Ramadan: Pathway to Peak State

As a student of personal development, you’ve probably heard Tony Robbins or others talk about the importance of “Peak State.” How we act is a direct result of how we feel. So understanding our emotions and learning how to manipulate our state becomes a critical piece of getting what we want out of life.

You’re not going to have the resourcefulness you need to approach a challenge if you’re gripped with doubt and fear or lacking energy. The good news is your state is pretty easy to get a hold of. You can change your posture, facial expression, the volume/cadence of your speech, and your movement very quickly.

Most of us get the fact that when we’re down we slump, slouch, and pout. We understand the cause and effect relationship the inner state has on the outer state. But what we miss is that it works in reverse just as well. Manipulate your outward posture, expression, manner of speech, and movement and watch your internal state change. It’s incredible.

Physical movement is a sure fire way to snap into a strong state. Do something powerful. A punch. Some push ups. A run. Or anything that gets your blood flowing, Yoga if you want. Strong graceful movements and full breaths can be just as effective. Do something with purpose.

I look at one of the miracles of Ramadan being how it manages peak state for the one who observes it. But it does so through another medium beyond physical motion, references. Accomplishment and progress fuel peak state by giving you current references of success. This affirms who we believe we are and we grow addicted to that feedback loop, also known as momentum. This is what fasting offers: a real-time, constant success reference.

That feeling of hunger is a living reminder of human potential because you’re purposely deferring your most base instincts for a more enduring benefit. It’s hard to lack confidence in Ramadan. Everything is possible and every minute you fast is a constant reminder and reinforcement of that. That feeling of hunger is an honest witness upon you that you can achieve more. Fasting is something great that you do for the sake of Allah. Many “successful” people could never see themselves fasting.

So why can you attain this but not the other things you want in life? What is the difference?

You might say it is the mechanics, the knowledge of what to do. You know how to fast so you can do it. But I say it is your purpose and your references. Your purpose can’t get any higher. It is a MUST for the sake of Allah and references are all around you, from the young to the old, everyone is fasting. If you remember your first days fasting I bet you had some rough days and you asked advice to overcome them. Now you have your routine for successful fasting after taking advice and tweaking it to suit your own tastes.

The mechanics were a trivial part of your success. You were going to find a way and you did.

If it is true that it is your purpose and your references that made you into a Ramadan hero, why don’t you deconstruct the formula and apply it elsewhere? In this case your purpose was given to you from it being a fard. But if there is something you really really want in life, couldn’t you find a way to trick your brain into believing it was every bit as essential?

In fact, it is not really trickery. Your ambitions are important to you for a reason. You’ve just not allowed yourself to explore the do or die importance of what you need to do. Go ahead and do that. Pretend you’re a lawyer making the most convincing case possible, using the facts you have, that what you need to accomplish is an absolute MUST or the consequences could be as dire as not fasting.

It can be the case that by not pursuing and committing to one of your dreams that a possible scenario results where it becomes a fitna for your deen, for your well being, and for your families’ well being in this life and the next. If you can make that case to yourself, outlining just how urgent and dire this dream is, you’ll attain it. Couple that with the power of dua in Ramadan and the ability to catch Laylatul Qadr. Come on? You got this one.

If you can triumph in Ramadan, the world is your oyster. But you’re realizing your worldly ambitions aren’t so glamorous as they were before this holy month started aren’t you :)? Take time in Ramadan to reestablish the link between your worldly goals and akhirah goals so that you’re path is aligned without conflict and you can start moving full speed ahead.

CHALLENGE: : What is the connection between the photo in the home page featured slider and the article? Post your thoughts in the comments.

Ramadan Mubarak

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By AbooZaid –> Checkout my YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/CaliforniaAbooZaid

Is Your Ambition Blind?

In your quest to be your absolute best, your constant dedication to evolve yourself, do you smell the roses? The story of Josh Waitzkin is a wonderful illustration of someone who was very clear about his values as a young boy, despite outside figures trying to impose their world on him, attempting to live their own dreams through him. But Josh taught us how to pursue excellence while staying conscious of the importance of valuing other human beings along the way. If you and I are honest, we’ve treated human beings as means to an end at some point in our life. At some point, and maybe you are doing this right now, you have looked at a relationship with a co-worker, a customer, or someone with a big position as a means to an end.

