Mendidik Anak, soalan pertama perlu ditanya, 'Sudah Solat?'

Alhamdulillah, pada hari Jumaat baru-baru ini sekolah anak kami menganjurkan program solat Hajat untuk anak-anak kami. Pihak sekolah juga menjemput kami, ibubapa untuk bersama dengan anak-anak.

Selain solat hajat, kami membaca Yassin beserta tazkirah ringkas dari Ustaz Mohd Asri. Hari ini saya just nak berkongsi apa ilmu yang kami dapat dari tazkirah tersebut.

Tanggungjawab kita sebagai ibubapa pertamanya adalah menyuruh anak kit solat, beribadat dan belajar. Kerana kalau tidak disuruh ketiga-tiga perkara ini tidak akan dilakukan oleh anak-anak kita. Jadi apabila kita berjumpa anak kita, soalan yang patut ditanya adalah, Sudah Solat? Sudah Mengaji? Sudah Belajar? Bukannya Sudah Makan? :) Ini adalah kerana makan, kita tak perlu suruh. Dia lapar dia akan cari makanan. Bersamalah kita mengamalkannya. InsyaAllah.

Rezeki kita semua telah ditetapkan Allah SWT. Tetapi ianya boleh diubah dengan usaha dan doa dan keredhaan Allah SWT untuk memberikannya kepada kita. Doa adalah senjata orang Mukmin.

Sebagai ibubapa kita mesti memberi masa kita untuk anak-anak kita. Kalau kita rasa susah dan tiada masa pohonlah kepada Allah SWT agar kita diberikan masa. Doalah untuk anak-anak kita. Jangan putus berdoa untuk mereka agar mereka menjadi anak-anak yang solleh & sollehah. Sebutlah nama mereka di dalam doa kita. Mulakan doa dengan memuji Allah SWT dan diikuti dengan selawat ke atas junjungan besar Nabi Muhammad SAW.

Terdapat banyak waktu berdoa yang mustajab. Di antara yang telah dikongsikan oleh Ustaz Asri adalah:
1. Tatkala hujan turun - Allah SWT turunkan rahmat & rezeki, jadi berdoalah kita.
2. Tatkala kita mendengar ayam jantan berkokok - berdoalah
3. Di sepertiga malam - bangunlah di tengah malam, solat tahajud & berdoalah.
4. Di antara 2 khutbah di waktu solat Jumaat - ini adalah waktu yg baik bagi bapa-bapa untuk berdoa.

Bagi anak-anak, pastikan kita menghormati ibubap kita. Kasihilah mereka kerana kita tidak tahu berapa lagi kita dapat bersama mereka. Jangan malukan mereka dengan tindakan kita kerana apabila ibubapa kita malu maka Allah SWT akan murka dengan kita.

Pastikan kita jaga solat kita. InsyaAllah solat 5 waktu dan Allah SWT akan uruskan segalanya untuk kita. Percayalah. Solat tandanya syukur & kita mendapat keredhaan Allah SWT. Solat itu tiang agama. Dirikanlah solat.

Akhir sekali Ustaz ada berkongsi tentang hikmah 7 'Mubin' di dalam surah Yaasin. Setiap kali selepas membaca ayat 'Mubin', berdoalah dan mintalah apa yang kita hajatkan. Berdoalah untuk kesejahteraan anak-anak kita. Khususkan permintaan kita. Dengan kata lain be specific.

Begitulah sedikit sebanyak perkongsian pada kali ini. Semoga kita semua mendapat manfaat.

The 4 Seasons of Life!

We came across this video while we were searching for videos on ‘4 Seasons of Life’. It was a simple video but what touched the most were the story and the lesson that we got from it.

The story was about an old man and his four (4) sons and how he wanted to teach them about life. He called all his sons to him and told them that he would like to see a pear tree. But he wanted to see the tree during the 4 different seasons. His sons agreed.

The eldest son went during winter, the second during spring, the third during summer and the youngest went during the fall season. When all his sons had seen the pear tree, he called them up together to share what they saw.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent and twisted.

The second son said that it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most grateful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment.

