Resolve

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Every action starts with enthusiasm (i.e. “Shirrah”: excitement, enthusiasm, keenness, energy, fervor, zeal, a spiritual high) and then the enthusiasm wanes." 

He then goes on to give us the solution: “So anyone whose enthusiasm wanes but (remains within the limits of) my Sunnah will be successful, but anyone whose enthusiasm wanes and drifts away to something else, will be doomed.”

Spent most part of the day in a lecture and the above struck me - how our iman rise and fall. I dislike how some days I feel motivated and some days I do not. I dislike how some days I feel distracted. I've been thinking over it this past couple of hours and figured if I wrote this down, it would somehow be etched in my mind like a permanent reminder.

Dear me,

1. Stay away from television, the smart phone, YouTube, Facebook and the likes. Try.

It distracts. It takes you on a ride through Belgium, Brussels, Istanbul and you get nothing much from it. Hours go by, a movie follows another and another (MioTV had some free movie channels over the festive period), and you're in loss. Granted you were on off from work, but still. Read a book. Take a walk. Exercise.

2.  Clear your mental list.

There's a list of things to do in that mind of yours like doing a summary sheet for the past 6 sessions of Arabiq, or the report for December, packing your luggage, doing research on the history of the places you'll be visiting. Or read up more on strutting work processes. Or excavation sequence.

3. Memorize Juz Amma

You had set yourself a target but didnt really work towards it. Cultivate discipline within yourself. "Distract" yourself by memorizing/reading.

4. Make dua

Make lots of dua. Pray for patience. Pray for His guidance when you're feeling distracted or lost. Or when you can't seem to do anything fruitful.