Tag Archives: books

A Mindful & Productive Summer

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Meditation health benefits for body, mind and emotions, raster infographic with icons set A Mindful & Productive Summer
What are you doing for self-improvement? I’m consumed by two fascinating courses that have the potential to literally change my brain. My work impacts improvement for Islamic schools and halal businesses, and now my repertoire includes research-based strategies for mindfulness, emotional intelligence, character development, and productivity.
Define 360 has been on my radar for several years, as I was acquainted with the founders since we overlapped in our interests in education and business. I’m in the first cohort of the Character Coach Certificate Course, and it is truly rich and ambitious, reflecting the excellence of the international team that has designed it.
Meditation and multi-faceted nuances of the Self are in the curriculum and have become my daily practice. Added to this is a vast array of wisdom and quotes from a variety of sages. fMRI imaging has verified increased brain connectivity, and studies report better academic performance, increased focus, reduced anxiety, improved emotional control, reduced blood pressure, and a change in blood flow correlated to a more profound spiritual experience in prayer. I’m finding validation in my journey.
“The Productive Muslim” is a book I’d read a few years ago; but in bumping into its author, Mohammed Faris, recently in New York City, it resulted in me taking his Productive Muslim Masterclass online. I’ve found the 4th edition of his book to have even more research and resources than my previous edition. We have weekly assignments and experiments, and I must admit that the most significant life hack has been to eliminate most notifications from my phone. I’d never realized how often I’m distracted, and it took some adjusting to let it go. Another benefit, even though I’d known of it before, was to schedule blocks of focused work periods into my calendar and utilize scheduling software for my consulting calls. Mohammed also fortifies the research with gems from Islamic sources, of which the greatest is about our own mindset, motivation, and reason for existence. What is your Why? Do you think the work you do is truly a source of blessings?
Both courses feature mastermind accountability groups which have resulted in new friends from around the globe who share the passion for sincerely trying to improve ourselves.
Yet, the greatest evolution I have is that I’m juggling this, as well as practicing yoga, studying a little Spanish each day, completing a copywriting course, and adopting a year-long school project in northern California, with caring for my 4-month old grandson during work hours each week. These courses certainly have come at a fortuitous juncture in my life, as I juggle time, productivity, and cultivate him with my newly learned emotional intelligence and mindfulness insights.
Hopefully, your summer has been filled with growth and restorative fun! What do you want to learn about in the next term?

The Influence

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All the Light The Influence When my editor in Dubai posted a Tweet that she’d read All the Light We Cannot See, I decided that it appeared to be an interesting read. While I typically favor non-fiction, occasionally it is refreshing to delve into literature, especially if it is vivid in descriptive prose, as is this book.

Cited with accolades, it took a while for it to become available from my library near Chicago because four other patrons thought to reserve it as well before it was my turn. And I happened to be in a severe time crunch with six freelance projects locking me down, whereby the only exercise I caught was fetching groceries, running upstairs to use my printer, or dragging the laundry basket to the basement.

When I finally brought the book home, I kept it perched on my glass table in the living room, opposite the couch where I have set up a comfortable workstation with a bright daylight view out the picture window. I tired from staying stuck with my laptop on my kitchen table for many years, as I spend enough time in the kitchen.

One day, my daughter came to visit. She saw the book and lit up. “Ah! I’m reading the same book!” She’d seen it at our local book store, where she sometimes likes to go and lose herself in the imaginary world that only reading can reveal.

At hearing that from her, although I’d considered just returning it, unread, due to my workload, I committed to find time enough to push through about 100 pages per day. I’m about half way through, and am seriously considering gifting a copy to a favored nephew. And that chain of events triggered the realization of the power of influence. Manipulating this can be a useful tool or a nemesis.

My Fitbit, which has heightened my awareness about sleep and activity levels, has prompted former students, friends, and relatives to connect with me, and it has influenced my desire to strive harder for more activity and to defend my need for more sleep…though I am still working on improvement.

Granted, in times like the present when I have a ton of work or even when I have had some overuse injuries, I can’t match my own goals; however, though I set my daily step goal for 12,000 on average, I have the influence of my students, some 30 years younger, achieving 140,000 steps weekly. That has some degree of motivation for me because at my core is a bit of competitive drive, and that’s a treasure.

Do you deliberately fuel yourself with things that can influence you toward success in your health, work, and relationships? There are benefits to immersing yourself with art, music, spiritual nurturing, science discoveries, nature, literature, and reminders which yield your gratitude.

Especially in these times when much disruption, disorder, and disgusting behavior is seen, these are salves which help keep us driving forward for our aspirations to not be obliterated. This innate ability to mirror higher ordered conduct and elements associated with civilization can be used for our benefit or our detriment. It depends on our choices, so be sure to feed your body, mind, and soul with better content and use influence to help others as well.