Post by Sachi Rajadnya

Too many good lessons in this lecture (for Muslims and non-Muslims alike). But one that was especially eye-opening for me was this idea: think about what you would say to yourself if you were your own friend trying to help you improve. It’s easy to focus on the things we’re already good at and continue excelling in those areas, while quietly avoiding the things we know we’re doing wrong. Dr. Omar Suleiman gives a simple but powerful analogy. Imagine your mom asks you to do the dishes. Instead, you mow the lawn or buy her flowers. Those are good things, but the dishes still aren’t done. And that’s the thing that’s sticking out, because that’s what was actually asked of you. We do the same thing in life. We lean into our strengths and hope they outweigh our shortcomings. But the areas where we’re failing don’t just disappear just because we’re doing well somewhere else. Growth requires being honest with ourselves about the things we’d rather ignore and having the humility to work on them.