American Muslima Writer -Daring to Work Towards Jannah

Miss Muslimah wrote an interesting topic of inner reflection that I commented to and just HAVE to add more to it by re-wording my comment and elaborating.

Inner reflections are my favorite posts of all post on anyone's site because when you focus in instead of out it shows you are able to see inside and strive for change that is better. Many people can't look inside. Alhamdulillah you can.
A lot of people have problems with depression and feeling the future is overwhelming or you don't stack up against other people well. Once I tried to commit suicide when my future looked bleak and unsurmountable. (no i wasn't muslim at the time but it was certainly one of the triggers that made me start to change my life) My parents helped me break everything I needed to do that year into a list of managable tasks and they showed me that with some real effort durring the summer I'd be right back on track with my life. I did the effort and pulled through and made it through the summer thanks to that wonderful breaking things down method and LIVED! ALHAMDULILLAH! to say shahada just after summer.
I totally suggest you write your own personal list of the things you really want to accomplish in this year, and within the next three months, and break it down more if you need to of things this month, this week, today!. Like take hijab JUST FOR EXAMPLE say you want to put it on within one year but not within 3 months. That makes you feel less stressed about something you don't need in your head for the next three months. It can be simple and easy things (in fact i reccomend easy things that you know you will accomplish) like you want to memorize one ayah of Qur'an...anyone can memorize one ayah in a year. If one year is just too much you can stretch it to two or three but beyond this you're digging too much just anything for "later than three" put in a later column.This will help you not only define each subject you need to deal with in your life it gives you an outlook of what to look forward to.
My example is (thanks to Miss Muslimah's earlier post and others talking to me) I want to get rid of music within the next three months of innapropriate music and within a year for all others like classical and emotional soundtracks. INSHA'ALLAH.
You can put it on your blog which will help solidify your goals but the down side is you can feel worse if you don't make them. Like my idea/goal for a craft store. I was obsessed with this idea for a month or so and it hasn't come to pass yet and I'm starting to wonder if I want it to anymore....so I made a goal online and everyone knows I've screwed it up but I'm trying to get over the feelings of failure by remembering all the other goals I AM succeeding in.
ANyways we all have goals even the people that seem all put together and masha'Allah better than us and we all struggle. There is hadith that we should look to the poor to be grateful for what we have instead of looking at the rich and feeling inadequate. This could also work for those trying in deen. Look at how far you've come and what trials you've overcome (such as resisting zina by getting marired etc..) and then you'll see you have accomplished so much. And look towards those who are better than you in deen as a hero/example that you want to emulate and strive towards. I know the Prophet and companions are the best example and insh'Allah we get so high in our deen to be like them but sometimes having a friend or imam that we can look up to is easier because they aren't THAT much higher than us and its a goal we can reach faster. REMEMBER MY AIM LOW BLOG POST: Aim Low = No Fail. Have a good outlook about where you are going towards and strive to reach it in small incriments.
I'm not above my own postings I am planning to do this planning in a few more days when i abosolutly finish all the last details of my house organization. I feel that I can't improve inside until my outside "to do list" is out of my head. I need the extra room for extra hard spiritual thinking!