“Be More & Achieve More!”

Hi,

In my previous blog where I presented the first half of the “The Kneeling” (Chapter 45), there were some really amazing verses in connection to how God’s purpose is to care for us all. The sea (verse 13) was only one example of God’s cherishing care in making all things in nature available for the use of man, through the genius and faculties which He has given to man. We (mankind), should never forget that it is all from “as from Him”, i.e. from God. For man is God’s trustee on earth and we are here to interact with all things in a manner prescribed by Him, The Master of the Universe.

This is why we have God’s Law’s: as instruments to protect all that is good and sacred, and to deter from all that is harmful and excess. To re-iterate, God’s Laws are here for the “attainment of benefit (arabic: maslaha) and prevention of harm (mafsada)”.  This means everything related to PLEASURE & HAPPINESS and what leads to them, and everything related to PAIN & SADNESS and what causes them.

We know that most of human behaviour is determined by one of these two elements: acquiring pleasure, and deflecting pain. These motivational poles are intrinsically built into the nature of man - its hard-wired in - so that sub-consciously we are all operating by, and between, these two psychological sides.

Such an inherent Reward / Punishment scheme has been given to us a part of our faculties by our Creator. This is why He, the Great and Wise, refers to those who do good as being eternally rewarded and those who sin, or commit evil, as being eternally punished. Its really feeding the same psychological centres that we operate in at the temporal realm where we want to increase GAIN and reduce LOSS.

But our real test comes from realising this Goal of the Creator and to not cave-in to our base desires and live an unruly, rebellious life as a consequence where the greater disadvantage is against our own self, person and soul. The sinners, or those wrong their own souls, think that they are gaining advantage, or pleasure and happiness, by submitting to fleeting, instant gratifications, but in reality they are only serving-up harm against themselves. The good-doers, who obey God’s commands, are living by higher standards of prayer, charity and selfless service and although they may face hardship along the way, these are minor aspects in the grand scheme of things where they will attain peace, satisfaction and immense rewards due to their purified souls. And in this life too, they will live healthily, garner prosperous relationships, have peace of mind, and a serenity in the heart accompanied with real contentment that can only come from above, despite the material comforts that may be afforded to them.

Adhering to the commandments of God (Do’s) & abstaining from His prohibition (Don’t) is the real test and this is where man’s free will, or freedom of choice, is exercised. In all things prescribed (do) and prohibited (don’t) there is CHOICE. In all other matters and things, Pre-determination reigns.

We will pick-up on the concept of God’s Commands again and reflect on why people fail to follow them, such as nations who were previously blessed by God and they actively rebelled against him, falling into vice, confusion and folly.

For Success & Contentment,

Asad Khan

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Hi there,

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates, fellow entrepreneurs and innovators of Stanford University to pursue their dreams…

Sometimes life’s going to hit you in the head with a brick, don’t lose faith.

I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going is that I loved what I did. You got to find what you love - and that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work, is to love what you do. And if you haven’t found it yet, keep looking and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And as with any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.  So keep looking and don’t settle.

“If you live each day as if it were your last, some day you’ll most certainly be right!”

For the past 33 years I’ve looked in the mirror every morning and ask myself: “If today were the the last day of my life, would I do what I’m about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been ‘no’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon has been the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked, there is no reason not to follow your heart.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living by the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other opinions drown-out the noise of your inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

So I decided to start over. I didn’t see it then, but getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure of everything: it freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

“Stay hungry, stay foolish” I’d be happy for you to share your views on what you think this might mean…

And don’t forget to ‘connect the dots’ in your life. There’s a unique thread running in your life and you need to give yourself the honest space to see it for what it really is: a wonderful opportunity to:

• do what you love
• love what you do
• have faith and keep going
• innovate, be creative, fill a vacuum
• & don’t settle for anything less than your outstanding best

For Success & Contentment,

Asad Khan

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