In the process you totally betrayed the noble essence of man and the endless beauty of his soul that Allah SWT endowed each of us with. Never should we make the mistake of stepping on others or over looking others for a material end. We see in the example of the Prophet SAAS that even with his staunchest enemies, his concern was their eternal well-being over the expedience of simply defeating them and moving forward. Many times, the most famous being the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet SAAS had an easy opportunity and just cause to dispose of those who betrayed him and sought to end his life. However, he did not look at humans as a means. He cared about their well being especially in the hereafter above all else.

Josh Waitzkin actually offers a lot in the field of personal development. He is a critic of the modern system of learning and has dedicated his adult life to understanding what the ideal learning conditions are. However, as a boy, he taught us that winning in life should not be at the expense of others unless they insist. Pull people along with you. See how they can win before you worry about your own victory. Watch this video and post your gems:

For those interested in his work toward the art of learning and what are the optimal ingredients, you’ll enjoy this:

Coaches Answer YOUR Questions - I

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“Ask the Coach” is an ongoing column dedicated to helping you think outside of the box in tackling some of life’s pesky little roadblocks. Questions are answered by star DiscoverULife, certified coaches: Megan Wyatt & Zeyad Ramadan. To have your question answered or to schedule a free one-on-one introductory session, email: askthecoach@distinctionsmag.com

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Br. “Lacking Discipline” age 24 from Santa Clara, CA writes:

I feel the need to put in extra hours at work because of the economy, and as a result. I am feeling guilty that I am not memorizing Quran due to time constraints. I feel that I am lacking discipline. How can I make a change?

A: First of all it is wonderful that you still have the desire to memorize Qur’an despite all that you have going on mash’Allah. Be direct though, we have to say that your question presents several bluffs :). So let’s cut to the chase. We can’t say if the reason you work so much is really because of the economy or not, but what can be said is that not having time is simply not true. If you were challenged to recite and memorize Quran for just 10 minutes a day, there is no doubt that you would have the time and we’re sure you can agree. Whether it is listening to Qur’an while you drive, putting it on an iPod and reciting along for 10 minutes near the end of lunch, or taking a 15 minute break at work, you have the time, even if your office hours are long. As for not having discipline, clearly this is false, because you have the discipline needed for putting in long hours at your job.

Your guilt has served you well in preventing you from moving forward and taking action. We feel better about inaction when we have the emotion of guilt. It’s like giving ourselves a pat on the back and saying, “see, you do care, look how bad you feel!” Guilt paralyzes and does not motivate. What is under that guilt? As coaches, our job is to help you dig when necessary to find out what is going on beneath the surface. You need a shovel brother!

Anytime we find that something is difficult to do it is because we either 1) have a boring and unexciting goal. 2) have not created a large enough “why” behind our motivation, or 3) we have a limiting belief holding us back.

Your solution might be to create an exciting goal and share it with someone who can hold you accountable. Another way is for you to build up all of the reasons why memorizing Qur’an is so important to you, and keep a written reminder close by so you can glance at it often. Finally, as mentioned, a solution is to dig and discover what is going on. For example, some people are afraid of failure, so they quit before starting.

Get started on a solution and let us know what works for you. The great news is that there is always a way to make things work, once you know what allows you to sink or float. Join our upcoming call if you need help digging deeper behind a specific barrier you’ve uncovered. Part of our job is to expedite your “distinctions” more rapidly than you would come across on your own.

Sr. “Overwhelmed” from San Jose, CA writes:

When should I STOP making commitments? How many things can I focus on and be the most productive with my time?

A: There is nothing like a draining week where you feel like you are being pulled in so many directions because you have taken on so many commitments. First of all it is great that you are active, I would guess, are motivated by giving to others from your time and talent, mashaAllah. There are two questions I would like you to ask yourself about your commitments?

1) What is difficult for you about saying no?

2) How will such and such activity help me accomplish my goals?

