As leaders of their homes, men need a clear vision for their family, and long-term goals that work towards that vision. For a man to wonder aimlessly through life without any greater purpose or clear goal is a waste of his potential and talent. Allah created us to accomplish so much more than we think is possible. It is up to us to move forward with clear vision and purpose.
The purpose of life in Islam is very clear and well known. Allah created humans to worship Him which means we must live a life of obedience to Allah. This is our deeper spiritual purpose, the prime driver of all our life decisions and goals. However, we are allowed to, in fact encouraged to aspire towards worldly goals within the framework of service to Allah.
A believer must live a life that matters. It is discouraged to just sit around doing acts of worship while ignoring other aspects of life. The true believer can fulfil his spiritual purpose while also leading his family, team and self to higher goals in this world.
One of the clearest transitions from boyhood to manhood is finding a sense of purpose in life. Boys who don’t grow up are stuck in a playful phase of life without any ambition or drive. The day they realize that there is more to life than games and desires, they grow up. Finding one’s purpose is therefore necessary for growth and becoming a real man.
The world is a huge place full of diverse people with varying skills and strengths. Each of us is created to excel in different areas of life. Discovering what you are great at, then training yourself to become the best in the world in that field, is the beginning of the journey into true manhood. Think about any great man in history and who will often find him to be a man of clear vision and purpose.
The Prophet ﷺ led the ummah with a clear vision of Islam spreading across the globe. Every challenge he faced, he faced with full courage and hope, ready to give it all to spread Islam far and wide. His companions too were driven by great purpose.
Ibn Abbas (RA) wanted to be a great scholar and spent his teenage years studying with the elderly companions. As a result, he became one of the greatest scholars of his generation. Khalid Ibn Walid (RA) found his purpose on the battlefield and led the Muslim army to victory after victory, earning himself the title of “Sword of Allah”. Umar Ibn al-Khattab (RA) found purpose in leadership and embraced the leadership roles given to him with full sincerity and complete devotion, making him one of the greatest leaders in human history.
Even in later times, great leaders always had a clear vision of what they wanted to accomplish. Whether it was Salahuddin al-Ayubi’s determination to take back Jerusalem, Mehmet II’s determination to conquer Constantinople, or Osman I’s idea of establishing a state to protect Muslims from the Mongol and crusaders. All their greatest victories were preceded by their setting their sights on clear goals.
Life is about so much more than fulfilling your desires and being entertained. You were built for something greater. Within each of you lies the ability to accomplish something great with the help of Allah. It is up to you to discover what that is and devote your life to accomplishing it. If Allah wills, it will be more than one thing for some of you. But you are not going to discover your purpose sitting at home watching television. You need to put yourself out there, away from your comfort zone, and face the challenges of the world. Out there, far away from the things you love, you will discover causes that you are passionate about a reason to grow into a better version of yourself. It is then that your purpose becomes clear.
The difference between purpose and vision
Your purpose refers to the mission that you dedicate your life to. Your vision refers to how you see yourself in the future. Many years ago, I decided to dedicate my life to writing books that benefit the ummah and producing online courses to supplement these books. This became my life purpose and influenced all the major decisions in my life moving forward.
My vision was that one day I would be an independent fulltime writer, with enough resources and time to write what I want when I want. All my long-term and short-term goals tend to work towards this vision. In this way, my purpose, vision, and goals are all aligned, creating structure and reason for my life.
Having a clear purpose and vision makes life meaningful. You no longer feel like you are wasting your life, and just passing the time. Every day is an opportunity to grow one step closer to your vision, and to accomplish something great. When you are clear about who you are and where you want to be, then life becomes an adventure and a journey towards that destination.
How to build a strong vision for yourself
Developing a vision for your life may seem overwhelming and intimidating at first, but it can be incredibly motivating. Do not rush the process, take the time to seriously reflect and ponder over what would be the most fulfilling lifestyle for you. Take into consideration your purpose, passion, strengths, and skills, and how they can all align to build something meaningful and beneficial. Shape your vision around that.
To work out a vision, visualize your life in ten years’ time. Ask yourself where you want to be, and what do you want to be doing. Build as clear a picture as possible. Your vision should be something you can picture when your motivation is low to inspire you during difficult periods of life. The clearer the vision, the easier it is to visualize it.
Instead of saying my vision is to be wealthy and retired by age forty, think deeper. You could visualize living in your dream country, owning a specific amount of wealth that makes you independent, and utilizing your time in service of Islam for free. Once your vision is clear, start working backwards to create a life plan that would include all your long-term and short-term goals needed to make that vision a reality.
Setting goals that fit within your vision
For any vision to become a reality, you need to set up a series of strategic goals that lead to it. After your vision for your life is clarified, take time to thing about the most realistic way to achieve that vision. Develop a strategy made up of multiple short-term and long-term goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound a.k.a. S.M.A.R.T. goals.