The old man than explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen only ONE SEASON in the tree’s life.

He told them that they cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season. That the essence of who they are the pleasure, joy and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

He continued to say that if you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer and the fulfilment of your autumn. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don’t judge life by one difficult season.

Persevere through the difficult patches, and better times are sure to come in time.

The lessons that we learned from this story is that throughout our life we will encounter all the 4 different seasons. We will have spring, summer, fall and winter. What we need to do is to be prepared and plan our lives so that we take the opportunity when it comes and we develop ourselves so that we can live through the winters.

Aspire to inspire, before you expire,

Live simply, love generously,

Care deeply, and leave the rest to GOD.

Happiness keeps you sweet,

Trials keep you strong,

Sorrows keep you human,

Failure keeps you humble,

Success keeps you growing.

But only GOD keeps you going.

Koleksi Kata Kata Hikmah

While seraching online for some Kata Kata Hikmah for my son's homework came across the following list. Thought I just share it on my blog as well. Enjoy!

Kata-kata hikmah ini merupakan koleksi kata-kata mutiara indah yang sesuai dijadikan motivasi dan pengisian jiwa.

Jangan berputus-asa kerana biasanya anak kunci terakhirlah yang dapat membuka kunci.

Kemahuan yang tinggi akan mengubah persepsi seseorang terhadap sesuatu sehingga yang mustahil pun boleh terjadi.

Lebih baik berusaha menyalakan lilin dari menyumpah kepada kegelapan.

Jangan takut dan segan untuk setiap tindakan yang anda lakukan.Seluruh kehidupan adalah satu ujian. 

Orang yang berjaya ialah orang yang melakukan tindakan yang tidak mampu diimaginasikan oleh orang lain, malah tidak mampu dilakukan oleh orang besar sekalipun.

Sebelum mencela pasangan hidupmu, bayangkan mereka yang masih menghiba untuk dikurnia jodoh.

Manusia yang berjaya akan memperolehi keuntungan daripada kesilapannya, dan mencuba lagi dengan cara yang lain.

Berani Berkorban dan Berubah, Kejayaan adalah Ganjarannya

Setiap perkara ada gantinya. Setiap perlakuan ada ganjarannya. Setiap kejadian ada hikmah di sebalik kejadiannya.

Tiada jalan singkat untuk kita sampai ke sesuatu destinasi yang sememangnya jauh. Perjalanan tetap melibatkan langkah demi langkah dan tingkat demi tingkat.

Nabi Muhammad pernah berkata, (Amal yang paling disukai Allah adalah amal yang dilakukan secara terus menerus sekalipun sedikit (HR Bukhari dan Muslim daripada Aisyah)
Kegagalan bermakna bahawa anda belum berjaya lagi. 

Orang yang gagal adalah orang yang tidak mampu mengurus masalah.Hanya manusia yang mampu mengurus masalah sahaja yang boleh berjaya. 

Orang yang berjaya juga mampu menimbulkan perasaan kagum serta takjub orang lain kerana kejayaan dan kehebatannya

Orang yang berjaya tidak hidup di pinggir peristiwa, bukan orang yang kosong tanpa nilai dan bukan orang yang hanya menjadi pelengkap

Belajar dari pengalaman adalah guru yang paling baik. Jatuh pada lubang yang sama adalah suatu kebodohan.

Sayidina Ali menyatakan “Kalau engkau ingin menjadi raja, maka pakailah sifat qona’ah (puas). Kalau engkau ingin syurga dunia sebelum syurga akhirat, pakailah budi pekerja yang mulia”.

Apabila anda kaya,fikirkanlah saat-saat anda pernah miskin dahulu. 

Antara akhlak orang yang berjaya adalah optimis dan tidak berputus asa, mampu memperbaiki kesalahannya dan keluar daripada krisis serta mengubah kerugian menjadi keuntungan

Baik kaya adalah kaya hati, sebaik-baik bekal adalah takwa, seburuk-buruk buta adalah buta hati dan sebesar-besar dosa adalah berdusta

Kecantikan yang abadi terletak pada keelokkan adab dan ketinggian ilmu seseorang, bukan terletak pada wajah dan pakaiannya.( Hamka).