The first question may require some honest digging on your part. While I can’t speak about you personally without spending more time with you, my experience tells me that people who have much too much on their plate have a hard time saying no because they are either afraid of what people will think or they need a constant stream of activities to feel good about themselves. Busy people are just “always that way.” You never see them slow down, even when they are constantly stressed, tense, under pressure, losing sleep, and getting ill, they still can’t take a break. They have moments of break down that no one else sees where they wish they could take a month long vacation away. They love what they are doing but too much of a good thing is harmful. When you can tackle what you are afraid will happen when you say the big N-O, then you can get closer to understanding why you are often out of balance.

The second question gives you a framework for your decisions. If you have defined specific goals that you want to accomplish in the next year, it becomes easier to know what to commit to and what you should decline. First and foremost there is our Ultimate Purpose. From that you have your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. I’ll take a stab at this and say perhaps you have not defined for yourself your goals? Active people do so much for others, but one of the consequences is that they never have time to slow down and ask, “What do I want to accomplish?” When you do this, it will be much easier to not only say no, but feel GOOD about doing so because you will know that by not stretching yourself too thin, and being happy, well rested, and productive, you will bring about MORE benefit to others and to yourself inshaAllah.

Sr. “Seeking Efficiency” from San Jose, CA writes:

What are ways I can increase my efficiency in my chores and other obligations so that I have more time to do what it is that I want to do.

A: Everyone in the world is given the same time everyday to spend, 24 hours. Doesn’t it seem that some people just get more done and you wonder what they are doing differently? The secret is to “create” more time. People often say they “don’t have time to do the things they want to do,” but I would be the first to challenge you on that. I promise you that you have the time; you just haven’t found it yet. My advice is simple for this one: get a planner! Or a Google calendar or whatever you need to create a schedule. Being timely, organized, and consistent doesn’t happen by accident. Our Creator Knows us best and thus, has not only made it obligatory that we pray five times a day but has also prescribed fixed times to do them in. Without that structure, I wonder how many of us would manage five prayers every single day? I’ll leave you the calculations to do on that one. My point is that you should schedule in the things that matter to you. Even if you put it on your calendar for 3 weeks from now, you have it down and it will happen inshaAllah. Then it won’t be that you have more time but that you spend it on what matters.

We are creatures of habit though aren’t we? And some people learn to thrive in chaos. I admit I’m in recovery from that one! I realized how many things I labled “urgent” and “important” were taking over my life, when in reality most of them fell into the “not really urgent,” and in all honesty, the “it can wait” category. At the end of the day I used to feel like I did nothing but email and then wonder why my chores still weren’t done AND I hadn’t had much fun that day. Forget that. Give yourself time for all things and you will feel in balance in your life. We are supposed to be people of the middle path. The Prophet, peace be upon him, made in clear in numerous places that there is a time and place for all things. Dedicate time to your chores and your passion, and I promise you things will get done MUCH more efficiently because you’ll be excited to get to the good stuff in your schedule inshallah! This is another huge part of what we do as coaches, helping you sort through the false positives and get down to schedule and act upon what really matters.

What’s Your Story?

“Are you kidding? We’re in a deepening recession. Everyone is losing his or her job. The unemployment rates are skyrocketing. Families are struggling to have only the basic necessities. People are living month to month, if not day to day. Who can even begin to consider a positive future with such a mess in our economy right now?”

This is a common conversation amongst people these days. The usual answer at the end of the discussion is, “No one.” But the true answer to it is, “YOU!” Have you ever had someone tell you that they woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning? What they really mean is that something unusual happened to them and they expect the entire day to be terrible. Does their day actually turn out that way? Unfortunately it does, more often than not. But the sad part is it doesn’t have to.

With everything that happens to you in your life, you choose, either consciously or subconsciously, what these events and occurences mean, how they affect you, and what you should do about them. But too many people allow their choices to be blindly guided by someone else — a friend, a leader, the media. So when the radio says, “Life is miserable and marriages everywhere are breaking up,” they believe it. And before they know it, they are having trouble with their spouses and their finances in a major way. Their beliefs become their actions and their lives become the products of those actions.

It’s so easy to say that circumstances are beyond your control. It’s much more difficult to recognize and admit that we can do something about them. All day, everyday, you engage in an internal dialogue in your mind. This dialogue, even though you may not always be aware of it, has an enormous impact on you. Your internal conversation (the thought) guides your external conversation (the word) which guides your actions (the deed).

