“O Allah! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell, and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise. But if I worship You for Your Own sake, grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty.”
– Rabia Al Basri
That is one powerful quote.
When I pursued my passion in successful living and personal development, so many of the activities I did were out of fear.
– I would exercise out of fear of getting fat
– I would eat nutritious meals out of fear of getting diabetes or cholesterol
– I would desperately try to please people out of fear of losing their attention and being lonely
– I would beat myself up over a small mistake and ‘punish’ myself for it
– I would compete with other people over the slightest thing because of fear that I was not enough
These are all examples of how I operated my life. And soon enough I became miserable, strict and tired. In seeking the attention of others, I burnt myself out. In trying to prove to the world that I was successful, I became attention hungry. All this fear of losing out, not being recognized burdened my mind. My body became weak and I would fall ill very quickly. My happiness was dependant on others and thus I was always, some way or the other upset.
But now I operate from Love.
I choose love.
Self – Love.
I love myself enough to push myself even when I don’t feel like it. I love myself enough to leave people who don’t deserve my attention. I love myself enough to not care about what other people think. I love myself enough to give myself time and not get angry when it’s taking too long. Most importantly, I love myself enough to never feel inferior to another person – regardless if they have more education, wealth, beauty or status than me.
2 Responses
Slmz, this is an ongoing battle.How does one manage to actually learn to so this? it normally seems easier said then done.
Wa Aleikum Salam 🙂 That is a great question Sister Yumna. And yes it’s a daily,ongoing battle. And it does take time to get love as your default state. Begin by asking yourself ‘why am I doing this?’ Is it out of fear or love? The beauty is that you only have these two options. You can either act from fear or love – nothing else, so where are you coming from? Then ask ‘If I loved and honoured myself would I really do this?’And then act from a place of love. It’s about being aware of the small, daily actions you take. Something as small as not eating a chocolate bar because your body deserves so much better. Give it a try and do let me know how it goes. Hope that helps xxx