After the defeat of Islamic party in the Battle of Uhad in 625 C.E., the companions of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) were scattered owing to discontentment. Some people were confused to see the dark days of Muslims in Madinah. This situation was created by Munafiqeen (hypocrites) and the Jews. The Jews of Banu Nazeer, in utter violation of their agreement with the Muslims, sent a group of 50 people to Makkah in order to help defeat Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) and his companions.
But Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) was adamant and completely satisfied with the development. Ignoring the conspiracy of Jews, he concentrated His attention on the character building of his companions. He strategically posted some of his companions at different locations outside Madinah to observe the situation. Banu Nazeer was exiled by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and no one at that moment came forward to help Banu Nazeer.
This short story reveals that determination is essential for a successful life. It develops in the process of self development. This is possible only when a person values himself. Some people feel that life is full of troubles and as such they always remain in trouble. The life of a great leader reminds that when you get up in the morning, say to yourself, “I believe in Allah and myself. I have the ability to discharge the work which has been assigned to me today.”
Some points are very important to be adhered to in life if self development is to be achieved:
1) Time Management: Time is more precious than money. Time is priceless jewellery. Time is the biggest gift of Allah Almighty. The people, who use this priceless gift systematically, are indeed successful persons. The people, who use this gift, without any purpose, ignoring its importance, are like beggars who have no direction.
Checklist: Make a check-list of the day. All the work of the whole day must be in the written form. And fix the time to discharge the respective work. This idea will give you satisfaction and accuracy and you will be able to discharge your duties efficiently by utilising your time at the maximum.
Prioritise: Prioritise your work / tasks. The key here is to remain focused on important work / tasks; and small tasks also must be done to prevent overlooking anything. One of the best ways to prioritise is to create a “to-do” list and prioritise them (all work / tasks) in order of importance. Keep the list realistic.
Do not waste time: The planning of the day should be clear. When you do not fully understand the purpose of your role, a lot of time is spent questioning. This can result in tasks being done incorrectly, which wastes time. You will work more efficiently if you understand the importance of the task and your role in it.
Reward Yourself: The first thing you need to do is decide your goal on day-to-day basis. Suppose your goal of today is to reach the office in time and you have successfully completed your goal. You must try to reward yourself in any form. You can reward yourself by taking special tea. This idea gives you positive impression which will be beneficial in the long run. It will become a habit throughout the life and ultimately success will come without any hindrance.
2) Positive Attitude: In 615 C.E. when Umar was going to meet Prophet Muhammad (May Allah bless and greet him), the latter’s companions told the Prophet. “O Prophet of Allah, Umar is coming angrily.” Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) said, “Let him come in. If he would come with good intention, he will be welcomed. And if he would come with bad intention, he will be prosecuted with his own sword.” The first sentence is positive. See positive, think positive, act positive, learn positive, do positive, search positive, talk positive, and you will automatically be positive.
3) Low Profile: The life of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) reminds that he used to prefer low profile throughout his life. Simplicity is a must in life. Low profile helps to eliminate EGO. People try to maintain status and dignity on their own. Most of the people in Delhi have purchased luxurious cars with the help of Banks. Allah Almighty says that status and dignity is in His hand.
4) Vision: A successful person makes a plan of the day, of the week, of the month, of the year so that he can achieve the goal / target within specific period of time. Short term plan (one week plan) and long term plan (one year plan, one year plan, and five years plan, etc.). Make a list of achievements and positive factors of the past week. Similarly, prepare a checklist of the next week. Prioritise the checklist by dividing to-do and not-to-do list and also fix the goal to be achieved in the next week. Split the days into work days, family day, plan day, personal day, friend day and so on.
Weeks
Contents
Days
Past week
Achievements
Work days- Mon to Friday
“
Positive factors
Family day – Sat 1st half
Next week
Checklist
Plan day – Sat 2nd half
“
To-do list
Personal day – Sun 1st half
“
Not-to-do list
Friend day – Sun 2nd half
“
Goal
5) SWOT Analysis: Try to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in your life. Prepare a table and write them correctly. This will help you identify your core values. One such example is in the following format.
Strength
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Honesty
Discontentment
Personal relationship
Loans