Limiting Beliefs!

...We all have them - or have had them!

What are they? Well, simply put, in turBo terminology - a limiting belief is a belief which stops you from doing something you really want to do because you believe you can't do it for whatever reason you may have. Limiting beliefs come from childhood or if something has happened - like maybe a tragedy or accident - it could be anything really which now stops you moving froward to what you want to do. So for example, you don't apply for all those top posts and jobs which pay x amounts because you believe that you don't deserve it and money is all roots of evil and you've had some form of negative experience with it.

Limiting beliefs are also deeply ingrained in our sub-conscious mind that we don't even realise that they are there and that they influence our decision - like the example above - automatically dismissing those job vacancies.

*Lets my readers ponder a moment*

I went for my NLP skills update day on Saturday in Manchester. It was one mission alright - but I enjoyed it, learnt alot and purchased two fantastic books!

Before I left, I asked the trainer about limiting beliefs and said I have two which I am working on but give me some tips please to get rid of them and move forward - like asap!

And here is the valuable tip - or should I say lesson - I learnt - turBo translation;

"Limiting Beliefs come from something which happened to us and as you move forward in life and you try to 'fight them' or 'realise' that they exist and are trying hard to get rid of them - they are actually moving you forward from the state that you were in, to a state you are moving into - they were who you were then, but that is not who you are now as that chapter has ended and you are in a new chapter or phase now. Respect those limiting beliefs as they were once a part of your life at that stage, and the fact that you have recognised them and are conscious about them means that you are moving away from them - and basically it will all be OK and you will become who you want to be and succeed in your dreams, ambitions, goals etc"!

So, if you have overcome your limiting beliefs, then congratulations, well done! And if like me you still have some and are working on them, then take the above to heart, reflect on it and be assured that you're on the right path to your ultimate success - and soon it will all be OK.

Because....as I left the venue on Saturday - I smiled and said to myself - Hamdullilah (praise be to Allah) its all going to be OK now! :)

KSC - Knowledge Seekers Club is 1 Year Old Today!

Launched a year ago - KSC - Knowledge Seekers Club is 1 Year old!

Hamdullilah - All praise is to the Almighty for making it possible and allowing me to inspire all those tiny angels out there!

Knowledge Seekers Club - making Islam fun to learn - is for 5 - 11 year old - boys and girls where they learn both the theory and practical - which involves group work and games.

We also have our very own KSC library - all kids get a library card and can borrow up to three books for two weeks.

Also 11 - 16 year old girls get a chance to continue their studies by upgrading to KSSC - Knowledge Seekers Sisters Circle, as well as sessions for girls 16+.

Inspired by my nieces and nephew back in 2001 - KSC came to teach a new generation - the ambassadors of Islam.

This is just the beginning - in the long run KSC and KSSC will be delivering sessions across the UK as well as going global.

We will also launch a 'Reading Room' in the community - where children from the wider community can benefit from the KSC library and attend homework clubs.

Jazaakumullah khair to each and everyone of you for your continuous support and duas!

Day of Arafah and Eid Mabrook

...9th of Dhul Hijjah (in the Islamic lunar calendar) is the Day of Arafah or Hajj Day.

Performing Hajj - or Pilgrimage is the 5th Pillar in Islam and we should all perform it at least once in our life times - so get saving you pennies and cents peeps!

People from across the globe gather at the plains of Arafah to ask for Allah's Mercy and forgiveness for ones sins.

As your hajj is accepted you return free from sin as the day your mother bore you!

"Jabir reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “There is no day better in the sight of Allah than the Day of Arafah. On this day Allah, the Almighty and the Exalted One, descends to the nearest heaven, and He is proud of His slaves on the earth and says to those in heaven, ‘Look at My servants. They have come from far and near, with hair dishevelled and faces covered with dust, to seek My mercy, even though they have not seen My chastisement.' Far more people are freed from the Hellfire on the Day of Arafah than on any other day.” [Ibn Hibban]

And what about those not going for Hajj? Well...

1- Making Dua - "Best Dua is the Dua of Arafah Day" Hadith Tirmidhi

2- Fasting - "It expiates for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year" Hadith Muslim

3- Making Dhikr - "The best that I've said and the prophets on the day of Arafah is Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd wa huwa ala kulli shayin qadeer" Authenticated by Al-Albani.

