urgency and leave the rest till later. Multitasking in these situations is essential. Do not schedule for any appointment when you are coming back to work.
4. Lastly -Do not drink coffee at this period of time! Why? Caffeine is a stimulant and could increase work performance, but it could also increase anxiety. Many of us believe that coffee will help us manage stress but too much caffeine can cause a dependence where you feel you need caffeine to have enough energy to function, and when the caffeine wears off, you’re even more tired and need more. Four or more cups of coffee can put you at risk of developing a physical dependence that leads to withdrawal symptoms like headache and intense cravings if caffeine use is discontinued. How I know this? I have experience this and now I never take coffee anymore. Now I like Milo or Hot Chocolate!

Popularity: 1% [?]

It has been a week I have not write anything here. Sorry guys, my office work load is huge, the last one week. I am here again. Cheers! Hurrah!

In this hard time of the economy situation with fuel price hike, rice price skyrocketing, food shortage, we need to be composed. Am I right?

Sometimes, when all our doubts, fears and insecurities wrap ourselves up, we always come up with the idea of “I wish I was somebody else.” This is just an excuse. More often than not, we think and believe that someone or rather, most people are better than us.- when in reality, the fact is, most people are more scared than us. Believe me, they are in the same boat like us.

You spot a totally eye-catching girl sitting by herself at a party, casually sipping on a glass of juicy orange juice. You think to yourself, “she looks so perfectly calm and confident.” But if you could read through her naked mind, you would see a bunch of clouds of thoughts and you might just be amazed that she’s thinking “are people talking about why I am seated here alone?… Why don’t guys find me attractive? …I don’t like my ankles, they look too skinny… I wish I was as intelligent as my best friend.”

We look at a young business entrepreneur and say “Wooh… what else could he ask for?” He stares at himself at the mirror and murmur to himself, “I hate my big eyes… I wonder why my friends won’t talk to me… I hope mom and dad would still work things out.”

Isn’t it funny? We look at other people, envy them for looking so outrageously perfect and wish we could trade places with them, while they look at us and thinks of the same thing. We are insecure of other people who themselves are insecure of us. We suffer from low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence and lose hope in self improvement because we are enveloped in quiet desperation.

Sometimes, you notice that you have an irritating habit like biting off your finger nails, having a foul mouth, and you – of all people, is the last to know.

I have a friend who never gets tired of talking. And in most conversations, he is the only one who seems to be interested in the things he has to say. So all of our other friends tend to avoid the circles whenever he’s around, and he doesn’t notices how badly he became socially handicapped – gradually affecting the people in his environment.

One key to self improvement is to LISTEN and TALK to a trusted friend. Find someone who you find comfort in opening up with even the most gentle topics you want to discuss. Ask questions like “do you think I am ill-mannered?”, “Do I always sound so argumentative?”, “Do I talk too loud?”, “Does my breath smell?”, “Do I ever bore you when we are together?”. In this way, the other person will obviously know that you are interested in the process of self improvement. Lend him your ears for comments and criticisms and don’t give him answers like “Don’t exaggerate! That’s just the way I am!” Open up your mind and heart as well. And in return, you may want to help your friend with constructive criticism that will also help him improve himself.

One of Whitney Houston’s songs says “Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.” True enough. In order to love others, you must love yourself too. Remember, you cannot give what you do not have.

Before telling other people some ways on how to improve themselves, let them see that you yourself is a representation and a product of self improvement. Self improvement makes us better people, we then inspire other people, and then the rest of the world will follow.

Stop thinking of yourselves as second-rate beings. Forget the repetitive thought of “If only I was richer… if only I was thinner” and so on. Accepting your true self is the first step to self improvement. We need to stop comparing ourselves to others only to find out at the end that we’ve got 10 more reasons to envy them. Remember, God has created every human being fairly. There is no difference each of us in the eyes of the God.

We all have our insecurities. Nobody is perfect. We always wish we had better things, better features, better body parts, etc. But life need not to be perfect for people to be happy about themselves. Self improvement and loving yourself is not a matter of shouting to the whole world that you are perfect and you are the best. It’s the virtue of acceptance and contentment. When we begin to improve ourselves, we then begin to feel contented and happy.

Popularity: 1% [?]