6 Clear Outcomes of Figuring Out Your Why
As-Salaamu alaikum—peace be upon you.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that someone who was interested in the Greater Why program put me on the spot during an initial consult.
“I’m having trouble understanding what the clear outcome of this work is,” she stated.
Of course, I had a response, and I had an answer for myself, but the fact that I wasn’t able to convey my understanding immediately to this individual made me sit with the thought for a while.
It also made me a better listener as I spoke to participants in the program during coaching calls over those next few weeks.
I was keen to hear from them what value they’d seen so far in their Greater Why work.
1. chaos –> “a Criterion”
One of them gave me a single word: “Furqan.”
A “criterion,” by which he is now able to navigate the chaos of modern life and all the options and potential paths that lie ahead of him.
2. constriction –> abundance
In speaking with that brother about his Why being a “Furqan,” the connection between “furqan” and “fadl” in verse 8:29 of the Qur’an clicked for me.
When we have that criterion in our lives and start living according to it, the limits on our time and money that used to suffocate us no longer feel like constraints.
They are aids to focus.
Limited resources force us to prioritize more seriously.
Prioritizing properly gives us purpose.
And purpose allows us to breathe more deeply than we ever thought possible.
3. feeling stuck –> being in flow
When we figure out our calling in life and finally embrace it, it takes us along for a journey.
Our Why is Allah’s hand in our life, guiding us to be of particular service to others.
When we give up trying to determine what we want our life to look like and surrender to how Allah is already using us, life becomes an exhilarating ride.
4. loneliness –> internal companionship
As modern life drives us more towards devices and the rat race of the Dunya and further away from real human connection, we struggle with feeling lonely.
I hear from brothers and sisters every week whose hopes to get married and have lifelong companionship keep failing.
I pray those brothers and sisters do find a suitable partner, but even more so I pray that they find solace in solitude.
We exist as individuals. But we don’t have to be lonely.
And when we start to pay attention to God’s work in our lives and what He’s calling us to do, we feel His presence more.
That’s the kind of companionship that can never be taken away.
5. timidity –> resolve
Life is a struggle.
It’s a fight.
And when you actually figure out what you’re fighting for, it doesn’t feel like fighting anymore.
It’s training.
It makes sense that you’d want to run from a fight. Protect yourself.
But run from training?
Your ability to struggle for something meaningful is what there is to protect.
Stop trying to protect your own sense of comfort.
When that finally clicks, you’ll have the will to use all the muscles you have.
And watch them get stronger.
6. doubts –> faith
As one of my teachers put it, “presence is the absence of doubt.”
The more distant you are from what you believe, the more your mind gets to questioning it.
Defining your mission brings the hand of Allah in your life close enough to feel its gentle push.
You see that it’s not your abilities or talents that got you to where you are, but something that He’s expecting you to step into.
And the exercise of stepping into that is a leap of faith as well.
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Well, those are my recent thoughts.
Do you have any?
Any thoughts on what getting clarity of purpose or mission has done for you?
I’d love to hear from you.
And if you don’t see these benefits happening in your life, and wonder what it would look like to have them, then don’t hesitate to set a time to talk about how we could help:
https://calendly.com/
As always, thanks for reading.
-Adnan