In essence, you are telling yourself stories, stories about the way things will happen in your day, stories about how its events will unfold, and stories about what the people you encounter will be like. And whether you realize it or not, very often you have colored your day, or month, or year before it has even begun. But I’d like to let you in on a little secret: the biggest thing that keeps you from having an outstanding life right now is only the story you tell yourself about why you can’t have it. Powerful thought, isn’t it?

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) provided a perfect example of how the stories you tell yourself shape your actions and affect your life. Upon leaving the city of Ta’if, wounded and bleeding, his heart (SAW) pierced by the insult, ridicule and abuse inflicted upon him by the city’s people, he began making a dua that reflected his distress:

“Allah! I complain to You of my weakness, my scarcity of resources and the humiliation I have been subjected to by the people. O Most Merciful of those who are merciful. O Lord of the weak and my Lord too. To whom have you entrusted me? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair?”

Yet seemingly, amidst the dua, the Prophet (SAW) refocused his thinking, changed the story he was telling himself, and continued his supplication in a different light. He continued:

“So long as You are not Angry with me, I do not care. Your Favor is of a more expansive relief to me. I seek refuge in the Light of Your Face by which all darkness is dispelled, and every affair of this world and the next is set aright, lest Your Anger or Displeasure descends upon me. I desire Your Pleasure and Satisfaction until You are pleased. There is no power and no might except by You.”

Soon after making this dua, the Prophet (SAW) was greeted by the Angel Gabriel (AS) and the Angel of the Mountains who told him that the people of Ta’if could be crushed between the mountains if that was his wish. Considering the initial part of the dua, this opportunity would appear as one to sieze. But the Prophet (SAW) had looked at his situation in a different and more positive way. He (SAW) spared the lives of the people of Ta’if with the sincere hope that one day their progeny would accept Islam. And as you know from Islamic history, this came to be.

So the questions for you now become:

1) What stories are you telling yourself right now about who you are, how possible your dreams are, and how you will live your life?

2) What can you do to begin changing your stories and start bringing about the things you truly desire?

It’s true that only Allah SWT knows your eventual destination and how everything will turn out. But it is also true that when you focus on writing your own internal story, you can strengthen your character, change your setting, and even spice up the plot a bit, or not. Ultimately, the choice is left up to you.

What will you choose?

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Sonia Doubbousi serves as principal at AlHijra School, is a certified life coach at DiscoverU Life, and runs a blog dedicated to learning. Find more of her insights at:

www.classroomkeys.com - Unlock the secrets to student success

Your Silver Screen Dream Detailed

10 Steps to Start Making Your Movie

Hollywood, fame, money, and glamor is what comes to many people’s mind when they think of making movies. In April 2006 I took a trip up to Montreal to attend a DiscoverU Power Workshop by my Sensei, Muhammad Alshareef. The night after the workshop Sensei asked me, “Belal, if Allah SWT gave you 50 people to do what you want with them, what would you do? How would you employ them?”

I thought for a second and responded, “I’d make a movie!”

Many of us have a desire to make a movie. Those of us who are conscious of Islam and practice it as a way of life, many times have made statements such as, “I’m very interested in making Islamic documentaries,” or “I want to educate the non-Muslim mind, but in a cool, interesting, comedic, and professional way.” Many people also say, “I want to learn the basics first but don’t know where to start,” and “I want to make a short video.”

Many of us have just stopped after making the statement but for one reason or another haven’t really progressed beyond that point. When digging deeper there were two main reasons for that:

1. A lack of clarity on what the finished video should look like
2. Not having goals for the movie laid out

As for those who actually took a step forward to start, but didn’t completely follow through - there were also two main reasons for falling short:

1. Not fully understanding the implications of what is involved in making a movie
2. Not having a deeply compelling reason or purpose to totally go through with it and overcome the challenges

These are major problems and concern all of us. We all understand it’s extremely important to have righteous Muslims in the media - not just the news media, but all facets of media from television and theatrical entertainment, print and online media, as well as marketing. We are the voice of Islam and it’s up to us to carry its message out to the masses.

Several months back, I had a conversation with our dear brother Azhar Usman of Allah Made Me Funny comedy tour. You may recognize his name from the stand-up comedy he’s done. He mentioned that if we don’t tell our own stories in our own words, then other people will try and tell them. The garbage Hollywood is producing is enough proof.

