By: Sundus Alsharif

We live in a society that is very obsessed with instant gratification. From movies, to instantly downloadable books, to drive-throughs, and Amazon Prime shipping. It seems as though wanting everything right “now” keeps us all on our toes and makes us forget the importance of patience in our lives. If we can’t memorize the whole Quran in a year or a couple of months, why even attempt it? If it’ll take two more years to get a master’s degree, it’s a waste of time. If we have to invest a year in healthy eating and exercising before noticing any decreases in our body fat, then what’s the point? This kind of thinking has held us back for so long.

But it doesn’t have to. What if we used instant gratification to our advantage? What if, instead of looking at everything we can’t have or do right now, we looked at everything we have and can do right now? For the past month, I made a calendar of goals that I have for each day, and I put check marks next to the days that I complete the task, and I leave the task’s box empty if I don’t complete it. I focused on small goals that I can do right now. Read Quran for 25 minutes every day. Recite the morning and afternoon adhkar. Read ten pages of the fiction book. You get the basic idea. Break down big goals into smaller goals and focus on them today. Right now. They will add up. Some days, I failed, but I woke up the next day, and tried again. And guess what? I’ve never been more successful accomplishing my goals than I have been this past month, alhamdulilah. I’m sharing this with you because I want you to know that no matter where you are in life, it’s never too late to be passionate about a goal and make small efforts to reach it. Even if you’re super busy like me, there is always a way to work in your goals to fit your circumstances.

Want to recite Quran for 30 minutes a day but just don’t have the time to sit down for 30 minutes? Listen to Quran on a CD or MP3 player  while you’re driving and recite with the shaykh. Want to recite the morning and evening adhkar, but don’t have time to memorize or read them? Then listen to them and recite with the shaykh while you’re on your way to work or coming back home from school.

Want to do everything but don’t know how? Simple: don’t do everything. Do some things. Every day. Now. One day at a time. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.  

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