Consistency

My issue is being consistent with fill in the blanks . If these are the sentences in your mind and you tell yourself that you have a hard time finding consistency with any task in your life , this podcast is for you . I am not consistent is a sentence in your mind that is all too real . I used to identify with all of these thoughts very closely .

I used not consistent is a sentence in your mind that is all too real . I used to identify with all of these thoughts very closely . I used to believe they were part of my identity . I was just not the type of person that can be consistent with the Quran on a daily basis .

I am not the kind of person that remembers to recite their supplications and du'as for travel or for bedtime . I can't do dhikr daily because I can't find time , and so on and so on . Can I tell you that with thought , work and thought work alone , I eliminated all of these sentences from my mind that I identified so closely with .

I used to think these thoughts were just innately me . That's who I was , and I was under the impression that I couldn't change that . So , after thought work , I currently no longer identify with any of these sentences . Not only my identity has changed , my habits have changed .

I'm able to be consistent with my prayers and Quran recitation , and I'm able to do them with concentration that I didn't imagine was possible for me , alhamdulillah , and I did that with thought work .

At this point , if you take an issue with me saying that I did it with thought work alone and I'm not mentioning the fact that nothing happens without Allah's will I can totally see your point , but I partly did it on purpose , because I want to show you a particular difference .

I believe from the bottom of my heart that nothing can happen without Allah's will , but I also believe that we have to take action . In this case , the action is thought work , meaning the action is just in your head .

So it is very easy to continue to identify as a person who can't seem to read Quran on a daily basis because you're waiting for divine intervention , because nothing happens without Allah's will right , but that renders you dependent on waiting for something from outside of you . We wait just for the right time .

We wait for when the kids will grow up , we wait for retirement , we wait for the weekend so we're off of work , or we wait for social support and look for cues from friends . If they're doing it , then I can do it . If they're not doing it and she's a stay-at-home mom , then I can never do it because I work full-time .

We become dependent on something from outside of us to just be right . Before we can start being consistent with the Quran , then we will know that it was Allah's will . That is actually what our lower brain will have us believing , but that is not how it works . Allah , subhanahu wa ta'ala , willed you to have a higher brain so you can take action .

Now there is nothing from outside of you that will come and jolt you into action . For some of us , some events do happen that we take as signs from God , but for most of us , we're waiting for something to come and hit us in the face so we can actually wake up and do something about our situation .

If that's the case , we might be waiting for a long time , and it's not because Allah didn't will it . He willed it when he gave you a prefrontal cortex . It's not because Allah didn't will it . He willed it when he gave you a prefrontal cortex . It's your action that counts . Now , what you do with that prefrontal cortex is entirely up to you .

So when I say that I changed my identity as a procrastinator of reading Quran , and I did it with my thoughts alone , I'm saying that I took action with my brain alone , and Allah's will was always there . I didn't wait for circumstances to be just right . Circumstances might never be just right . They are outside of your control .

So anytime is the right time to start becoming consistent , and since this episode will publish in Ramadan , inshallah , I will take reading Quran as an example . But the concept can be applied to any habit you are trying to create or any identity you are trying to change about yourself .

So , to become consistent with reading Qur'an daily , you have to work on your thoughts , because all thoughts lead to action . Consistency is action on repeat . If you are not consistent , then your thoughts are leading to inaction . Either way , it's originating from thoughts . The result we're trying to create here is reading the Quran on a daily basis .

It's the habit we're trying to form . That's the R line . The beauty of the formula CTFAR is that it can be started from any line . So write the habit down that you're trying to create in the R line and identify the thoughts that you need to be having to get that result .

Let me tell you , I don't have enough time is not a thought that will create that result . Not having enough time is a thought , it is not a fact . You have time to read Quran is also a thought , one that will serve you much better in this desired result .

Scientific writer Winifred Gallagher wrote in her book Wrapped , an idea about how paying attention to certain things changes our experience of life . She was diagnosed with a particularly advanced kind of cancer . She writes this disease wanted to monopolize my attention , but as much as was possible , I would focus on my life instead .

She means that how the cancer diagnosis was going to consume her life until she decided to pay more attention to what was good in her life . For her to pay more attention to what was good in her life For her it was movies , walks and time with her family .