A little more than six months ago he completed a short film called “The Boundary” under his production company, 9 Saints, LLC. Usman and a few others took it upon themselves to raise the funds needed to make a short film with the highest of quality. They put it together in 35MM film and Dolby Digital Sound — in other words, it’s a professional Hollywood style production. The people who starred in the film were famous Hollywood actors such as Alexander Siddig whose work includes: Syriana, 24, and Star Trek, Christopher Mann from The Wire on HBO and Jacqueline Atamarian from the Sopranos - to name a few.

Another bit of advice Usman gave is to understand that in the West we live in a capitalistic society. Film and Media are called “Show-Biz” for a reason. Half of it is “show” and the other half is business. Like any business, people want to make money. If we give them a captivating and engaging story with a plan that can make money, then mainstream media will support it. He also mentioned that while it’s true there are some who don’t like Islam or Muslims, the majority of people who work in the media are neutral. They simply want to make money.

Creativity and money isn’t lacking within the Muslim community. According to A.T. Kerney, a global management consulting firm focusing on strategic and operational CEO-agenda concerns, Muslims accounted for $170 Billion of the spending on goods and services in the America. It’s obvious we have the talent and money, we just haven’t put it to appropriate use.

However, before we get all excited and jump into something we know nothing about, let’s look at a few facts. In the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, one of the top three film festivals in the world, there were 3,624 film submissions, out of which only 121 were selected to be shown. Further, out of those 121, only 20 were bought by distributors to be shown by the mainstream media. Let’s do the math. The chances of our film being an official selction is just over three percent, while achieving mainstream distribution is just over a half of a percent.

Don’t let the statistics scare you or depress you. Allah SWT teaches us in the Quran:

“And that man shall have nothing, but what he strives for.” - Surah Najm:39

Keep in mind the results are not up to us. Our job is to do the work with sincere intentions and leave the rest to Allah. One day Rasoolullah (SAW) noticed a bedouin leaving his camel without tying it. He (SAW) asked the bedouin, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The bedouin answered, “I placed my trust in Allah.” At that, Rasoolullah (SAW) said, “Tie your camel AND place your trust in Allah.” - Tirmidhi

One aspect of tieing our camel is doing our homework, which includes understanding the market place.

The Market Place

For maximum impact, we want to involve as many people as we can. However, we need the right people on board for making our film. The right and wrong persons is the difference between success and failure. Don’t be afraid to say, “No” to the wrong people, even if they are good people.

Once we’ve figured out who we’re going to work with, we need to figure out what we’re going to do. Set specific goals and milestones and give them deadlines. One of those milestones should include a developed story for our movie. Other milestones to meet include when and how we’re going to shoot the film. Most importantly, knowing where we want our movie shown; in other words, what medium we want our movie distributed through. The medium can be Television, YouTube, theater, masjid, video-on-demand, DVD, Blu-Ray, film festivals or wherever. Depending on the target medium, we would apply a specific approach.

Getting distribution is more strategically involved than one might think. There are eight classic paths of distribution, excluding the internet.

1. Theatrical >> Home Video
2. Service Deal Theatrical >> Home Video
3. Top Three Film Festivals >> Theatrical >> Home Video
4. Top Three Film Festivals >> Home Video
5. Top Three Film Festivals >> Self Theatrical >> Home Video
6. Self Theatrical >> Home Video
7. Self Theatrical >> Theatrical Pickup >> Home Video
8. Home Video >> All Other Markets

The issue with these proven paths of distribution are the filmmakers unanticipated costs once the movie is done. If we want any sort of professional or mainstream distribution for our film then we need to get it approved by the Motion Picture Association of America, which typically costs between $2,500-$5,000. You also have to get Errors and Omissions coverage which costs around $13,000 - $18,000. Without having met these two requirements, distributors will either not want to touch our film at all or in the best case, offer us pennies on the dollar of what it is worth.

