Always credit your success to the Almighty

There is no one habit, rule, law, or behavior that could guarantee the desired results.

Nowadays, we see millions of people sharing their success stories or things they do that made them achieve their goals, which is not wrong, one should preach and help others with the positive experiences of their lives.

But one thing we should understand is that, a result is a collection of multiple things, even the smallest unnoticeable steps we take determine the final result. It might appear to us that taking a particular approach made us achieve our goal, but the reality could be different.

Think about it, how much of control does we actually have on us? Think deeply how many times things miraculously happened that changed the course of our life, things that weren't in our control, things we didn't think to happen.

Even the decisions we take consciously are  driven by abrupt circumstances around us that push us subconsciously towards making a decision.

Who does all this? Is it really us being smart if we get good grades or a good job or any other thing? I don't think so. No matter how hard we try, it's always Allah; without His blessings, nothing happens.

That is the reason we should never compare anyone with anyone; a millionaire is not a millionaire because he is smarter or working harder than everybody else, there are people way smarter and work way harder and yet make a basic living.

Resources, background, physical health, mental health, family issues, financial issues, and a lot of other factors are involved that make our path.

A same tomato grows in Karachi, Lahore, India, USA, Europe, it's the same vegetable, but it grows in a different shape and tastes differently all over the world, because it might be the same vegetable, but it has a different life, the soil is different, the air is different, the land is different, the sunlight is different.  We can sow a seed, but we can't control the outcome, it's always in the hands of nature. Someone with resources might tamper with nature, but on a very limited scale, it can't be done to the majority.

Today's motivational posts are actually more depressing than motivating; people just share one side, one aspect of the story, ignoring that life is not the same for all. Only the shiny and glossy stuff is shared on social media, I believe there are more failure stories than success stories, but they won't get the spotlight; because happy delusion is better than bitter realities.

A lady was once sharing her thoughts on time management, how she even utilizes her commute time to work back and forth, she reads a book or a newspaper, or finishes an important task while going to work; that lady had a car and a driver, and all she had to do is sit back; now how many people have this luxury of travel?

I am not sharing the story on a negative connotation, but the point I am trying to make is that we all have different resources and different lives, just because someone couldn't make it to the top, doesn't mean they are any less, we don't know someone's battles.

People say happiness is a choice, I beg to differ, no one wants to be sad, everyone wants to be happy, it's not like people choose not to be happy, we don't know what's going on in their life, especially in today’s stressful and depressing environment.

So if you are happy, successful, smart, hard working, remember that it's not all you, you might have taken some good decisions that led to your success, but there were a lot of unnoticed circumstances that nature created for you for having the path you are on now.

And like I said, small things make big differences; you woke up in a nice room after having a nice sleep, had a nice cup of coffee to set the mood, your bathroom is clean, your home is sorted out, your bills are paid, you live in a nice neighborhood, you have a comfortable job, you will come up with bright ideas, you will have a good mood throughout the day, you will feel productive and you will end your day on a positive note and wake up the next day even better.

But then there are people who didn't have a good night sleep, their house is not in order, they couldn't get the coffee to set their mood, their job is stressful, their resources are limited, their to-do list is long; how can someone in such frustrating situation come up with bright ideas? The majority of people are so tangled in making a living that they have no time left  for themselves.

It's easy to say that we should take risks, but risks are often taken by those who already have a lot of resources, or those who have nothing left to lose.

There are many people who worked harder, smarter, and made better decisions and yet failed, and there are people who did nothing and became overnight success.

"Fortune favors the brave," true, but even the bravery is a blessing not everyone could have.

We don't get to choose who we are, we are chosen to be who we are.

Everything in this world is a test, not just sadness or misery, even our good times are our tests. The test is to be patient in hard times, and be thankful in good times. 

Our life is like a puzzle; tiny pieces put together shape our lives, but we all have different pieces.

That is why Allah says that don't run behind the worldly success, run towards me, everyone is truly equal in front of Allah, the real success is the hereafter, not the dunya; dunya is just for survival, not the endgame.