So she selectively focused on what was good in her life in the face of an adverse circumstance a cancer diagnosis . Most of us will have our lives be consumed by something like that , but she chose to focus on thoughts that served her . She kept her thoughts in check . She kept her attention in check . Therefore , keeping her intention in check .

This is the method we apply to keep our thoughts in focus on things we want to achieve . Selectively . Focus on sentences in your mind that will serve your purpose .

I haven't been able to read the Quran daily , yet I am on this journey to be reading the Quran daily . I can be the person that reads the Quran daily . So step one is to keep your thoughts in check . Step two is to make goals measurable . How will you monitor your success ? Meaning if you have a goal of reading Quran on a daily basis for 30 minutes ?

That's where you'd ideally like to start and then , eventually , you'd like to add on it , meaning , either make it an hour and then either you want to really fix your pronunciation and the Jweed and read extra carefully so you make no mistakes , and you would also like to get to your goal of memorizing more Surahs so you can improve your Salah .

Of course , and don't forget about the Du'as that you always wanted to memorize from the Quran and , of course , the Arabic . I mean , you're not a native Arabic speaker and you must really learn some basic Arabic , just so it makes sense when you're reading the Quran , and on and on and on it goes . Stop it . I'm going to tell you to stop right there .

You want to read the Quran on a daily basis for 30 minutes . That's the goal . The rest is overwhelm that your lower brain is creating and that is keeping you from taking any action In this case . All other goals are noble and sincere , but they are all lower brain thoughts because they are leading to no results .

Those are all distractions that your lower brain is creating in order to keep you comfortable in your current habit and identity , which is not reading the Quran daily . I'm not saying that you have to let go of all of the rest of the goals forever .

I'm just saying that you have to ignore them , at least in the beginning , while you're trying to retrain your brain . And that is what a habit formation is . It is retraining your brain . John Doerr says in the book Measure what Matters . If we try to focus on everything , we focus on nothing .

So you narrow it down to just one goal of continuing to read for 30 minutes on a daily basis . That's it . Start with one measurable goal . You cannot sit randomly and start reading Quran . One day you might get 10 minutes , the next day you might get in 30 , and the next day you might have enough willpower to get in 45 minutes .

Each time you're not measuring and just relying on how much energy and fuel you have for that day , but for the fourth and fifth day that fuel will run out and you will fall off the wagon and you won't be able to continue . This will create more evidence for the thought that you can't be consistent .

So make the goal measurable , in this case , reading Quran for 30 minutes on a daily basis . The goal can also be getting in a workout for 30 minutes on a daily basis , or it could be spending time with your husband . Again , the goal can be anything .

Specify the details of the measurement quantity and frequency 30 minutes a day , or 5 ayahs a day , or I will create one painting a week . Well , I will work out for 20 minutes a day . When you are making it measurable , numbers are good .

The more you can specify how you will measure the progress , the higher your chance will be for success , because that serves as a reward for the lower brain to look forward to . So first step was to keep your thoughts in check and only focus on the ones that serve you . Second step is to make sure the goal is measurable .

Coming to the third step , which is to make sure the goal is measurable . Coming to the third step , which is to make the selected goal really small , like tiny , like super duper small , like really microscopic . Let me explain further in case you don't know what I mean by microscopic .

You selected your goal to be reading the Quran on a daily basis for 30 minutes , but instead of starting at 30 minutes , you're going to cut that time in half , meaning 15 minutes , and then you're going to cut that time even further in half , meaning seven and a half minutes .

And then you're going to cut that time even further in half , meaning I really set myself up to do math here . Like Phoebe from Friends would say that it's math , I can't even do . So . Half of seven and a half , let's just round it off to three minutes . You're going to start with three minutes on a daily basis . That's it .

That's all you're going to read in the beginning . At this point , your brain will create multiple objections , including this is not nearly enough time to reach a goal of finishing the Quran , or even a Juz , for that matter . With that goal , I can't finish reading the Quran for years .

Your brain will tell you , and to that , my friend , I'll say that we don't stay at three minutes a day for years and years . We just start there , and the reason for starting with such a small goal is because we're trying to trick our lower brain into creating a habit . See , our primordial brain is a creature of habit .

When we attempt to create a stretched out habit for reading for 30 minutes daily or working out daily or cooking a three-course meal every night for our family , it is very easy to slip into overwhelm and not start at all . Or if we do start , we will run out of energy and fuel in a few days and it's easy not to be consistent .

Start at 3 minutes a day and nothing more , no exceptions . You're going to want to do 5 , 10 or even 15 minutes once you actually sit down for the first time . But don't do it . Resist that temptation , because the next day your lower bin will say you tricked me last time . It's too much , I cannot handle this much change .

We don't have time for this and it will create overwhelm again and after three to four days You'll be back to square one . So it is very important for our primordial brains training that we spoon feed it tiny , tiny habits so it doesn't create overwhelm for us .

It's kind of like mashing up the peas and hiding it in the food for a toddler who doesn't want to eat peas . Your lower brain is the toddler and consistency and habits are the peas we're trying to feed it . So , coming back to the topic , do three minutes a day and not a minute more than that for at least the initial seven days .

Meaning , start with an intention , a sentence in your head , make wudu or the ritual purification and sit uninterrupted for three minutes . Set a timer for three minutes and get up as soon as three minutes are up . Do that on average for seven days or until you think it has become a habit . That is the way to trick your brain into consistency .

Again , we're not doing this with the expectation of finishing the Quran in 30 days . We are doing this to create consistency and a habit . Once you start to realize that every day around the same time you have a nudge from your brain to read for 3 minutes , you know that you have successfully created a habit .

You tricked your toddler brain of yours into liking peas . At that point you're allowed to add one minute per week to your timer . You can add more time more frequently , depending if you're able to hold on to that habit or not . There are no set rules about how many minutes to add .

The only key here is if at any point you feel like skipping a day , know that you have overdone it . At that point , dial down the amount of time and stay there until you're absolutely sure you're comfortable with being consistent .

So this part is highly variable from person to person and it might be that you're able to get to 30 minutes a day and then fall off the wagon , but it's never too late to revert back to 10 to 15 minutes a day and continue the pattern until the lower brain is absolutely locked in .

So , in the spirit of retraining your brain and you've been doing it for 30 minutes consistently for months and a period of time arises where you don't feel like doing it then instead of skipping the activity altogether , make the intention and wudu and sit for 3-5 minutes anyways , because this will teach your brain that when you set an intention , you mean business ,

and that is how you create an identity of someone who reads a Quran on a daily basis .

Using the same techniques , you can build on this goal , or go back to memorizing , perfecting your pronunciation and the jweed do the Quran with the seer or any other higher goal that you wanted to start with , and for a person to person , the timelines of reaching these goals will be highly variable . Don't compare yourself to others .

Stay on your own journey and be consistent . So I feel like I've given you a lot of secrets to becoming consistent with any goal . There is so much more that can be said on this topic , but this is a good place for us to start .

I'm creating a course that teaches all of these concepts , and I will add more concepts like willpower and how to overcome the gap created by women's monthly cycles and the importance of calendars in consistency . There will be worksheets and practical steps guide that will go into so much more detail .

Inshallah , I cannot provide all of that in this podcast , which is why I decided to create that course .

So the reason of me publishing this during Ramadan is that we can continue to make or improve on our habit for the rest of the year , because it's very common that people find themselves not carrying over the habit post-Ramadan because the willpower and the social momentum runs out .

So , inshallah , this podcast will help you create habits that will benefit you in this world and the next . If you think this podcast will help someone else , please share it and don't forget to leave me a review on iTunes . Inshallah , that will count as your charity deed and you can share the blessings that someone else gains from the tips in this podcast .

Because I'm very greedy when it comes to blessings . I want so many of them , so please share and leave reviews so I get the blessings as well . With that , I pray that Allah fulfills my intention of helping the listeners make productive habits and helping you become more consistent .

I also pray that whatever acts of charity we're engaging in , through money or otherwise , are rewarded many folds , especially in this blessed month of Ramadan , like Allah has promised . O Allah , I ask you to purify our intentions so we can make only habits out of the things that please you .

O Allah , subhanahu wa ta'ala , make our lives for the highest and the best purpose of gaining a place in Jannah . Ameen , ya Rabbul Aalameen , I will talk to you guys next time .