Once this is done, we’ll also need to pay for submissions to the film festivals which come in Tier One, Two, and Three. Tier one consists of the top 10, the top 3 of those being Toronto, Canes, and Sundance. Tiers two and three make up the rest of the festivals in the world. Expenses to cover submissions and marketing for getting our film covered at the festivals can run anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 on average. Totaling the above costs you can see that we’ll need $20,000 - $28,000 in our budget after the completion of our film to achieve mainstream distribution.

These costs do not include the costs of opening our film in a theater which can cost close to $10,000 per city if we choose to put it in the theater ourselves. Additionally, we need to factor in expense of transferring our movie from a digital format to actual film which can run upwards of $60,000.

Looking at the cold hard facts, we’re most likely going to spend $85,000-$115,000 after the movie is made. Add this to the total cost of making the movie, which could be as low as $300,000 - $1 Million, still low-budget, the likely hood of making our money back is questionable. If we look at it from a business point of view, with a return on investment as your focus, we want to sell our movie for more than it cost to have it made and marketed.

Now for a reality check: most people are afraid or simply don’t have the means to go the classic route. Many Muslims who keep away from riba loans to finance their films find it a difficult path to take the classic route, especially since many independent films are financed via loans. For these types of people, internet marketing and distribution is a great stepping point which can lead to great results.

One of the major challenges we will face as Muslims trying to our movies made is financing. The most common ways to finance films are through debt, upon which interest is paid. As a Muslim, riba is not an option. There’s no sense going to war with Allah SWT and His Messenger SAW to make a movie or for any other reason. If we master film financing in a way that is acceptible by Islamic standards, InshAllah by the tawfique of Allah we will be unstoppable.

Some of the common Halal vehicles for financing are:

• Grants — this is our best route for documentaries
• Donations — I personally find this to be ineffective and unfavorable, but it might work for you
• Equity — getting stake holders on the movie - I prefer this option since it gives others the opportunity to have a stake in an honorable project and profit in this world and the Hereafter, inshAllah. To be effective in equity financing, we’ll need to start educating ourselves about this one step at a time.

The following books are my absolute must-reads for aspiring movie producers:

• The Independent Film Producer’s Survival Guide: A Business and Legal Sourcebook by Gunnar Erickson, Mark Hallaron, and Harris Tullchin
• Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films and Videos, Fourth Edition by Alan Rosenthal
• Shooting to Kill by Christine Vachon and David Edelstein
• Filmmakers and Financing, Fifth Edition: Business Plans for Independents by Louis Levison
  

We should use these books as a step by step guide for putting together our plan and proposal for a movie; we’ll need to learn this for getting grants and equity investors. With documentaries, we either want to master proposal writing or get a proposal writer on board with us. Effective proposals are what fund via grants most documentaries. I highly recommend starting to connect with other established professionals. Start networking with people and picking their brain at every opportunity you get. Go to where such people congregate, learn from them, and connect your way forward from there.

We want to get to know entertainment lawyers who can advise us on the legal aspects of show-biz. We also want to get to know tax consultants who can advise us where and how to budget our movie, yielding the most tax breaks and optimal cash flow to meet the milestones in our budget.

Let this info motivate you to move forward. We will fail at times and make mistakes along the way. That’s almost a given. What matters is how well you pick yourself up and move forward. Let the failures and mistakes be a gold mine of lessons that school could never supply. However, we should still take the appropriate to continually educate ourselves on the business and craft of film making. Don’t neglect the hands off learning; however, don’t stay in that phase forever suffering from paralysis by analysis, reading and studying but not doing.

Remember it’s show-biz not show-art. Business is the other half of the process and it’s intertwined from the beginning to the end. We want to continuously grow in our skill. We need to keep moving forward, progress, track our progress, and learn from the mistakes. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to get going! Keep in mind at the end of the day, when a viewer is pitching your film to his friend for him to watch it, what will he say? Will it be something sounds interesting and has a story?

When it comes to reaching out to the mainstream audience, stories are what sell. If we can help people get value to distributors and our audience members, we’ll be able to do the work we want to do. Ideas are great and they really are a dime a dozen. You need a developed story to complement the idea. I’ll give you a few examples:

• My movie “Tufaan” - tufaanmovie.com is very specific in its approach. “It’s the story of Muslim relief workers post Huricanne Katrina. Muslims in the media are portrayed as people who cause disasters. What they don’t show are Muslims in the face of disaster.” From the synopsis and description you know exactly what to expect.
• UPF’s “On a Wing and a Prayer” tells the story of Monem Salem, a financial analyst, goes to flight school to learn how to fly a plane through the challenges of discrimination and stereotyping from his fellow pilots as well as the government.
• Warner Sisters producer Cass Warner tells the story of how her grandfather started the “Warner Brothers” legacy, rose to power, and lost it all through sibling rivalry.