Orang yang takut menghadapi kesukaran selamanya tidak akan maju. (Home)

Yang dikatakan kawan bukanlah orang yang sentiasa memuji-muji kamu, tetapi adalah orang yang dapat menunjukkan kesalahan kamu.

"Dan berbuatlah kamu akan kebaikan supaya kamu mendapat kemenangan." (Surah al-Hajj:77)

"Maka sifat sabar itu adalah sikap yang baik, dan hanya Allah sahajalah tempat meminta pertolongan" (Surah Yusuf:18)

Berunding cerdik dengan pandai, faham dua menjadi satu.

Yang paling kita perlukan dalam kehidupan ialah adanya seseorang yang selalu memberi semangat untuk melaksanakan hal-hal yang dapat kita kerjakan. (Davey John Schwartz)

Sabar penghilang penat, tekun pembawa dekat.

Lebih berharga mutiara sebutir daripada pasir sepantai.

Terbang bangau sepanjang hari, ke tasik jua akhirnya dicari.

Biar kamu tidak cantik di mata penduduk bumi tetapi namamu menjadi perbualan penduduk langit.

Siapa yang banyak bicara, banyak pula salahnya; siapa yang banyak salah, hilanglah harga dirinya; siapa yang hilang harga dirinya, bererti dia tidak warak; sedangkan orang yang tidak warak itu bererti hatinya mati. (Saidina Ali Abu Talib)

Sabda Rasulullah s.a.w: "Akhlak yang buruk merosakkan amal seperti cuka merosakkan madu."

Kita sering mengimbas kembali kenangan lalu tetapi jarang sekali berusaha untuk mengejar impian hari esok.

Manusia yang berbuat baik dengan mengharapkan sesuatu balasan bukanlah manusia yang jujur. Ketahuilah sesungguhnya pertolongan Allah itu dekat, asalkan kamu bersabar dan berpegang teguh dengan agama Allah. (Surah Al-Baqarah:214)

Kekitaan yang erat tiada yang berat.

Jika pada awalnya anda tidak berjaya,cubalah cari kembali arah haluan yang pernah anda lemparkan ke dalam tong sampah.

Tunjuk menjadi telaga budi, ajar menjadi suluh hati

Belajarlah berdiri dahulu sebelum cuba untuk berlari.

Kekayaan yang hilang boleh dikejar dengan usaha yang bersungguh-sungguh.

Kesihatan yang hilang boleh diperoleh dengan ubat-ubatan yang baik tetapi masa yang hilang sekali hilang akan terus hilang.

Jadilah seperti pohon kayu yang berbuah lebat, dibaling dengan batu dibalas dengan buah.

Are you green?

Alhamdulillah today we are so blessed to be able to share with you once again our latest experience. This week we had the wonderful opportunity of attending a seminar on Green Technology.

It was a great experience as we learned a lot of new things. One of the things that we understood was the importance of being green. Being green does not mean that you are wearing a green shirt or blouse or cap or shoes for that matter. In fact it has nothing to with the colour green but it has everything to with your relationship with the environment.

Today almost everybody is talking about the environment. The number of people on the planet is increasing by the day and the resources that we have is depleting faster than we could replace or reproduce it. The world is changing with global warming on the rise, pollution and natural disasters happening all around the world.

Today we had the opportunity to listen to the Green Man, Mr Matthias Gelber from Germany. He is an International Environmental Speaker and was awarded the Greenest Person on the planet by 3^rd Whale Canada in 2008! He shared with us a lot of opportunities in the Green Technology.

Basically, Green Technology is the biggest business opportunity available to everybody right now. In fact, based on the talk given by Green Technology Malaysia, it seems that the first question people will ask of your company is, “Is your company Green?” And by 2035, people will be asking you “Are you green?”

We have been involved in Green Technology for quite some time especially when we have our own Green Technology which is our Compostech. You can visit www.compostech.com.my to get more details. Basically it is a technology that can recycle food waste into compost in just 24 hours!

