Be True, and Be You

Listen to the quiet voice inside yourself. The persistent voice that
tells you that there's something more to life, that calls you to do
something meaningful, toexperience the world in a profound way. So
many ofus dismiss that voice, suppress it. We are told that our dreams
are not realistic or practical. We are told that we should settle for
what is reliable, and will pay the bills, and garner us the respect of
our peers.
But if we do not listen to that quiet voice, then whowill? There is no
external advocate who can read the yearnings of your heart and speak
up on their behalf. You must be the champion of your own soul.
On the authority of Abu Malik Al-Harith bin Asim Al-Ashari said that
the messenger of Allah said:
"Purity is half of faith. alhamdu-lillah [Praise be to Allah] fills
the scales, and subhana-Allah [How far is Allah from every
imperfection] and alhamdu-lillah [Praise be to Allah] fill that which
is between heaven and earth. Prayer is light; charity is a proof;
patience is illumination; and the Quran is an argument for or against
you. Everyone starts his day and is a vendor of his soul, either
freeing it or bringing about its ruin."
(Related by Muslim).
You are the vendor of your soul: either freeing itor bringing about
its ruin. You free it by worshiping Allah in love, gratitude and fear;
keeping the praises of Allah on your tongue and in your heart; praying
and fasting and living righteously (as opposed to self-righteously);
by showing love and concernfor other human beings; and by being true
to yourself.
Allah created you with a unique nature. Do you think it's only your
fingerprints that are unique? Or your retinal scan, palm print, voice
print and DNA? Do you believe that your uniqueness is encapsulated by
measurable biometrical data? No, your uniqueness extends to your own
wonderful thought patterns, your special heart, and your soul. You are
you, not anyone else.
You are not an assembly-line robot, or a machine put here to consume,
produce and expire. You are different from everyone else in the world
because you are you. Respect that, and don't try to force yourself in
an uncomfortable or even impossible mold that someone else has
dictated for you. Be true, be you , and free your soul.
I'm not talking about sinful desires. I am speaking of the quiet and
inspired urgings of your heart. Maybe you dream of working in disaster
relief, helping all those poor souls who suffered after the Indian
Ocean tsunami, or from the earthquake in Haiti. Maybe you have an
inner artist and you'd like to pursue that passionately and see where
it takes you. Maybe you love children and would like toteach; maybe
you are not satisfied with current school curricula and you have an
idea of starting your own school. Maybe you've always fantasized about
being a karate black belt, or helping poorvillages in Africa become
self-sustaining, or campaigning for human rights.
Maybe you're single and you have feelings for a certain person, or
just an undercurrent of admiration and respect, but you fear
rejection; or maybe the person comes from a different cultural
background and you worry that your family or your peers would not
approve.
I could go on and on, but you get the point. Don't be afraid of your
dreams. Life is short; it passes so quickly, much sooner thanwe
expect, and when we get to the end of the roadwe will regret only that
we suppressed our hearts,and shoved them down into silence.
We will never regret pursuing our dreams, taking bold chances,
expressing our love, whether or not we succeeded or failed, whether we
experienced great joy or intense pain. In the end the difference
between success and failure in any venture is inAllah's hands anyway.
All you can do is try, and trying is everything.
Stand up for your inner voice. Listen to it.
Stand up for your dreams.Give them a chance.
No one else will do it for you.