You’ll notice from the above movie descriptions, we expect a story. We can tell whatever we want to the audience. It may be general or specific in terms of Islam; it just has to be served in a captivating story. As stated earlier, ideas are a dime a dozen if not cheaper. Stories are gold.

Develop a captivating story with characters people can relate to. Wrap the message you want to deliver around it and you’ll be able to move forward with your movie.

Where do I start?

• Step 1: Keeping the end in sight, I recommend that you make your movie with the intention of distributing it online with a possibility to venture out into Television
• Step 2: Focus on making your film between 5 to 7 minutes long
• Step 3: Start a blog
• Step 4: Brainstorming ideas now. For the next ten days think of three story ideas for your documentary and post them on your blog. At the end of ten days you’ll have 30 stories to pick from.
• Step 5: Pick the top three from your 30. Seek shura from friends, family, mentors, and blog visitors to get feedback on your ideas. Use Facebook and other social media tools to communicate with people, drive them to your blog, and get continuous feedback. Pray istikharah and pick the best of the three.
• Step 6: take your one awesome idea and start your research - interviews (don’t record video yet) books, etc, to develop your story’s outline. You want to make yourself a semi-expert on the topic your movie will be about.
• Step 7: Once you have gathered enough information, assemble your story’s outline and script. This is where you should learn about the three-act structure of story telling. I’d recommend you watch a video I’ve recorded at the following link to help you get started on your story: http:tinyurl.com/5×88fx
• Step 8: Put together a shooting plan. This is where you have to be creative and resourceful if you’re on a tight, shoe-string budget. You may meet many challenges along the way. I sure did and still am with the work that I do. Don’t be discouraged.
• Step 9: Gather all of your audio and visual material and start assembling the story. I recommend you organize and arrange your materials as you shoot them. It will make the editing process much less stressful. Use this time period to optimize your website to collect email addresses and build a following for your film.
• Step 10: Get the finished cut of your movie and get it distributed through the online community you have garnered as well as other media such as organizations who have large email lists and are supportive of your film and your goals.

If you have questions along the way or even before you start, feel free to email me: khanb@leechon.com or look me up on Facebook “Belal Khan.”

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Belal implements what he teaches, sharing his progress, setbacks, and insights along the way at: www.leechon.com. You may also get the opportunity to become part of his projects and gain hands on instruction at www.messagemastery.com.

Good Intentions Manifesto

Abdullah ibn al Mubarak was seen standing before the Ka’bah and was overheard saying: “O Allah, Ibn Abil-Muwaali told us from Muhammad Ibn al-Munkadir from Jaabir (RA) that Your Prophet (SAW) said, ‘The water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drank for.’ I am drinking it to prevent the thirst of the Day of Judgement.” Then Abdullah ibn al Mubarak drank it.

Life coaches everywhere know the power of good intentions, Muslim life coaches recognize the POWER of the RIGHT intentions. The fact is that the action we take should be directly related to the intent behind those actions. But sometimes things happen, we get busy with our lives, and we don’t really reflect on our intentions enough. Our actions, even our deeds become the ‘norm’, doing them becomes mindless, and reaping the benefits is not even in the picture.

Yet, when it comes to leading our best lives, to living with purpose and clarity, and excellence in all that we do, the act of going back to our intentions and giving them their due importance becomes obligatory. For the seeker of excellence, continually reviewing, expanding, and renewing your intention becomes as essential as oxygen is to your physical sustenance.

Muna (not her real name) has had a rough year. She became a mother for the third time, and her own mother passed away. Her husband works long hours in a city they just moved to. She feels isolated not knowing too many people and uprooted from her past life, her home and friends. She spends most of her time cooking and cleaning and tending to her children. She’s busy, yes, but in a “this is just filling my time” sort of way. Her actions are mechanical, her state of mind stolid (at best), and even her two year old sees it. The other day the child asked her mother why she never plays with her.

