2016 Life Theme

Oh, my English! Today I decided to write in English, a language that I have learnt before I started primary school, informally with my beloved sisters and TV. Writing this non-academic blog, at least, make me feel free to write down any issue that comes from the heart, with the hope of benefiting myself and others. This is a language that I used in schools and universities but lacking in daily interaction for I used Bahasa Melayu and Kelantanese dialect most of the time. Lacking some vocabularies is normal. It is a misfortune for someone like me who is writing her Ph.D. thesis in English and who is going to write her next story in English if the 'I cannot do it' stigma still present in this claimed beautiful mind. 

Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City explained, “I write to explain myself to myself. It’s a way of processing my disasters, sorting out the messiness of life to lend symmetry and meaning to it.” 

Well, I agree with Maupin. While admitting the lack in grammar and vocabulary, I keep on telling myself that I need to sort out the messiness of life through writing with the thought that writing would be part of the journey to find a good side of a life problem.

'Thoughts influence your actions, so, if you think negatively, there’s no bright future ahead of you. Positive people don’t believe in the excuses their minds come up with. Through positive affirmations and finding the good side of any problem, they make sure they are mentally set up for success.' See http://www.lifehack.org/284661/14-ways-positive-people-separate-themselves-from-negative-energy

The idea of creating a blog by the name of 'flowers in my mind' originated from my intention to help myself think positive through writing. Millions of people make writing as a wonderful career with millions worth of revenue, but the intention did not go that far. It was just an intention out of a strong willingness to be more positive, grateful, be more productive and strive for more without ever looking back, just to be weakened by the many negative influences which were somehow intolerable. The intention was a genuine ambition to help myself who I believe, the best of creation Allah SWT as an evidence of being grateful.

Driven for Success

I realized that I am driven for success, either for my Ph.D study, family, career or losing my weight! There is nothing nice being flagged in the study most of the time, ungrateful with the given moments to be with family (also most of the time) and having an overweight body! I am driven to make some changes to those. Changes that will prove my efforts of adhering to Allah's Commands of being thankful for everything I have. I am inspired by some motivational talks on the internet, particularly Brendon Buchard, a young and determined speaker who has proved his worth of not only improving his life but also a thousand others. 

I am a woman and I know my limit. Driving myself towards success still need some adjustments to the limits posed by Allah SWT. I call this, 'an adjustment skill (AS)' a woman should possess to be a successful professional without neglecting the commands from Allah SWT. This is a skill not all Muslim Woman has, but I decided to possess. Interpersonal communication skills are crucial that built a package, ME. Acknowledging the 'AS' to my survival is not an easy task. It requires passion, faith, and determination. Hence, I choose not to seek for perfection for the purpose of self-improvement.

2016 Goals

"life is hard at times. But when I overcome more challenges, I become much stronger then. So, I'm going to embrace them." - lifehack.org

More Productive

Self-improvement is one of my goals in 2016. One is being more productive. Discipline I call it. Bryan Tracy has taught me on how to be disciplined and stay focus. It takes time for me to actualize the intention for discipline needs continuous practise and determination. Everyone talks about displaying our goals and consistently observing our goals set up so we would not be easily distracted to do something less important. Pomodoro technique, they call it is one way to solve the issues of prioritizing tasks for the day, which I will adopt to help myself with my discipline issue of doing my Ph.D. work on top of other commitments as a wife, mother and employee. 

I did some readings on the internet, particularly the lifehack.org on being productive. Being productive is crucial for my position as a Ph.D. candidate and my supervisor have advised me over and over again about how to be a productive Ph.D candidate, according to her experience and understanding which are in line with what other scholars understanding about being productive, James Hayton, Muhammad Kamil Ibrahim (MKI), Othman Talib to name a few. Being a productive Ph.D. student according to these scholars is to consistently come up with write-up every day. This is impossible without active reading and writing and the rigour to search more than what is available in the literature. 

Where is your 2015 diary? Planner? Note Book? Personal Journal? Cash Flow? These form significant tools in documenting goals for the year which should be kept and updated each day. Those are not just for the first month of the year but extend to eleven months after and continuously the following years ahead. Shall I be inspired to be more disciplined? I have no choice but to find myself the source of inspirations either from the internet of experiences from other successful people.

More Meticulous

In matters of finance, work, thinking, feeling and faith. I can take my husband as an example, the most meticulous person I have ever known in my life. Where to put your glasses and watch before entering the bathroom, to clarify details over and over again before clicking the button 'PAY' or 'SUBMIT' in any online transaction, to re-check any message before clicking the button 'SEND', to think, analyze and evaluate the content of the message before making decision to convey it to someone out of anger. These examples are to be applied in my effort to be more 'MONEY SENSE', meticulous in my academic work and before making any decision in all aspects of life, a skill most successful people have.

Healthier

'Our health is determined by our daily habits. The more you know, the healthier you are. That's why I'll keep on reading more health information to boost my health and the health of my loved ones'. - lifehack.org

Healthier for me refers to the loss of fat in my belly! That is where diseases originate and I do not want to allow a single disease pop up just because of the visceral fat in my belly. Health Journal 2016 is coming soon!

Live.Love.Matter
"It's never easy to be a parent. But it'll pay off in the end. And I'm going to try my best."

Brendon Buchard gets himself successful with this theme/slogan which I find is true, based on my life experience. Without ever sacrificing the strong-hold principles expounded in Islam, I believe I can achieve all ambitions in 2016 for my chosen theme would be so much the same, to truly live life with the ones I love and matter to them.

I want to live freely and happily with the presence of my kids who need me and I want to spread love to them whole-heartedly because I know, I matter to them. I know, my life would not have to mean anything without living in the world where I cannot live my life with the ones I love who also need my unconditional love for their well-being, including the children, thesis and myself as a person.