Ensure that your goals are specific as possible. Do not say I want to be wealthy. Decide on a specific amount of assets that would make you wealthy in your own eyes. Do not say I want to write a book. Be specific about the topic, niche, and audience of the book. The more specific your goal is, the easier it becomes to develop a daily strategy to attain that goal.
A goal needs to be measurable. You need to involve numbers so that you can measure how close you are to attaining it. If you have a weight loss goal, make it a specific weight that you wish to reach. If you have a financial goal, ensure the goal includes numbers that can be measured. This helps keep track of progress and motivate you to keep moving forward.
Goals also need to be attainable i.e., possible with your current resources, or resources you may access soon, and realistic i.e., humanly possible within your lifetime. If you wish to open a business but do not have access to the resources to do so, then the goal is unattainable but still realistic. You just need to figure out how to access the funding, and it becomes attainable.
Finally, a goal needs to be time bound. You need to set your own deadlines and stick to them. Deadlines are essential for productivity. Without them, we procrastinate and get stuck in a loop of leaving things for later. Be specific in your deadlines and hold yourself accountable to attain them.
Example of an unsmart goal: I want to be wealthy quickly. Ask yourself what is wealthy? Can I put a measurable number to it? Is it attainable with my current resources? Is it realistic to want this quickly? What time frame makes sense for accomplishing this goal.
Once you have answered these questions, your goal will be more fleshed out. It can become an example of a S.M.A.R.T. goal: I want to become a multimillionaire (specific) with at least $10 million in assets (measurable), by starting a small business (attainable) and growing it over ten years. (Realistic) I hope to achieve this goal within ten to fifteen years. (Time bound)
Your vision may expand across your entire life. Therefore, the major goals related to it will be long-term goals that take years, and maybe decades to achieve. These can be broken down into smaller goals. In the example above, smaller goals would be starting a business, becoming profitable within a year, and making your first million within five years.
The point of a vision and long-term goals is to inspire you to live your best life. We all have very limited time on earth. When we waste your time in aimless pursuits and entertainment, we are wasting our life and potential. This has a negative impact on one’s personality, health, and spirituality. A man with a goal wakes up early, works hard, makes a difference in the world, and lives a full life. He has solved one of the biggest problems that hold young men back: what do I do with my life?
Your Vision and Gradual Improvement
A vision gives you a reason to grow into a better version of yourself. Men who lack vision tend to lack drive as well. Without any clear idea of where they are heading in life, men have no reason to study, work hard, step out of their comfort zone, or grow up. A vision transforms you internally.
Men were designed to be visionaries. At our very core lies a desire to leave a meaningful impression on the world. We want to leave our mark on the world and leave this world knowing that we made a difference. Without a vision, life is reduced to a cycle of entertainment and fulfilling base desires, which becomes incredibly boring and depressing over time.
If your vision is extraordinary, you most likely do not have the knowledge or tools to accomplish it yet. This is good because this forces you to take control of your own education. A great vision inspires personal development. It pushes you to continuously grow into a better version of yourself every single day. With each bit of growth, you take another step towards accomplishing your goals.
A man must take ownership of his own education and growth. Personal and professional develop are essential for achieving your full potential. Make a list of every skill you need to achieve your goals that you have not mastered yet. Look at your list carefully and prioritize the skills you need immediately over the one’s you will need in a few years.
Once your learning list is clear, develop an education plan for yourself. There are many ways to learn a new skill. You can sign up for an online course, attend a seminar, spend time with an expert in the field, get coaching, read a book, or volunteer your time to gain experience. Choose the method that is most realistic and works best for you and make time for it every day.
As the leader of your household, you cannot afford to remain stagnant. If you are not growing as a person, you are falling behind. To lead your family to a greater future built around your powerful vision, you must invest in yourself. Spend your free time and money on purchasing resources that can give you that edge. If you are learning something new every day, within a few years you will be among the most High Value Men in your community.
Your Vision and your family
In most cases, the family looks up to the man of the house for leadership. The man is expected to have a deep vision and long-term plan for the family’s success. It falls on his shoulders to lead the family from strength to strength, through all the hardships and challenges of life, to a better tomorrow.
When a man is aimless and purposeless, his wife is forced to pick up the slack. She is forced to formulate her own vision, take control, and lead the family before it falls apart. Most women do not wish to be in this situation. They want a man who can lead the family through the highs and lows of life. If they find such a man, they will follow him to the ends of the world. A man with a vision is a real man in the eyes of his family.
Develop a life vision, long-term plans, and a clear set of goals to lead your family out of their trials into a better tomorrow. By doing so, you will win over your family’s love and respect. Having a purpose and vision does not just benefit you as a man, it benefits your family life too. A man of vision will earn his family’s respect, and they will follow him when they too believe in his vision.
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