Length: 2,035 words

Read time: 8m 8s

2 weeks ago I was questioning how I got here.

So I looked through the Photos app on my phone (I document everything in my life)

It all made sense. I know how I got here now.

Before we begin:

• If you're wondering where I disappeared to: I've been building out my first course and community that's set to launch mid-next week. I'll send out another email with more details soon.

• What I'll be sharing in the community over the next few months:

  • How I write and come up with ideas for my newsletters (like the one you're reading right now)

  • How I grew to 500k followers (I gained over 100k in just one month)

  • The systems I used to quit my $130,000/year remote 9-5 job

  • How I create reels that you can't stop watching

  • How I built strong personal brands (both business and personal) so recognizable that people can spot my work from their explore page

I'm super excited to be entering this stage of my creative career. Feels like it's time.

But when I think about how I got here…

The current reality you are living in is the result of the choices you've made over the past 3 years.

It's the micro-decisions and seemingly small choices that have shaped your macro-life.

"Should I wake up for Fajr right now or hit snooze?"

"Should I scroll on my phone or work out for 20 minutes?"

"Should I eat three eggs with some halāl beef bacon for breakfast or a croissant with Nutella?"

Everything in life is a series of choices — dichotomies that define your path.

Choices shape our existence.

The Binary Nature of Life

We live in a world of binary choices.

Every action has an opposite.

Every decision has a consequence.

Every creation has a pair:

• Heaven [2:82] and Hell [5:10].

• Angels [97:4] and devils [6:112].

• Male [49:13] and female [49:13].

• Light [2:257] and dark [2:257]

• Water [56:68] and fire [56:71]

• Life [40:68] and death [40:68]

• Truth [34:49] and falsehood [34:49]

• Good [5:100] and evil [5:100]

The only constant that transcends this binary thinking is Allāh.

Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One [112:1]

You need a higher purpose in a world of endless binary choices.

He ﷻ is your anchor.

Are you moving towards Allāh or away from Him?

Answer this and you'll know if you are winning at this game of life.

The Anti-Vision

I get a lot of questions from people saying they don't know what they want.

Well, what is it that you don't want?

Identifying what you want comes from experience, not imagination.

Imagination is limited by what we already know.

It's easier to pinpoint what you don't want.

Try different things. Create problems for yourself. Solve them. Do it over again but do it better. Make more mistakes. Learn from them.

True understanding of life does not come from abstract thought. It comes from lived experience.

Create an anti-vision. Think about what you don't want in your life:

• What do you not want to feel like?

• What do you want to not look like?

• What does your worst day look like?

• What qualities do you not want in your spouse?

• How much money is not enough to live comfortably?

• What do you not want to be questioned about on the Day of Judgement?

Life and decision-making are binary.

You either move towards something or away from it.

By knowing what you reject, you sharpen your focus on what you want.

Think of your anti-vision in the following areas: health, wealth, relationships, and happiness.

These are timeless pillars of human pursuit and they are important in any creative business.

Your future in 10 years depends on:

1) The qur'ān you read today.

This is the ultimate tool to reprogram your mind to align with the highest purpose.

The qur'ān is how you anchor yourself to Allāh.

Don't just read it — download it. Rewire your brain with it.

Do this by learning the translations and tafsīr. Memorize it.

The qur'ān is the cheat code to the game of life.

Allāh has given you all the answers you need to win.

Make this a non-negotiable part of your daily routine.

Just like you set aside time for work, school, laundry, cleaning, cooking, family… set aside time for the qur'ān.

The qur'ān has the power to not just rewire your mind but to alter the trajectory of your entire life.

Think back to the binary choices:

Do you want to be someone who the qur'ān intercedes for? Or do you want it to testify against you? Establish a routine of reading the words of your Lord if you want to be among the successful.

2) The food you choose today

..Then he ﷺ mentioned [the case] of a man who, having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty, and who spreads out his hands to the sky saying "O Lord! O Lord!," while his food is harām (unlawful), his drink is harām, his clothing is harām, and he has been nourished with harām, so how can [his supplication] be answered? [Muslim]

Our du'as are affected by what we consume.

Every morsel you put into your stomach determines the quality of your thoughts, your energy, and your connection to the unseen world.

Your diet is no exception when it comes to optimizing your life.

Just as you would optimize your work environment with a desk, ergonomic chair, and good lighting — you must optimize your food inputs too.

The qur'ān teaches us to eat halāl and tayyib (pure).

Food is the fuel to your body and brain — nutrition makes or breaks you.

80% of getting healthy depends on your eating habits. 20% on exercise.

Be intentional with what you eat. Establish healthy eating habits now to avoid struggles later in life. Whether you're in your 20s, 30s, 40s, or beyond, it's never too late to start making better choices.

Eat organic. Eat unprocessed foods. Eat protein.

Here are some qur'ānic and prophetic foods and their key benefits:

• Raw Honey: Natural healer and energy booster.

• Olives: Heart health and anti-inflammatory properties.

• Dates: High energy and nutrient-dense.