TaqabalAllahu mina wa minkum - Allahu akbar Allahu akbar laa ilaha ilAllah wallahu akbar Allahu akbar wa lillahil hamd! Hajj Mabrook wa Eid Mabrook todos mundos!!!

IAW - Islamic Astronomy Seminar

So, continuing with the Islam Awareness Week, another seminar was organised which I was really looking forward to - 'Islamic Astronomy'.

It was at Birmingham Think Tank at the Millennium Point and I've been saying for a few years now that I will visit the Think Tank - but never got round to it. But thank God that I finally did! Although pushed for time I couldn't enjoy the whole Think Thank Museum, I was glad that I finally went and totally recommend it to you all. If you're ever visiting Brum in the UK make sure you visit the Think Tank! =)

The seminar took place in a Planetarium. It was a good turnout. Introductory seminar - so they managed to get in the main points. The speakers were fantastic. Q&A was brilliant.

And then....all lights out....we were in the night sky!

It was amazingly beautifully gorgeous!

The sky was full of stars, planets, sun, moon!

It went round and round and round - and so did my head! And I have realised that I suffer from motion sickness! I wasn't prepared for it - but, hey, well turBo usually does jump into the deep end in life (that's the best place to learn something!)

I learnt lots - especially about the influence of Islam and early Muslim pioneers in this field and made a firm resolve to study astronomy and astro-physics from next October onwards, insha'Allah! I've got a thing for space, solar systems, unseen world, spiritualness - you get me! Oh, and even today astronomers use the Arabic name for the stars (the stars have names!). And, there is one star which Allah (swt) mentions in the Qur'an by name - and that star is referred to by that very same name by the astronomical world!

Two main points of benefits - actually there were loads - but I discovered how to determine the position of the qibla (direction for prayer for Muslims) wherever I am in the world by looking at the North Star - which is always there - in the north - then you turn 180 degrees south and twist half way towards your left - which is east - and you have found the qibla - how cool is that?

And also that one can see the Milky Way - its a band of white cloud which goes around the sky - just the way a rainbow would have that kind of arch shape.

Some advice for us all by the experts - enjoy the night sky - go out at night and stare at the beautiful starry night - teach your kids - tell them about the names of stars, planets, play games like 'spot the star' and go out to the country side to enjoy the beautiful night sky - cities are too polluted!

Leadership and Managment

Every year in the UK the Islamic Society of Britain (ISB) organise a week in autumn called, 'Islamic Awarness Week' (IAW).

It invites Muslims and non-Muslims in the UK to come and learn about Islam and Muslims.

Many events, seminars and courses are organised during the week - and after so many years (I know, I know) I attended my first one! Yay!

The course I attended was called 'Leadership and Management - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People', which looked at the model developed by Stephen Covey - need to get the book!

It was fantastic - I learnt so much - I was also helping out on the night - but I have to say that the presenter was inspiring and engaging and we had all ages attending the course.

Please purchase the book - if you haven't already - join the Facebook page for it and enjoy learning something new!

It was also nice to finally meet many faces that I only know from Facebook and network with new peeps.

I will be attending another seminar organised by IAW this Saturday - Islamic Astronomy Seminar (a new subject which I want to delve into real soon!) - I'm soooo excited - watch this space for my feedback!

Call of Duty

I attended a Dawah Training course called 'Call of Duty' which was organised by iERA. It was amazing masha'Allah. It taught us how to give dawah to non-Muslims - and hey, turBo thinks that the methods learnt can also be applied to giving dawah to fellow Muslims as well! Its all about learning peeps!

It was an interactive course - full day and we all benefited immensely. Simple yet beautiful!

Have you ever shyed away from talking about Islam to your friends? Be they Muslim or non-Muslim? If so then this course is for you.

Too much media hype and negative coverage could confuse anyone about well anything really.

Islam is a hot hot topic - wherever you go in the world - and there is a real need for real Muslims to stand up and show the beauty of the religion they follow - and no I don't mean stand up and apologise for all the knit wits out there who tarnish the name and image of Muslims - I believe we are all responsible for our own actions - so you do wrong - you deal with it!

I hope to learn more and even apply it - I'm one of those who would shy away - not because I'm not a proud Muslimah - far from it - I'm more than proud and feel truly blessed - but you just think, 'what will people think of me?'. Its another area of improvement for turBo.

Check out their website http://www.missiondawah.com/ and maybe you could learn something new today!