LESSON OF THE DAY 480

Ayah of the Day:
And it will be said to those who were conscientious, "What did your Lord send down?" They will say, "Good." For those who have done good in this world there is good. And the home of the hereafter is even better still. How excellent is the home of the conscientious. [16: 30]

Hadith of the Day:
Verily, the best of all good-doing is for one to do good to those who were beloved by his father. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
It is Jihad which lays down the last brick of iman. [Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Turn your melodrama into a mellow-drama. In a certain respect, this strategy is just another way of saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff." Many people live life as if life were a melodrama--"an extravagantly theatrical play in which action and plot predominate." In dramatic fashion, we blow things out of proportion, and make a big deal out of little things. We forget that life isn't as bad as we're making it out to be. We also forget that when we're blowing things out of proportion, we are the one's doing the blowing.

I've found that simply reminding myself that life doesn't have to be a soap opera is a powerful method of calming down. Almost always, this takes the edge off my seriousness and helps me laugh at myself. Often, this simple reminder enables me to change the channel to a more peaceful station. My melodrama is transformed into a "mellow-drama."

If you ever watched a soap opera, you've seen how the characters will take little things so seriously as to ruin their lives over them--someone says something to offend them, looks at them wrong. Their response is usually, "Oh my gosh. How could this happen to me?" Then they exacerbate the problem by talking to others about "how awful it is." They turn life into an emergency--a melodrama. The next time you feel stressed out, experiment this strategy--remind yourself that life isn't an emergency and turn your melodrama into a mellow-drama. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]

Food for Thought:
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.