#3 DDN - Being an Amazing Action Taker
#3, 30 November 2024, The Divine Duty Newsletter
Assalamu Alaikum!
Welcome to Issue #3 of the Divine Duty Newsletter.
Here’s November’s edition. Once a month, I’ll be sending you a newsletter full of timeless ideas and insights you can use in life and work, insha’allah.
They are going to have a different focus every time but all loosely centred around the core themes of lifelong learning, critical thinking and fulfilling your purpose and potential. This month’s issue is all about being an amazing action taker.
Before you read, you should check out the free scorecard which tell you how on track your current life is with your true purpose. 2000+ Muslims have taken this so far! (link)
In today’s newsletter, the theme is taking action and we will go over:
Quaint Quotes - My favourite often obscure quotes, relevant to the theme
Deep in Thought - A Deep Dive into ‘Action Taking’ and how you can do it
Fascinating Frameworks - Models or frameworks that can aid our understanding
Actionable Insights - How can you start putting these new ideas into action?
Resources to Review - Some of the best resources on this issue’s theme…
And much more…
“Faith, without works (actions), is dead.” The Bible, James 2:26
Exactly. No point in just talking a good game.
"Every tear which is not accompanied by action is a lie."
Love this one.
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer the negative elements in your life, don’t sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy!” — Dale Carnegie
Fear often freezes us. Action thaws us. Like Prophet Musa (AS) - (link)
"Action creates progress. Progress creates momentum. Momentum creates motivation." Shane Parrish
A little eventually turns into a lot.
“Even if you studied for a hundred years and collected a thousand books, you would not be eligible for the mercy of God the Exalted except through action.” Al-Ghazali, Letter to a Disciple
Enough said.
Anas ibn Malik (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said:
“If the Final Hour comes while you have a palm-cutting in your hands and it is possible to plant it before the Hour comes, you should plant it.” [Al-Abani]
This hadith is one that has always inspired and motivated me, and one that really drives action, action, action.
Let’s look at this in a little more detail.
If the world is coming to an end, why should I plant a palm shoot?
Good question. Why should I go to so much trouble for a tree that will not bear fruit?
Contribute no matter the circumstances
One of the lessons we can learn from this powerful hadith is that Muslims should learn to contribute under ALL circumstances - even one as fatal as the end of the world.
Do not take action conditional on its outcome
We live in an increasingly impatient society, which is more and more focused on the tangible and material. The analogy of a plant is interesting because there is not an immediate result or success to be had after planting the seed. You must be patient to see the fruits of your labour.
Always act with ihsan
The effort required to harmoniously place the seed into its rightful place into the earth so that it may fulfil its purpose and grow and benefit others is an act of goodness. Because of this, we must strive to do it with the utmost excellence (ihsan).
Be positive
The attitude of constructive positivity and active endeavour is one of the core principles stressed by the sunnah.
Here’s this in more depth in an article (written over 10 years ago now!) called Staying Productive in the Last Age. (link)
A great way to take action is to model someone who has successfully achieved what you need to achieve. This is a concept called Bright Spotting, from Chip and Dan Heath’s famous book ‘Made to Stick’.
Who is someone that has achieved the change you want to achieve? Research this to find a great example who is relevant to what you do.
What are the exact steps you need to follow to achieve the change? List them in detail but do it in steps like a recipe for baking the perfect cake.
What is the first micro-step required? Take action on that immediately. (link)
What are the core pillars? Think about Makkah and Madinah. Build your foundations first. And then build up from there. The Sahabah didn’t establish Madinah first. There’s a reason why pillars are called pillars. Because they hold up the entire structure. Makkah is what develops the pillars.
For example, what are the pillars of health? Sleep, nutrition, movement. So if you’re trying to transform your health, are they all in the right place before adding further complexity? Don’t do Madinah-level activity when you haven’t mastered Makkah.
My favourite wrestler growing up was Bret “the Hitman” Hart, also known as the Excellence of Execution. (link)
How do you get excellent execution? It’s easy as ABCD.
Asymmetric Actions - these are actions that require little or low input but yield massive outputs. 80/20 Pareto’s law.
Barakah - When you have barakah in your work, Allah is doing the heavy lifting. You do little but massive outputs. How do you increase this?
Compact: Break actions down into smaller chunks, so they don’t feel overwhelming. Micro actions. Atomic Deeds! (link)
Discipline: All about building consistency and also the push to ensure you do even actions that scare you, day after day as part of routine so you do not procrastinate.
This framework is from Day 34 of the Know Your Purpose program and goes through strategies and systems you can set up to ensure you are taking the right actions towards your purpose and overcoming overwhelm and procrastination.
The One Thing (book), Gary Keller (link)
A very good book for prioritising and focusing on THE most important thing that will make all other things easier.
How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over (TED Talk), Mel Robbins (link)
One of the most viewed TED talks of all times - Mel Robbins shares a very simple technique to stop procrastinating and get moving!
Eat that Frog (book), Brian Tracy (link)
A classic with a very simple but practical concept - do your hardest task first thing in the morning.
Letter to a Discipline (book), Imam al-Ghazali (link)
A nice short book, summarising a lot of his work but what’s clear throughout is the emphasis on taking action!
The Feel Fulfilled Forever Formula Guide (link)
This is a 98 page guide I put together to help people to start the journey towards feeling more fulfilled in life and work. It contains exercises and thought experiments to help you take action towards being more content.
Join our FREE community of like-minded action takers (link)
If you’d like to work with me, you can apply to book a call here (link)
Want to level up and make 2025 the best year of your life? Join the waitlist (link)
Interested in our rich heritage and a brighter future? Check out the 19 part series on Second Golden Age (link) or our newsletter (link)
Want more content like this? Follow me on X, Instagram or LinkedIn.
Interested in finding your purpose? Here’s some free training (link)
You, the people will decide
I pray that Allah puts barakah in your action taking, ameen!
Please let me know what you think of this format and give me suggestions for themes for future issues. I promise to read every single email insha’allah!
With Love,
Faisal
