Times change, people change

Accept it, drink water and move on.

Hi guys,

Hope you are well. I’m doing okay, Alhamdulillah.

I write this sitting in bed at 5:46 am on a cold Sunday morning. I was hoping to replicate my efforts from last week, by getting up at about 2 am to knock off this newsletter before Fajr, but ah well.

Last weekend was great. On Sunday, I had planned to have a productive day i.e. 10 ish hours available to commit to the numerous non-routine things that I've been trying to get off my plate. But then I had friends over. Two of my brothers came to my place, and we ended up spending 6+ hours together. Amazing.

It was not until about 6:30 pm that I put in 2.5 hours of productive work to prepare for Monday's meetings and plans for the week. I told AS that that was the best Sunday I had had in 3+ months.

You know why?

Because it was the first Sunday in a long time that actually felt like a Sunday - food, hanging out with cool people, interesting conversations and chilled vibes.

On an average Sunday for me in recent times, I would have woken up with a TDL that probably included writing this newsletter, 2 pre-scheduled meetings, returning 3 or more (long) phone calls, 2 hours for random stuff like cooking, laundry or shopping, and 2 to 3 hours blocked out to make progress on my personal development efforts and other commitments. Before I knew it, Monday was here and it was time to do it all over again.

And all these were routine - not even including new stuff that continually comes up. So I really did appreciate the chance to break in regular transmission. And I will be giving it another shot in sha Allah.

Does it mean I will no longer strive for productivity?

Absolutely not.

But every so often, I will try to ensure my Sundays feel like Sundays. Sometimes being unproductive in the short term is the best thing you can do for your long-term productivity.

** side note: If you were wondering why I have recently been writing so much about productivity, then you and me both lmao. None of this stuff is ever in my plans, it just comes out anyway. I'm not even sure I'm interested in writing about it. 🥴

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Times change, people change

In November 2019, Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings was interviewed by Andrew Ross Sorkin at the New York Times Dealbook conference. It was a fascinating 30-minute interview, and something I definitely recommend for whoever is so inclined.

But what I really want to highlight is somewhere around 26:15 where a member of the audience posed a question to Reed.

Question:

"So I read an article a few months ago about Fortnite taking Netflix's viewership. And Google is launching it's gaming streaming platform, Apple is also getting into gaming, and I wonder…do you see Netflix going beyond its core product into something like a gaming streaming service or individual content creation?”

Reed's answer:

"No. I mean, we're really focused on doing incredible series and films and things in that category. You're right, there are a lot of things people do to entertain themselves including Fortnite. But we don't compete with Fortnite by doing something like that. Instead, we compete by doing the most amazing TV shows you've ever seen."

…

Fast forward to November 2021.

An important update on Netflix's website…Let The Games Begin: A New Way to Experience Entertainment on Mobile.

Image from BBC

When I saw it, I was like "LOL".

I'm sure something like this has happened to many of us. It's just the way life is…times change, people change.

Maybe your Uncle who used to swear by Buhari now has nothing but disgust for him.

Maybe your ex that was very strongly anti-japa while you were together eventually married someone else and japa'd immediately after.

Maybe your Pastor who spent 5 years in university preaching about a particular vice has now started doing the very same vice in public.

Maybe maybe maybe.

For me, there are two important lessons.

One.

No matter how bad you might feel when certain people or situations change from whatever agreement was in place, try not to feel too bad about it. Accept it, drink water, and move on.

The last thing you want to do (except in fear of harm to themselves or others) is nag people and force them to maintain the standards they set a long time ago. Let it go.

It really is the way of the world, and it is only a matter of time before you are on the other side as well.

Two.

No matter how strong your convictions are about a matter, always leave some wiggle room. Ask yourself, "what if I am wrong about this?”

This is not to say that we never have strongly held beliefs. It is super important to have strong convictions, but we can be quite flexible in our approach to communicating them.

Instead of saying, "I will never take a job in Slovenia, it's just a terrible and backward country", you might say "I'm not particularly interested in living in Slovenia, the likelihood I will accept a job there is very low".

Building a little wiggle room into your convictions can make life easier for you in the future. Also, I am a big fan of the saying, "Have strong opinions, weakly held". I have probably written about this before so I will not go into much detail. Basically, it means that while you have strong beliefs about an issue, you will defer to actual facts, new information or a better argument.

That's it for today. O di next week. 🤪

** Jara content:

"If the pains of the world tire you do not grieve. For it may be that Allah wishes to hear your voice by way of dua. So pour out your desires in prostration and forget about it and know; that verily Allah does not forget it."

- Ibn al Qayyim (rahimahullah)

Have a great week. ✨