Other than that we have always been very mindful and aware to do our part so that we can contribute towards making the environment better and ensuring that the earth is still liveable for our kids and later generations.

Today there are so many ways that we can contribute towards being green. It is not just technology but how we run our daily lives. We can start by saving more on the use of electricity and water. Drive less and walk more. Buy recycled and reusable products. Basically the thinking must be towards reuse, recycle and reduce. Every little thing that we do can make a difference!

For example, today we do not buy garbage bags anymore. We recycle all our plastic bags. We do not use air cons at home, we walk as much as we can to the shops. And whenever we can we make sure that every power supply is switched off. In terms of business, we will always find ways to design materials that can be reuse, recycle and reduce. In fact when you do this, by being green you can actually increase your profits!

All you have to do is start to think differently. Ask yourself this; is there another way that I can do this? Is there another way that I can reuse, recycle and reduce? When you start to ask the questions you will find the answers.

We have to make a change and we must do it now. So let’s do our part. Let’s help to save our planet. We need to have a great relationship with our planet and our environment. Let’s become green!

7 Lessons We Learned from the EAGLE!

Today, we just want to share something that we saw on YouTube. This video was shared by one of our students. Honestly the video was not the best video in the world; in fact it was quite boring. It did not have any inspiring or exciting music and the pictures were not that great. But what made the video awesome was the lesson that we got from it.

Today we are not going to talk to you about the video but rather the lessons that we got from it. As for the video, you need to watch it for yourself. We will give you the link to the video at the end.

Basically the video was about one of God’s greatest creation which is the Eagle. Yes! It’s the bird that is big and an awesome predator. It is always associated with leaders and success. The video is all about the lessons that we can learn from the Eagle to be successful in life!

There were 7 lessons pointed out in the video that wanted to highlight.

1.   Eagles fly with eagles – The lesson here is that in order to be successful in life we need to associate ourselves with successful people. Stay away from people who are negative and who will bring you down. You do not have time for negativity. This is so true. If you are not as successful as you want to be chances are, you do not have enough friends who are successful. As they say, birds of a feather flock together.

2.   Eagles have strong vision & focus – In life we must know what we want. We must have a target and a goal. Once we know what we want than we can work towards the goal. It is so important. A goal could be as simple as having a list of things to do every day. This will keep you focused. Make sure whatever you do is contributing to where you want to go. Put aside distractions and stay focus. You can accomplish more by staying focus. Remember, what you focus on expands!

3.   Do Research – In life you need to have the right information to make the right or better decisions in life. Most of us today have access to a lot of information but we do not bother to check whether the information is reliable or up to date. If you are in business you need to know what is happening in your industry. In fact if you are working or employed you need to know the trend and what your future is. The best thing to do is to network and do research. That way you get exposure and you get new experience that will enhance and enrich your life.

4.   Work the difficulties! – This is the best piece of advice that we ever had. We heard this statement when we were attending a training session in Sydney Australia back in 2003. In life we will have challenges; we will have moments that we will want to give up on our dreams. That is the point when you just have to buckle up and get through it and do whatever it takes. Life is like that. What comes after a storm? What comes after a heavy rain? What comes after night? It’s the same with all our challenges and difficulties. We just have to work them!

5.   Test the people around you for trust and commitment – If you are building a relationship it does not matter whether it is a personal, professional or business or whatever, the foundation is trust. You need to know whether you can trust these people. You need to do a test. For example, you are building a business and you are trying to put together a team, you need to know if they will be committed. You need to know if they are going to go the distance with or are they just hoping for an easy ride. You need to know. So you have to test them. Give them a task and see how they perform. Test, test and test. Life is a big test! It only ends when we die. J

6.   Always be prepared – This is just like the Boy Scout’s motto. Always Prepared! In life we need to prepare. Today, most of us are living in the NOW only. We are constantly thinking what we can have NOW. We want success and we want wealth and we want it NOW! But we fail to understand that we need to prepare before we can have all that. Success is a journey not a destination. It is all about preparing yourself. Learning new things. The funny thing about learning is that the more we learn the more we realize that there is more we do not know. It’s funny how life works. That’s why we need to be prepared always. The best way to prepare is to live in the present, learn from the past and plan for the future.

