Habits, part one

How does our purpose in life relate to habits? Our daily life routines are designed for us to attempt to worship God alone, all-day long and all-night long. This is the purpose of our lives, and this is outlined in the Quran:

[51:56] I did not create the jinns and the humans except to worship Me alone.

This means that all our habits are for the sole purpose of worshiping God alone. Every habit we have can be looked at, and the question can be asked, “Does this habit partake in worshiping God alone, or not?” We all have simple life habits that we do every day, like wake up in the morning, brush our teeth, eat breakfast, walk the dog, exercise, or some other daily habits that we just simply do every morning. God willing, we can look at our habits, remove the ones we do not want, add ones that we would like, and make all of our habits conform to the purpose of our lives: worshiping God alone. Therefore, all of our habits, the good, the bad, and the ugly, relate to not worshiping God alone, or worshiping God alone.

God wants us to take time to evaluate our lives. We can do this using a method of self-reflection.

Self-reflection is defined as meditation or serious thought about one’s character, actions, and motives. God tells us to do this in the Quran: [30:8] Why do they not reflect on themselves? GOD did not create the heavens and the earth, and everything between them, except for a specific purpose, and for a specific life span. However, most people, with regard to meeting their Lord, are disbelievers.

One method of self-reflection has five steps. (These steps are adapted from an Internet source and something I found useful. They are not a religious requirement.)

Step 1: Before beginning the actual self-reflection, understand the purpose for doing a self-reflection. We must first maintain the concept of our purpose in life, to worship God alone. Whether it is making a change, a decision, or simply meditation, the ultimate goal of self-reflection is to improve our worship of God alone.

Step 2: Make alone time. Spend this time alone somewhere without outside influence. Take as much or as little time as you need to be effective. This is a self-reflection; if we are discussing it with someone else it becomes a consultation.

Self-reflections and consultations are two separate actions encouraged by God and they deserve their own individuality. If we want to discuss the results of a self-reflection in a consultation that is just fine, but when doing a self-reflection, do it alone.

Step 3: Be honest with yourself. It will be counterproductive to do a self-reflection if we are not being honest with our self. We do not have to share this information with anyone. The process and results are for our self. I cannot change a bad habit if I am not willing to admit that I have a bad habit.

Step 4: Practice self-reflection. Steps 1, 2 & 3 set up the framework for a self­reflection, and step 4 contains suggested actions to the actual performance of a self-reflection.

• Do a breathing exercise. Many people find controlled inhalation and exhalation helps to relax and clear the mind. For every 10 or 20 breaths, pick one action or event that you want to deeply understand and reflect on about yourself. Thank God for even realizing that we need to self-reflect.

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