LESSON OF THE DAY 1261

Ayahs of the Day:
Read, in the name of your Lord, who created: created man of clotted blood. Read, for your Lord is most generous, the one who taught the use of the pen, taught man what he did not know. Man does indeed go to excess in viewing himself as self-sufficient; for all returns to your Lord. [96: 1 to 8]

Hadith of the Day:
Allah hates the obscene and wasteful. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
If the belief is truly in the heart, the deeds will not delay in following it whatsoever. The complete recognition of Allah and proper love cannot be in the heart if it does not have an over riding effect on the outward deeds. [Ibn Taymiyyah]

Guidance of the Day:
Become less easily bothered. The way to become less easily bothered is to make it a priority. Observe your own reactions to life. Take note of how uptight you can be and how reactive you are to the events and people around you. When you have done so, make a commitment to becoming less bothered, especially by little things.

As you move through your day, see if you can catch yourself being annoyed or bothered. Make a game out of it. As you find yourself getting uptight over some little thing, say something to yourself like "Whoops, there I go again." Make light of it. You will notice that most of your (over) reactions are unconscious, meaning you probably aren't even aware of how uptight you have become. By consciously paying attention to your own thinking and reactions, you bring them to the surface and enable yourself to change.

Most of our reactions to life are nothing more than habits, learned behavior. If we practice being rigid and uptight, that's what we'll become. However the reverse is equally true. If you can combine a little humility with the ability to catch yourself and your own reactions, and you have the determination to change, you will certainly be able to do so. Give it a try. By becoming less reactive and agitated, you'll become a happier person and you'll have a lot more fun too. One more thing: Every important person in your life will notice your positive change and will appreciate it a great deal. [Carlson, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff -- with your family]

Food for Thought:
The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative, and the second is disastrous.