7.   Reinvent Yourself – This is something that a lot of people fail to do. In life we must understand that we need to change, we need to reinvent who we are so that we get on with the times and we can adapt to whatever is required of us to function. For example, we started out as graduates working for a large GLC. Then we went to start our own business. We had to reinvent ourselves from people who cannot speak in public to people who can present, motivate, inspire and train in public. That is reinventing. Was it comfortable? No! It was hard but that’s how you grow. In life you need to constantly think of becoming a better person. Every year set a goal to learn something NEW. Add value to yourself and to your life. When you do that you can add value to others.

     We truly loved the 7 lessons above and we hope that today’s sharing can inspire you to achieve more with your life.

The Only Way Life Gets Better Is When YOU Get Better!

This week look at all the 7 lessons that we can learn from the eagle. Make a point to watch the video on YouTube. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO_iGBe5-nA

Take some time to reflect and think about the lessons. Imagine yourself as an eagle. You are FREE to fly and how high YOU can go in life is entirely up to YOU.

FOCUS - Follow One Course Until Successful!

This past week we discovered a new definition for FOCUS.


FOCUS - Follow One Course Until Successful!


This is so through especially today as we all want instant success. Most of us give up too quickly! We need to stay FOCUS and have faith. Be more persistent and consistent. InsyaAllah we will get there.

So how do we stay FOCUS? To tell you the truth it is not easy but it can be done with a lot of practice and self-awareness. We all are humans so we all get distracted occasionally. The trick is to minimise the distraction and stay FOCUS!

Firstly, one of the most important things to do to stay FOCUS is to always have a CLEAR goal. As they say, knowing where you are going is already half the journey. So it is very important for everything that you do you ask the question whether or not it is helping you to get to your goal. If not stop and do something that will get you there.

We are creatures of habits, so we need to create success habits. 

Secondly, we need to understand that every success requires time. Whether it is to lose or gain weight, accumulate knowledge or wealth, to write a book, to create a business, to build a team; everything requires time and FOCUS. Our biggest problem is that we live in a microwave world where everything has to happen immediately! People cannot wait hence they lose FOCUS.

Remember, what you FOCUS on expands. Try it out. If you FOCUS on a problem, trust us the problem will become BIG! If you FOCUS on the solution, the problem becomes small. The same goes for anything and everything in your life. Whenever you FOCUS on something you give it energy.

For example, you want to build a business but you don’t know how. The best way to do it is to FOCUS on to learn from someone. For example we have a business that we are constantly looking to build a team. You can check it out the opportunity at http://www.peaklifestyle.com/real Most of the time we get all the excited people but the only problem is that they are never FOCUSed. They expect the business will build by itself. They expect that success will come to them just because they decide. One of the things that we have learned is that ‘Knowledge without Action Is Nothing!’

You need to FOCUS and you need to take action. That is how you make things happen for yourself and your life!

So what are you waiting for? Start to FOCUS on growing yourself to become the person you want to be. Work hard on yourself and invest in yourself. You deserve it just as much as you deserve success! 

Help Me! I’m Afraid of Public Speaking!

This year, it is a decade since we started to do training. Looking back it has been an incredible journey for the both of us. My uncle always introduces me to people as an engineer in the wrong profession!

Anyways today we want to share about public speaking. Did you know that almost 80% of the world’s population in the world have a fear of public speaking? One of the most well-known statistics in the US states that more people are afraid of public speaking than death! Go figure.

Today if people look at us conducting a training, seminar, conference or workshop people will have the impression that we are natural public speakers. To tell you the truth we were far from natural.

We were never the speaking type. In fact one of the reasons why Elin chose me was because I did not talk much but, look at me today. We were not debaters at school nor were we speakers during our university days. It’s a skill that we acquired and learned along the way.

There’s a saying, “Every Master Was Once a Disaster!” I was definitely a disaster. I remember the first time when I started work one of my first assignment was to be the Master of Ceremonies (MC) for an official function at our office for our customers. I still remember on that particular day, instead of being the MC, I instead went on a different MC – Medical Certificate!

