Breathe. Live. Pray.

Happy Ramadan!

Its day 9... I'm a bit late, but Ramadan Mubarak!

Ask me why I'm still awake at 5:30 am on this ever-so-quiet Wednesday morning. 

Well, since you asked....

I often ponder where life is headed.. What will my next steps be?  Do I want to study further?  Do I want to find a job doing XYZ?  What do I see myself doing 20 years from now?  The questions really don't stop.  I can churn my mind, left and right, with question after question.  The problem is.... I never get an answer.

Nope.

I can keep asking.  I can keep wondering.  But the fact of the matter is, only time will yield a solution. 

I bring this up during this beautiful month.  I'm realizing, I have no control over my destiny.  I haven't the slightest clue as to where this day will take me.  Will I even live to see tonight's crescent moon cast its glow upon the city's sleepers? 

And this is where I begin to realize... Just give it up, Hibah.  Life is too beautiful for worries and questions. 

And so, let this day commence with a sweet fast. 

May we all grow in our spiritual strength.  And may we pray to God for protection and guidance in this heavenly world. 

Stop the questions.  Breathe.  Live.  Pray.

Be well.

Hibah

I'm Still Here!

Yes, Yes, Yes I am!  I didn't disappear, I am here, and I am near :)

Excuse me for my long hiatus, but I am back and ready to send you brand, spankin fresh thoughts and ideas!  So without further adieu, lets get started !

I haven't announced my new challenge yet for several reasons.  1.  I'm running out of ideas.  2.  I was losing motivation.  3.  Life caught up to me. 

So here I am to make my amends.  Challenge for June -->  Run a HALF MARATHON!

Yes. Yes. and YES.

There's a story behind this. 

In middle school, I used to run the mile thinking -- I will never do this again.  Next thing I know, a friend asked me to join track, and I signed myself up for long-freaking-distance.  Was I any good?  Absolutely NOT!  But, give me the credit, I went with it.

Running has sense become a soothing journey for me.  The longest I have run is a 10k.  I have attempted a half once before, however my knee gave out and I couldn't complete it.  So here it is, attempt number 2.

Can I do it??  Will you challenge yourself?

Missed you guys!

Be well.

LEAN May!

Guys, I predict May 2013 to be a BEAUTIFULLY LEAN and HEALTHY month!  Yes, you heard right!  Get FIT and Get LEAN !  That means Lots and Lots of Burning FAT!  Get ready for the summer and let this month be YOUR month!  Melt away those calories and up your cardio!

I challenge YOU this month to:

1. Up the cardio 

• Level 1:  Challenge yourself to 15-30 minutes of cardio 2-3 times each week.  MWF, pick three days and be sure to rest in between for OPTIMAL performance!
• Level 2:  20-40 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week.
• Level 3:  30-60 minutes of cardio 4-6 times a week. 

Include interval training for best results.  Run, Zumba, Fast Walk, Swim, Play a sport.. Whatever it is, get that heart pumping and let that sweat drip.  This month, we are BURNING FAT!

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Spoken Word

Starting this blog was simply one of the best things that happened to me.  It opened up doors I didn't even know were waiting for me.  I never used to write and never was I told I had decent writing skills.  I am realizing now, each and every one of us HAS hidden talents.  Unleash your inner you and find the beauty God gave you. 

On that note, I tried out spoken word for the first time today.  Let me know your thoughts.

Peace and Love.

Be well.

Hibah

On Finding Success

It is nearing the end of April and I realized, I only had one post for this month.  Shame, Shame, Shame on ME!  I will admit, there is no greater joy for me than spending quiet time alone in a jazzy aired café, music and words flowing from mind-to-keyboard-to-blog.  Ahh, I simply love it.  My delays in writing, however, can be attributed to the plethora of quizzes, exams, and papers I have a little something called grad school to thank for.  But here I am folks!  Here I am to deliver another post on my thoughts.  Grab your coffee, wake up Monday Morning… This is another look in to the Sweet and Savory Thoughts by Hibah Rehman.

On Finding Success

Success.  We all want it.  We want to define it.  We want to grab it by its tiny fingers and clench it in a thumb war, hold it down ‘One, Two, Three, Four I declare Thumb War!” And BAM- Success!  In our hands to graciously hold and captivate, oh Lord you are ever-so-kind.  I have success.  I have succeeded!

If it were that easy, I would end this post right here and right now.

But reality check folks- Success is NOT easy. 

But you didn’t need me to tell you that one, now did you?