• Pomegranates: Rich in antioxidants; supports heart health.

• Figs: High in fiber; promotes digestive health.

• Black Seed: Immune system support; "cure for every disease except death."

• Whole Grain Barley: Rich in fiber; good for heart health.

• Lentils: High in protein and iron; supports muscle and blood health.

• Raw Milk: Nutrient-rich; supports bone health.

Audit your diet.

Remove anything that doesn't serve your needs.

3) The salāh you perform today

If you struggle with discipline and routines, you probably struggle with your prayers too.

Deep work is necessary for getting results.

Prayer is deep work for the soul.

حي على الصلاة حي على الفلاح

Come to prayer, come to success

Prayer is the ultimate form of success.

It's the very thing you will be asked about first on the Day of Judgment.

• Do you pray 5x a day? If no, fix that. If yes, level up.

• Do you pray sunnah prayers? If yes, level up.

• Do you pray tahajjud? If yes, level up.

• Do you pray duhā? If yes, level up.

• Do you pray istikhārah? If yes, level up.

• Do you pray nafl prayers? If yes, increase the amount.

How you approach your prayers reflects your approach to life.

It is both an obligation and an opportunity.

Do not underestimate its power or its priority in your daily life.

4) The routines you make today

Your today determines your tomorrow.

Your daily routines are the building blocks of your future. Whether it's your morning prayer, exercise, or learning time, these routines are what compound into success in this life and the next.

Routines follow goals.

Your goal is the most important thing in your life — it's the bridge between what you do and don't do. Anything not relevant to your goal should be treated as a distraction.

• Use macro-goals for direction.

• Use micro-goals for focus.

I use the 5 daily prayers to create a routine.

Here's how I structure my day:

• Fajr: Gratitude, qur'ān, focused work, breakfast.

• Dhuhr: Re-energize & rest, workout, lunch.

• Asr: Learning, meetings, creative hobbies.

• Maghrib: Dhikr, dinner, family time.

• Isha: Journal & reflection, du'ās, sleep.

The more successful you want to be, the more "boring" your day will be.

You'll eat the same food, do the same work, and sleep at the same time. But these habits will compound over time. Then one day it hits you and you'll understand how you got here.

5) The accounts you follow today

We live in a time where you can watch your 3^rd grade best friend's kids grow up, get married, have kids of their own to make your 3^rd grade best friend a grandparent.

Wild.

Your digital environment now affects you more than your physical environment.

You feel stuck in the same place? Take a look at what you are consuming through your eyes and your ears.

You want to wear hijāb better ? Unfollow those who beautify it.

You want to be more focused? Unfollow those who engage in idle talk.

You want to be more productive? Unfollow those who post their moments of heedlessness (ghaflah).

The accounts you follow will either lift you up or drag you down.

Audit your following list and eliminate anything that doesn't serve your growth.

Create a vision board with your following and algorithm.

6) The way you handle problems today

Humans are designed to solve problems.

Babies want to get from one place to another quicker.

So they learn how to crawl. Then walk.

Babies want to communicate their needs. So they learn how to talk.

How do you solve your problems?

Do you cry and wait it out? Do you run away? Do you numb yourself?

You're stressed because you are running away from your problems.

Entrepreneurship is about solving problems.

Turn your problems into solutions for people.

Turn your problems into projects.

Most businesses fail when they try to solve problems they have not experienced themselves.

Problems are of these types:

• Relationship: family issues, conflicts, relationships.

• Wealth: financial struggles, loss of wealth, success, and prosperity.

• Health: illness, health issues, famine, drought, food concerns.

• Emotional: fear, anxiety, doubt, adversity, hardship, loss of loved ones.

• Spiritual: doubt, faith, following guidance, worship practices.

• Social: oppression, injustice, social conflicts, community issues.

• Ethical: temptations, desires, and moral decisions.

When you have a problem, there is an information gap.

You are missing a skill, mindset, or knowledge to get yourself over the problem.

You need education.

Daily self-education is a MUST.

The best investment you can make is in learning.

Without education — spiritual, mental, financial, physical — you cannot advance in life.

"Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" [39:9]

7) The people you surround yourself today

Human connections are a mirror of yourself.

They say you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.

You learn from your parents who raised you, the friends you hang out with and the teachers who taught you.

You learned:

• their akhlāq (character and manners)

• their habits

• their way of thinking

• their standards of hygiene

• how to dress

• how to present yourself

• how to interact with the world

• the food you eat

If your friends don't eat halāl, then when you're with them, you have to [unnecessarily] worry about whether what you're consuming is halāl or not.

The lifestyle choices you make are all influenced by the people in your immediate environment.

If you want a different life than your current one, you need to upgrade your standards.

Your social circle should reflect the person you want to become, not the person you used to be.

At the very least it should be people who share the same goals and values.

Don't be the person who says this on the Day of Judgement:

"Oh, woe to me! I wish I had not taken that one as a friend." [25:28]

That's all I got for you friends.

Thank you for reading this letter.

And as always:

مع حبي (with love)

— Saufiyah ♡