| The Idea of the Program Imagine a guy sitting on his bed in his dark room, discouraged from the dull, routine nature of his lifestyle. A prayer rug or a TV is nearby, and he�s spending his whole time either praying or just watching TV. Another guy comes into his room, successful, hopeful, with a lot of ambition and goals to fulfill�he�s shocked when he sees his depressed friend locked up in this dark room. Everybody else is out working and building life together� He says to him, �How about you put your hand in mine and we leave this dark room and go outside and be successful�� The depressed guy wanted so much to go with his friend, but when he tried to get up, he realized he couldn�t. He was chained. His left hand was chained with �negativity,� his right hand was chained with �not knowing the value of time.� His feet were chained with �lack of motivation� and his neck was chained with �lack of seriousness.� His friend assured him that the locks on these chains could be opened by certain keys. One of these keys was called �proactivity� (this week�s topic). Eventually, he learned how to unlock all of the chains and was ready to face the world. So he opened his bedroom window to get out and was surprised to see other windows also opening and other people like him coming out�so they all held hands and worked together� [This program will basically teach you how to succeed in life, even if you are in a state of hopelessness like the guy described above. Each episode will focus on how to �unlock� the chain on certain things that might thwart our efforts to achieve and actually make a difference in life.] Some ideas of Proactivity � The first and most basic habit of a highly effective person in any environment is the habit of proactivity. � Being proactive means having the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen. They do not blame circumstances or conditions (example: you only complain and blame others when you see that the masjid needs cleaning and you fail to take the initiative yourself). � A proactive person is someone who is brave in bringing change and doesn�t care what others think of him when he goes about to do it. � A proactive person is someone who contributes to society and adds to it in all areas (school, college, work, family, environment, etc�) � If you don�t add anything to life, it is as if you do not exist. � You should stop saying phrases like: �I just can�t,� �I�m embarrassed,� �I don�t care,� �I�m not going to make a difference.� � The difference between being proactive and not proactive is like night and day, living and dead, existence and non-existence, 0 and 1. � Proactivity is mentioned in the Quran, ayah #76 in surat Al-Nahl (The Bee). It�s an ayah that describes the negative person as a nuisance and the proactive one as one who gives proper orders and is on the Straight Path. This week�s survey: 1) How many positive things did you do this week? � Less than 2 (weak positive) � 2 to 5 (intermediate positive) � More than 5 (very positive) 2) How many people did you encourage to do something positive? � Less than 2 (weak positive) � 2 to 5 (intermediate positive) � More than 5 (very positive) 3) How many people did you spread this message and survey to? � Less than 2 (weak positive) � 2 to 5 (intermediate positive) � More than 5 (very positive) |
| Being Proactive |