U-turn 101

There are times when you feel that you want to change or you NEED to change but have no idea where to start. I'm no good myself, that is why I turn to others, looking for advises trying to improve anything I'm lack off in order to be a better individual or a better muslim so to speak. Changing is hard. I myself experience this probably on a daily basis. One day you want to change and so you try and improve. The next day you probably does not feel the same motivation you feel yesterday and so you just do nothing on improving yourself before the guilt kicks in again and the same cycle repeats over and over again. But alhamdulillah, you still have that guilt and the conscious to change (Ya Allah, please don't take the guilt away from me. huu) So these are U-turn 101 advices received from various individuals

You know what, let's not call these as advises as it just come from what I think is right. And I'm not always the brightest to talk about this kind of thing. Let just say, these are U-turn 101 from Sarah's point of view *she's not a total nutcase, but a tiny nutcase at times nonetheless* heee

1) listen to your heart

If you have a feeling to change or whatever, don't shove that feeling off. Don't say to yourself you can't do it and what not. Have a little faith in yourself. If you don't think you can act out right away, at least keep the feelings there as a reminder for you.

Listen to your heart. LOL *cred:tumblr*

2) Think to act out

After you think you want to change, take time to think of a way to act it out. Mmg susah. Susah sgt. That is why I respect those who succeeded in making the U-turn and did not get lost right after. Ni kdg2, rasa mcm dah buat U-turn, tapi sesat balik. Hee. I always had this feeling of being useless if I want something and I did not act out to get what is it that I want. It's like the guilt is eating you inside. And try reasoning with yourself "kalau time study tu, mana ada duduk goyang kaki boleh dapat A. sama jugak dgn hal2 lain. Kalau rasa dah takde harapan nak markah tinggi and yet, you still study sampai tak cukup tidur and what not, kenapa benda lain xboleh?" sometime it works, sometime it doesn't. Huehh

3) Action plan! Action plan!

Once you're firm that you have to change and must do something to change, think of an action plan. "saya nak berubah jadi baik" this kind of thing won't do. You need actions. What do you have to do to be a better person. "Saya nak baca ma'thurat after subuh, saya nak mengaji at least a page a day, saya nk sedeqah at least once a week, saya tak nak tidur after subuh, etc2" list off actions that you want to act on and ACT OUT! For the matter of whether you should start small or one thing at a time or list off 2-3 things you want to act out, I have no idea which one is the better solution. Kalau dah rasa susah sgt nak act out, list off one thing and discipline yourself to do it everyday.

4) Keep yourself in check

It's a good thing to remind yourself everyday to act out, but there are times when you can't seem to be reminded on all these things. So my idea of keeping yourself in check is write it out *haha. budak bio sungguh nak buat nota or post-it bagai* it's a good idea to write it out and stick it to the place where you'll see it everyday (eg: depan meja study, dinding tepi katil, etc) I love doing this kind of things sbb boleh guna pensel warna, makes it colourful and all. Hehh.

Untuk org malas macam saya >.<

5) Friends! Friends!

Kalau tak nak menulis, you can always tell your friends. Sbb tu, carilah kawan yg baik. Kawan yg dpt membantu kte ke arah kebaikan. So they can remind you of why you're doing it in case you forget or maybe together you can help each other to become a better individual. Jgn duduk sorg2, senyap2. A sheep by itself is an easier target for the wolf than the sheep belonging to a herd.

6) Raise your hand and pray

When you're busy try to act it all out, don't forget to always pray asking for Allah to help you along the way. Hidayah tu milik Dia and only He can give it to those He wants. Pray that we're one of those receiving His hidayah and don't give up hope on us everytime we're lost along the way.

I'm no good myself. So this is written for me if I lost my way and haven't seem to find a way back.

ps: Ayah's advice - if it's hard for you to wake up at night for tahajud or reciting the Quran or to pray Dhuha or other things you want to act on, zikr. Do it when you're waiting for the train, when you're walking to school, or when simply when you're doing nothing. Try this one first. (and i think it is super hard. been singing for the whole time I'm walking to school just to know how long I've been walking. A song takes 3 mins to end so if I manage to sing 2 songs, I've been walking for +/- 9 minutes and I have approx 5 mins before the train arrives. haha.) should definitely try what ayah said. huahhh. super harddd.

Good luck Sarah! A+ tak datang bergolek. And so does hidayah Allah