Get to know Yourself!

Sit down. Grab a piece of paper and a pen. In a quiet and peaceful environment. I want you to think and define who you are. The most basic things, your name, your age, whatever comes to mind when you think about yourself.

Did you write your achievements? Did you write your beliefs; your principles; your values? How about your experiences? (Both good and bad).

This time you have taken to self-reflect is invaluable in a world where we consume at an alarming rate. We run the hamster wheel; our 9 to 5 without pause and worry about the next bill all while we spend every free minute on TikTok, and Instagram and binge-watching the next show on Netflix. We look for external, temporary pleasures. Are we compensating for a lack of self-fulfillment? Are we losing ourselves and becoming slaves to the corporations that feed on our short bursts of dopamine? Remember that child that wanted to become a Police Officer, Fire Fighter, Doctor, Nurse, and Teacher? When did that child die? Do you not want to feel the ecstasy of that passion? So where do we start?

Have your mission

Tunnel your vision. Set yourself targets and what you want to achieve. Make it SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. For example, in 6 months' time, I want to save enough money for a holiday in Paris.

Specific: I need £600 for a short getaway, £78 for a return Eurostar ticket, £70 a night for a hotel for 3 nights, £7 per day on transport using the Metro, and £50 per day on food. This leaves you with £141 elbow room for your activities and shinanigans.

Measurable: You can save £100 per month and deposit this into a short-term savings account. Each month you will see yourself getting closer to this goal.

Achievable: If you break it down per week, it's only £25 per week. This is easily achievable if you cut down on getting coffee outside. £3 per coffee, 7 days a week is costing you £21 (assuming you can find coffee for £3 in this current economic climate).

Realistic: Are you able to live without that coffee and make the small sacrifices to enjoy an espresso at Le Café Marly while looking out at the Louvre Pyramid? Yes, you can.

Timely: You have given yourself 6 months to attain this and we can see from the breakdown above that this time frame is sufficient to achieve the goal.

You may not want to go to Paris, you may be looking to start investing, maybe finish your studies to pursue a career. But know what you want and how to get there.

Principles

You know your mission and how you will get there. You may need to make some compromises on the way. Maybe you have to take a step back to move forward. You may have to turn down a position that gives you a short-term pay rise in favor of a position that will pay off in the long run. Like Jim Halpert said in The Office "Its better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to climb than to be halfway up one that you don't".

Along the way, you may be tested. You need to have a strong understanding of your principles and values. You cannot compromise on those; they are non-negotiable. You may want to produce an organic, natural hand cream product but if you are against animal testing then you cannot compromise on this even if animal testing will accelerate your health and safety approvals and certification. If you want to make your trip to Paris but are finding it difficult to attain the funds, then don't result to unethical methods of making money to meet your deadline. “Only those who are patient shall receive their rewards in full, without Hisaab (without limit, calculation, and estimation).” (Quran, 39:10). It is better to be patient than to accelerate your goals at the compromise of your principles and values, whether they are rooted in Religious belief, moral standing or views you hold dear.

Take a mentor

We are more likely to be able to complete a goal or mission if we are surrounded by like-minded, driven people. If you want to become more spiritual, then surround yourself with company that will encourage that. If you want to become more physically fit, then find yourself a 'Gym Bro/Sis'. If you want to develop a business then surround yourself with people in that field. By surrounding yourself with like-minded people, success and results are the norms, not an exception. If you want to be physically fit then maybe spending too much time with company that indulges in bad eating habits or lack of enthusiasm toward self-care is not the most beneficial thing for you in this time. You have to perfect yourself before you can change others.

Taking a mentor is a method of keeping grounded and not swaying too much if and when trials come in your journey. A mentor can be someone who shares a similar mindset or the same core values. It can be a figure you have come across in your life (e.g. a manager you looked up to) or someone who has achieved a goal similar to your goals. If you are looking to improve your spirituality then you may seek a Sheikh or a Spiritual leader in your community. If you are looking to increase your business acumen then maybe a Dragon from Dragons Den (or Shark from Shark Tank in America). There are many examples of mentors that have tread a path that you can follow to achieve the same results; chances are when there are billions of people on Earth, there is a mentor out there for you.

One day you may be the mentor that people look up to.

Knowing yourself, and identifying your qualities and goals puts your life in focus. It allows you to assess your current stage of life and envision your course. It can help you traverse the trials and tribulations of life and look at where you can improve yourself to prepare for them. It's like like my maths teacher used to say, "Failure to prepare is preparing to fail".