About

The impetus for launching this project came during a time of sadness where I was incessantly searching for the perfect “muse,” a term from the vocabulary of the new rich, coined by author Tim Ferriss in his book “The Four Hour Work Week.” A muse is an automated business, needing very little time to manage, allowing you the financial freedom to support the pursuit of your dreams.  Sounds pretty good huh?

Excited to start the process of financing my dreams, I spent many hours brainstorming, looking for the best way to start. Unexpectedly, the result of this was a descent into an increasing state of melancholy. I ignored the feelings at first, assuming it was simply a natural valley in biorhythms, and sallied forward in my quest for a successful muse. Soon enough however, I realized something was wrong because the harder I tried to think of and get started on a muse, the stronger the resistance grew from within my soul until I could no longer ignore it. I stopped the muse-storming and research, shifting my attention back to finding a productive state.

True unhappiness along the way makes an activity not worth pursuing to me. The journey is the goal to some extent. Since the actual realization of our goals is such a small fraction of our life, we had better find a way to enjoy the journey. We’re destined to be unhappy if the only satisfaction we derive comes from actually achieving the end goal. Of course the believer understands that ultimate satisfaction is not meant for this dunya. This fact, however, does not contradict the desire for contentment and a sound heart while pursuing the eternal bliss of Paradise, rather a sound heart is one of the helpful means in our heavenly quest.

Reflecting upon the cause of my sadness I realized that in an effort to create a successful muse, my mindset dipped into a place of neediness, of wanting to extract from others. And that was it. Life is much richer being lived from the perspective of abundance, seeking to add value not extracting it. This fact is highlighted in the hadith from the Prophet, SAW:

“The upper hand is better than the lower one, the upper being the one which bestows and the lower the one which begs.” - Sahih Muslim

The psychology of abundance is not a function of your actual wealth for the most part, rather a mindset. If you’re able to read and comprehend these sentences, know that you are rich with one of the greatest bounties upon mankind, the ability to think and reason. There are many who have achieved great material wealth, yet live empty lives because of their neglect of an important human need, contribution.

To act on my new “distinction” I decided it was time to give and suspend the pursuit of getting for a bit. Thus the making of Distinctions Magazine real was set in motion. While most of the heavy lifting and talent has come from our generous, all-star team of contributors, it is still an effort, by the Grace of Allah, that I chose to organize and act upon, al hamdulilah. I have no doubt that you too have many ideas of value, just waiting for you to flesh out and start making a reality. Just get some momentum on your side, outsource intelligently, and watch your vision take shape!

It is my sincere hope and dua’ that as you interact with these pages in the coming days, weeks, months, and inshallaah, many years to come, that you uncover distinctions which facilitate major change for the better, enabling the pursuit of your dreams, to live with passion, and ultimately pass the FINAL exam with flying colors. We’re honored by the fact that you chose to lend us your eyes, mind, and heart and hope to interact with you here in the comments and during our live calls and events.

Respectfully,

Yusuf

_______________________________________________________________________

Explanatory Note: My barrier in creating a muse was personal and I do not find any inherent flaw or ethical issue with the concept of a muse, especially if you can utilize this to increase the amount of good you do in the world. It should be noted some critique has come over this chapter in an otherwise excellent book, charging that the book makes the muse appear well within reach for those who simply follow the steps. My own experience with this has been that this is understating the challenge a bit; however, just getting my mind to start thinking in this direction has been a worthy exercise.

________________________________________________________________________