Mustafa (not his real name) is trying to be the patient and understanding husband, but he says that everything he does to try to help Muna reclaim the essence of her lively life (the one before this year) is met with indifference from her. Frankly, he thinks that he’s absorbing her impassiveness upon himself. And this worries him. The drive he had at his work, the rapport he enjoyed with his friends, the excitement he first felt at the prospect of getting involved with the Muslim community in his area, are all beginning to fade. He wants to reverse the situation, but he doesn’t know where to begin.

Where he begins is where we should all begin at times, at the start of every morning, but especially more so when we’re trying to get out of a destructive rut or looking to accomplish a worthy goal: we should all begin with our intentions. Purposely intending to do something that will color your life lively is the place to start. That’s fine for him, argues Mustafa, but how can he “intend” to influence someone else’s life, namely his wife.

The truth is, you can’t. But that’s part of making intentions too. By the very nature of the act, you are stating your objectives to Allah SWT, aiming to do the work necessary to achieve them, and then absolving yourself from the result that may or may not be in your control. The results are in the Hands of Allah SWT, and there is liberty in knowing that so long as your intention was in the right place, you can’t go wrong.

Here are four tips enabling you to ensure you’re making the most of your intentions:

1. Speak them out loud and use meaningful adjectives

The act of verbalizing an intention is the first step in transforming it from some random “I should do this” type of thought that roams around the wasteland of our minds to an “I will do this” action plan. What do you intend? Articulate it. Make it thrive with vibrancy. Have it be so colorful that you jump out of bed as the thought of it crosses your mind. After much soul searching, Mustafa found his voice. He spoke his intention to his wife one morning. “InshAllah, I’m making the intention to go for Hajj with you this year. We’ll have the most spiritual, wonderful time of our lives, and I can barely wait until I clear a path for you to kiss the black stone!” This last part made Muna laugh out loud, catching her husband’s enthusiasm.

2. Give them a fighting chance to see the light of day

What are the actions that will help along your intentions? What do you need to do so that your spoken intentions aren’t just just a bunch of words that you speak nonchalantly because you think that you “should” be doing them? Once you’ve determined what needs to be done, do it. When Mustafa intended to work on bringing the “life” back into his marriage and into his entire life, he decided that a Hajj trip for him and Muna would be what they needed. He started working on a plan, budgeting for the costs associated, and looking for someone to watch the children when they would be away.

3. Visit them often

Connect with your intentions in your duas to Allah SWT. Ask HIM to accept them, to make them happen. Reflect on them before doing an act and while thinking about doing an act. See them in your mind’s eye during times of reflection. Allow them to present themselves when you least expect them to. One time on his commute home, Mustafa was daydreaming so vividly about embarking on the Hajj rites with Muna, that he nearly missed his stop.

4. Treat them tenderly with loving care

Knowing that they will serve you well, no matter if you attain them or not. Allah SWT will look at your intentions not just accordingly, but abundantly. Narrated by Abu Hurairah (RA) that our Prophet (SAW) said, “Allah says, ‘If my slave intends to do a bad deed then (O Angels) do not write it unless he does it; if he does it, then write it as it is. But if he refrains from doing it for My Sake, then write it as a good deed (in his account). (On the other hand) if he intends to do a good deed, but does not do it, then write it as a good deed (in his account), and if he does it, then write it for him (in his account) as ten good deeds up to seven-hundred times.’” [Bukhari]

In the end, it’s an interesting thing about intentions. You never really comprehend how far they’ll go or what a lasting impression and legacy they can result in. Hajar (RA) had the intention to take care of her infant son. Left in a barren land, she went from the mounts of AlSafa and AlMarwa looking for sustenance. As she came down and saw the gushing water, she proclaimed, “Zam Zam,” and cupped her hands to catch it. And it flowed and flowed. Her son drank and she drank. Ibn AlMubarak drank. Generations of Muslim drank and will continue to drink from it inshAllah. What will your intention be when you get the chance? Mustafa knows what his will be.

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Heba Alshareef is the author of Release Your Inner Queen of Sheba! Protocols and Procedures to Lead Your Best Life. She blogs at www.iamsheba.com.