The Choices We Neglect (1/3): Reasons for Failure in Life [Islamized Version]

Disclaimer: This article is about making certain choices which allow us to live a life that is filled with joy, success, love, happiness and positivity most of the time. After reading this article, some readers may get questions in their mind like, "but a life without problems and living in constant happiness seems too unrealistic because we all know that life can never be happy and smooth all the time." My answer for these types of question is that it is true that life can never be happy and smooth all the time because sometimes there are rainy days and sometimes there are sunny days. And we can't do anything about it. The truth is that, we need rainy days in order to value the sunny days and vice versa. Polarity and change are necessary for progress and advancement in life. Therefore, sometimes even if we try our best to live a positive life, we'll still experience negative situations every now and then. And it is totally fine, because only through negative situations we can learn how to be more positive and only after facing negativity we can embrace positivity and experience more of it into our life. Especially when we embark on a journey towards a good and positive life, we will get to experience sometimes really hard times but when we look closely, we'll find that these hard times are actually benefitting us on our journey towards our goals and dreams. The more positivity a person is aiming for, the more negativity they have to experience and learn from. At the end of the day, we are not our own God. There is a higher source which knows better than us, what is right for our best progress and advancement. And that higher source is always helping us to achieve our best lives. So our biggest challenge and duty in life is to focus on the positive even when times get tough and to always trust the progress and remain positive and hopeful through every situation. I swear that the results which you will experience after maintaining a positive mindset through hard situations, will be a real triumph and success. Once you experience that, it will further empower and encourage you to be more positive and to choose even more of the good in life. Hereby I encourage you to read my article Need for Speed or Need for Problem?

Now let us jump straight into the main theme of today's article: one of the biggest choices in life that is so often neglected by us is the choice for the good. By the good I mean everything that feels good, sounds good and looks good - every positive emotion, feeling, thought, action or words and everything that is based on peace and love. The truth is that the good and all its attributes is not something that one can achieve through luck. But it's a choice. It is a choice that we all can make every day. We all, no matter which part of the earth, no matter which circumstance in life, we always have the choice to either choose the good or choose the bad. And since our outside world is very often a reflection of our internal state, when we make our internal state good - such as through good thoughts, feelings and emotions, then our outside world will also change in a positive way. Hence the most well-known verse and statement: "The condition of people will not change until they change what is within themselves." (The Quran; Chapter 13, Verse 11)

This is the biggest truth. And this is also the reason why bad things happen to good people. It is because these people are holding on to fears, doubts, worries and different negative thoughts and emotions. Their internal state remains negative and therefore, their external world becomes a reflection of that. This is why some good people are living a life in which whatever they are afraid of will come true and manifest in their world. But the good news is that we have a choice. We are still given the choice every single day to fill ourselves with positive thoughts, emotions and feelings. And also to say things that are positive and to surround ourselves with positivity - such as positive people, and a beautiful environment.

Once you understand this concept, your whole life will change. 

In the 2nd part of this article, I will share with you how you can start living a life that is filled with more joy and happiness. The Choices We Neglect (2/3): Choosing Peace Over Fear

About the Author

Sumayah U.R. is the Chief Executive Officer at Inspired Living Counselling enterprises. She is the author of the book The Relationship between Islam and Modern Science. She has a BA in Islamic Studies and a Certificate in Education from the Islamic Online University.