In fact I still remember the first official presentation that I had to do in Bangi. It was very nerve wracking as I could not even go to work on that day. We took the day off so that we could go to the venue. It is very important to do this. I tried to do a mental rehearsal of the presentation. To me it should be easy as I have done it before one on one and I have seen people doing it so many times. Boy was I wrong!

That night, I froze! I was so hard and I could not move. It was like my whole body was in a shock that the rostrum was more alive! Can you imagine that my coach stopped the presentation in the middle and asked me what’s wrong! I told him that I was nervous and I was scared!

Well, that was 12 years ago. The truth is that if we can do, so can you. Understand the fact that success is something that you can learn and public speaking is also a skill that you can learn and become a master. The important thing here is that you must have the right attitude!

Here are 20 tips that could help you to improve on your public speaking skills:

#1 Watch the Experts

The best way to start learning good speaking methods is by watching good speakers. Ten years ago, this would have been more difficult, but today you can quickly find good example speeches online.

#2 Know Your Material

Before you give you speech, do enough research to have a strong grasp of the subject matter. You do not want to forget an important fact.

#3 Take Notes

Although you do not want to read your entire speech off a script, writing down a brief outline will help you stay focused.

#4 Rehearse In Private

One of the most important keys to giving a strong speech is the practice. Rehearse your speech enough that you can (almost) say it in your sleep. Do it in front of a mirror!

#5 Rehearse To a Small Audience

After practicing by yourself, give your speech to a small audience. After you finish, ask for feedback on your performance. You can then use this advice to perfect your presentation even more.

#6 Know Your Audience

Your speech should be carefully targeted to your audience. If you have to use terms that are unfamiliar to them, you will need to give the definitions.

#7 Know Your Surroundings

Before you give you speech, visit the place you will be speaking. If possible, you might even try to have a practice run on location.

#8 Dress Properly

Depending on your audience, you may need to dress formally or casually. In addition, dress in layers to prepare for a wide range of temperatures.

#9 Relax

Almost everyone feels nervous when speaking. Calm you nerves by pausing before starting you speech and by channelling your nervous energy into enthusiasm.

#10 Start With an Intriguing Question or Fact

Most audiences subconsciously give the speaker 20 seconds to capture their attention. Engage your audience quickly with an engaging question or startling fact.

#11 Realize That Your Audience Is On Your Side

Very rarely do audiences want the speaker to fail. Most of the time, the audience will want you to succeed. After all, who wants to sit through a boring presentation?

#12 Use Gestures

Do not be afraid to use hand motions. As long as you use them naturally, gestures will add to your speech.

#13 Use Visual Aids

In addition to gestures, visual aids, ranging from high-tech Power Point presentations to simple chalkboard diagrams, can help keep visual learners interested.

#14 Do Not Over-Use Visuals

Although visuals are very useful, too much of a good thing can be bad. Use visuals sparingly and tastefully. (Yes, your spectacular slide show transitions will distract and annoy the audience.)

#15 Speak With Conviction & Confidence

If you want your audience to believe you, you have to first believe yourself. If you do not believe your speech yourself, do not give that presentation in the first place!

#16 Do Not Speak To Your Notes

First-time speakers are often tempted to talk to their notes. Instead, set yourself apart by speaking to… surprise… your audience!

#17 Pauses In Your Speech

Do not be afraid to add silence to your speech. In fact, this quietness will help keep your audience awake and focused on your topic.

#18 Add Humour and tell Stories to Engage & Relate with Your Audience

Although too many jokes can ruin your persuasiveness, the occasional humorous anecdote will add levity to your speech and engage your audience.

#19 Don’t Apologize For Nervousness

Some speakers feel a need to apologize to their audience for sounding nervous. Don’t do this! Not only does this mistake detract from your persuasiveness, but it will not be useful information for your audience.

#20 Prepare a Good Ending

Rather than mumbling, “Well, I guess that’s it…” as you slowly back off the platform, plan a strong ending. One ideal ending is a call to action. For instance, in speech about blogging, I might end, “Now, go start your blog today!”