The Muslim Life Hackers Podcast: Personal Growth | Leadership | Legacy Building | Life Hacks | Islam

"Don't fall into the trap of wanting to do multiple things, focus on one thing and insha Allah you are bound to be successful" - Omar Taha

In this interview we talk to Omar Taha. Omar is the founder of Startup Muslim (startupmuslim.com), a global platform connecting experienced minds with startups to create successful ventures, businesses and network.

We get into topics such as: where to start when it comes to business, mindset, mentorship, how to pick a field and much more. If you've always wanted to get started with your very own business, this is a perfect place to start.

This episode is brought to you by Muslim Central

Questions Asked:

What made you switch from working on Wall St to teaching Muslims about how to build businesses?

Where does one start when it comes to business?

Would you say one of the big reasons people fail at business is because they want to do too many things?

How do you know what your good at and what "business" to go into?

You transitioned from your e-commerce business to apps, how did you know when to switch it up or stick it out?

What should we know in terms of mindset before venturing into our own businesses.

What are you thoughts on online courses for gaining knowledge on certain businesses?

How do you just stick to one thing when it comes to business?

What kind of environment is ideal when working on your business?

How do you find a business mentor?

What holds a lot of people back from business is fear. How can we overcome this?

Getting practical and diving deeper into what we have spoken about so far, you have $1000 and a laptop, you know you want to start some kind of business but not entirely sure, what are you next steps?

What advice would you give your 20 year old self about starting a business and life?

For resources mentioned in episode, check out the show notes: http://muslimlifehackers.com/3-7

"If you are afraid that it is going to take you 5 or 10 years to achieve a goal understand that those years are going to pass anyway and what will you show for it?" - Abu Muawiyah

Joining us on the show today is Abu Muawiyah Ismail Kamdar. He is the head tutorial assistant at Islamic Online University, radio presenter at Radio Al Ansar, creator of the online space islamicselfhelp.com as well as a published writer of multiple books including the one we will be discussing in our interview called "Getting the Barakah".

In this episode we get into a tone of things regarding managing our time and productivity. We also get into how to set 10-20 year long goals, avoid making decisions that you will later regret and finding the perfect time management system for you!

Questions Asked:- Why should our listeners care about time management and in turn being productive?- Do you think that because time is not a tangible form of rizq we do not consider it as valuable?- So for those of us who have also grown up in the 80s and 90s and have this notion of killing time, overhauling their habbits and starting to think long term sounds very intimidating. Where do we start with that process?- How can someone tell if a decision is potentially harmful for them in the future or just an easy short cut? What is the difference?- In your book you talk about how not all hours of the day have the same value. How can we use this to our advantage to get more done?- The 7 day planner or the To-Do list? Can you explain these two systems and how they suit different lifestyles?- What would you say to someone who says they are a procrastinator?- Is having managed our time having a full calendar and always being busy? Where does relaxation and fun fit into the equation?

For resources mentioned in episode, check out the show notes: http://muslimlifehackers.com/3-6

"Everyone wants whatever perceived glory they see from being on the microphone or on the stage but they don’t want put that work in that comes with it. That’s why a lot of times, they look for some kind of a shortcut, some kind of technique when the only technique is to put in the work" - Omar Usman*

Joining us on the show this week is brother Omar Usman, the co founder of Muslim Matters, Qalam Institute and Debt Free Muslims and one of the instructors of the khateeb and sisters public speaking workshop by the Qalam Institute. In this episode, we speak all about public speaking, including how to deliver a powerful speech regardless of your personality type, the art of speech writing and ways to keep improving.

Questions Asked:

Where should a person start if they want to write a powerful speech?

What is the best way to write a speech?

Would you say writing it out word by word is more effective or sticking to dot points?

What are some ways to keep your audience captivated especially when the subject matter is dry? Is humour the way to go?

Do experienced speakers still get nervous before delivering a speech? What are ways to tackle it?

What are some of the worst public speakings tips out there?

You mentioned that advance speakers not only work on the points to build the overall message in a speech but they also work on creating transitions between them to ensure a smooth flow. Can you give us an example of this in action?

What if you blank out in your speech? How can you get back on track?

What’s the best way to end of a speech? How can we end on a strong note?

How can we continue improving and becoming better public speakers?

For resources mentioned in episode, check out the show notes: http://muslimlifehackers.com/3-5

*quote contains minor edits for the sake of readability.

"All the resources you need to achieve awesomeness and greatness for yourself, family and ummah are all within you. All the resources are within ourselves, we just need to step back and reconnect with ourselves, reconnect with Allah swt and find it. You don’t need a million dollar to start a venture, you don’t need extensive knowledge of xyz to begin. You begin with yourself, your resources are within you.” - Nadia Yunis

Today we speak to sister Nadia Yunus. She is a spiritual, creative and personal peak performance coach. In this episode, we talk about our finding our unique purposes in our lives, giving ourselves permission to embrace it and how to tackle all the obstacles that come in pursuit of it.

Questions Asked:- What is the difference between an ultimate purpose and a unique purpose?

Why do people have a hard time giving themselves permission to pursue their unique purpose, is it a result of upbringing?

What can they do about it?

Is the process of finding your ultimate purpose going to be a pleasant experience?

How can we remain true to ourselves and let go of our negative stories especially when the environment around you keeps reinforcing it (e.g. family members).

Why is the need of giving ourselves permission to pursue our purpose more common among women?

For resources mentioned in episode, check out the show notes: http://muslimlifehackers.com/3-4

Thank You For Listening!Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a review for us on iTunes or Stitcher Radio. This helps us get the word out there and in turn give us the opportunity to benefit more people.

Mifrah speaks about the Victim Mentality, what it is, its downsides and tips on how to overcome it.

Find the show notes at: http://www.muslimlifehackers.com/41

Sign up for Email Notifications: http://www.muslimlifehackers.com/subscribe