Musing on......results

This life wasn't meant to be perfect. If we got everything we wanted exactly when we wanted it, it would be paradise. There are some things in life we will have to wait for to have fulfilled - either later than we wanted them, or in the next life - it will be worth it inshaAllah. All we can really do to get the things we want is work for them, pray for them, and trust in Allah.  Real satisfaction, success and happiness in this life comes from working hard, doing the right thing and knowing you've done your best, not necessarily results. It's the next life that's about permanent results.

The first time it really sank in that being fantastically skilled at something is not a prerequisite for enjoying it was when I did literacy tutoring with an elderly lady with a learning disability. Every week, we would go through the same process of going over the alphabet and some simple words - and she struggled, but every week, she enjoyed the task, and her smile was genuine and almost constant. She enjoyed learning and she enjoyed the company - one time she even started clapping with happiness when I came into the room!

The thing is, we tend to idealise the end products, the 'results' of our dreams - even though, once we have them, because of a variety of reasons, they're not usually as wonderful as we expected - maybe they don't last, or we change and don't want them any more, or they weren't something that was good for us (the list could go on indefinitely)

It's so easy to miss out on life and its opportunities by wishing it away. It's easier said than done, but I think it's become more and more important for me to realise that I need to focus on the things in my control and appreciate and make the most of what I have, and not put things on hold on the off chance that it will interfere with something that might happen.