LESSON OF THE DAY 491

Ayahs of the Day:
Whatever blessings you have is from God; and when adversity touches you, it is to God that you groan. But then when God removes the adversity from you, some of you attribute partners to their Lord. [15: 53,54]

Hadith of the Day:
Procrastination in repaying debts by a wealthy person is oppression. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
O son of Adam! When you see God following you with blessings even though you are disobedient, watch out! [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Acknowledge the totality of your being. We deny the parts of ourselves that we deem unacceptable rather than accepting the fact that we're less than perfect. One of the reason it's important to accept all parts of yourself is that it allows you to be easier on yourself, more compassionate. When you act or feel insecure, rather than pretending to be "together," you can open to the truth and say to yourself, "I'm feeling frightened and that's okay." If you're feeling a little jealous, greedy, or angry, rather than deny or bury your feelings, you can open to them, which helps you move through them quickly and grow beyond them.

When you no longer think of your negative feelings as a big deal, or as something to fear, you'll no longer be as frightened by them. When you open to the totality of your being you no longer have to pretend that your life is perfect, or even hope that it will be, Instead you can accept yourself as you are, right now.

When you acknowledge the less than perfect parts of yourself, something magical begins to happen. Along with the negative, you'll begin to notice the positive, the wonderful aspects of yourself that you may not have given yourself credit for, or perhaps been aware of. You'll notice that while you may, at times, act with self interest in mind, at other times you are incredibly selfless. Sometimes you may act insecure or frightened, but most often you are courageous. While you can certainly be uptight, you can also be quite relaxed. When the negative characteristics arise you can begin to recognize them as part of a bigger picture. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]

Food for Thought:
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There's only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen.