Being holed up in the hospital, those three weeks became a true blessing for me.With nothing to keep me company but some great books, my life literally changed forever. And, I am not exaggerating. It was during this time that I became acquainted with ‘You are what you think you are’.

A couple of years after this, I happened to come across a beautiful explanation of the famous hadith: ‘deeds are based on intentions’ (Bukhari and Muslim). This newfound knowledge sealed by belief in the words: ‘You are what you think you are’. It is a bit of a mouthful but from that point onwards, I have always strived hard to practice positive thinking. After all, I know that I am, what I think I am.

And I must say, Alhamdullilah, ever since I have started practicing this, my performance in everything I do has doubled. In fact, I have been positive about life, regardless of what happens around me and as a result, my confidence has gone up too.

However, life, as we know it, is not all that perfect. So, on the occasion where negativity takes over, I have noticed how badly it affects my levels of energy and how bad I feel. I find it hard to move forward.

But, those days of positive thinking are truly magical and I feel bad keeping this life-enhancing strategy all to myself. Especially as I have told you about the life-draining side effects of thinking negatively.

So,these are some important lessons I have learned from positive thinking:

1. Thinking positively is like charging your brain. You feel better and your energy level goes up rapidly. When you think negatively, your energy is sucked out and you aren’t capable of doing anything productively.
2. Your confidence level is very high. Therefore your can-do attitude doesn’t set limits to what you can do. I’ve personally never put any limitations to what I can do. Alhamdulillah.
3. Every failure is regarded as a testing ground. So, you learn why certain things don’t work out as you imagined it would. And next time you know how to make it better.
4. Nothing is impossible. Don’t think of what you can do – think of what Allah can do for you! Have the deep conviction that your du’as will be answered. Positive thinking helps you to think bigger and thus you end up asking Allah for things that are mostly impossible for human minds to grasp!

This is what I hope to convey in my post today, insha Allah. Quit thinking like a failure. As Muslims, we might be going through a super difficult position, but that is not really an excuse to think negatively.

So, listen up! We all know the story of our Beloved (PBUH) and his visit to Ta’if. He (PBUH) was pelted with stones, to the extent that his entire body was covered in cuts that were bleeding and his shoes were clogged to his feet.

When the Angel of Mountains offered to crush the people of Ta’if by bringing together the two mountains around Ta’if, our Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Even if these people do not accept Islam, I do hope from Allah that there will be persons from among their progeny who would worship Allah and serve His cause.”

SubuhanAllah, I am sure you would agree that this is the ultimatum of positive thinking. The Prophet (PBUH), as we are now, was at the most difficult time of his life and yet he was being super hopeful. He could not return to Makkah without any pledges of support, but he ultimately placed his trust in the One and Only.

This kind of positive thinking is what we should aim for. If you are thinking it is easier said than done, I agree. It takes hard work but first you need vision. I sincerely hope that the example of our Beloved (PBUH) gives you perspective to work hard to achieve a positive outlook on life. Ameen.

In order to win in life, positive thinking is important in all aspects of our life, including in becoming lean and healthy. The Prophet (PBUH) was positive in all aspects of his beautiful life– during the happy times as well as the harshest ones. That’s why I include this psychological aspect in our coaching.

In part two, we shall discuss how to practice positive thinking to become a winner in all aspects of our life, insha Allah.