Upon entering pharmacy school three-years ago, I distinctly remember the shy eyes, the quiet smiles, and the timid looks.  Amongst a crowd of 140 brilliantly studious peers, I was one to find a path.  To find myself and to find a way… How will I succeed in grad school? 

And though I still have one more year left, I have learned a few things.  I’ll share my thoughts.  And please, You let me know of yours :)

1. To Succeed, you must define success.  What is it you want?  Outline your dream life.  Picture it and envision it.  In this beautiful world and in this beautiful life, how do you want to live? 
2. To Succeed, you must Fail.  Fail, fail, and then fail again.  The beauty is that you never stop trying!  Accept it, you will likely fail 99 times before you actually succeed.  But it is okay, because as good-ole Jordan said, "Some people want it to happen, Some wish it would happen, other MAKE it happen!" 
3. To Succeed, you must Believe.  If you don’t believe you will succeed, then you might as well go back to step 2 --> Fail.
4. To Succeed, you must have Confidence.  Don’t get cocky now, because no one likes ignorance, nor does it suit you.  But I’d say this links back to #3 – believe.  Confidence is not easy to attain.  But stop comparing yourself to others and reach deep inside - what are your strengths?  
5. To Succeed, you must, absolutely MUST, stay Positive.  You can likely point out 1001 of your weakness.  You can even choose to focus on your negatives.  You can choose to let the negatives bring you down.    

         OR.   
         YOU can choose to turn your weakness into a strength.  YOU can choose to stay 
         positive.  YOU can choose to keep trying. YOU can choose to believe that YOU WILL
         SUCCEED, because God willing, you will fly high!     
     6.  To Succeed, you must be Happy.  Be happy in your current situation.  Be grateful for 
          what you have now.  Love yourself and love God.  Be kind and be generous.  Always be 
          good and always have the best intentions towards others.   

I am a believer.  Good things happen to good people.

Good luck folks.  I wish you all love and Success.

Be well.

I Cheated.

If you've been following my YouTube channel, you maybe wondering how my raw food diet is going.  I have been itching to announce that I had TWO days of FULL-ON CHEATING (in the 9 days since starting)!  Yes sir/ma'am, I cheated like it was a final exam.  And, don't mistaken the energetic tone as one of pride in my lack of self-control.  No, I will be the first to admit that I have been feeling beyond guilty.. As if I should be shunned with a scarlet letter publicizing my cheat and defeat.

Ahh, melodramatic Hibah.. Where have you been hiding?

Truth be told, delving into my sweet cravings of pizza, homeade palau, and store bought cake has me seriously contemplating.  Like, seriously!

Going raw, I was feeling excellent.  This is the first time in my life I have focused exclusively on fruits and colorful veggies.  And I gotta tell you, nothing makes you feel any better than eating 'life' just as it comes to you.. sweet, organic, unrefined, and pure.

That feeling of energy and goodness completely dissipated when I bit into a slice of pizza this morning.  I craved it not for the taste but because of my social environment.  It was the mere fact that I was the only individual standing in a room of 100+ without a plate of neatly trimmed yellow-ribboned cake.  The taste, ahh.. it didn't even equate to the freshness of my raw burritos or raw pasta.  So why did I eat it?  Beats me!

It is SERIOUSLY mental!


So, I have concluded: I will continue the remainder of this month as raw as I can possible be.  Whether or not I reach that 100% is to be determined.  But my focus is to keep raw and see exactly how I feel on this diet.

Before I leave, I want to conclude with one thought.

How do you expect to feel when you eat foods that were stripped completely of their nutrition?  When the foods took zero prep time, cheap to buy, and quick to cook?  Now, how do you think you would feel eating a food grown with love, sprouted by the earth, picked with care, and sold with pride?  Eat whole foods and I will guarantee you will feel like a different person.


You can ask me.  I cheated and ate pizza.  And I felt like crap. 

Be well.

On Freeing Yourself of Your Problems

The one day I finally tell myself I will sleep no later than midnight sharp ... I awaken at an ungodly hour, disturbed with thoughts that will simply not let me rest.  So here I am folks, 1 o'clock in the morning,  fingers tap-dancing on my keyboard.

Hello world.

                                                              *********************

Over the past few weeks, I have faced a slew of challenging situations.  Problems arose and I had no idea how to tackle them.  I never thought of myself as one to stress.  I'd like to say my plasma levels maintain a steady state of happiness to the nth degree.  But, it is practically inevitable.  At some point, we are deemed to encounter such gnawing complexities - leaving us feeling... well... stressed.  Ahh... Stress.  The million dollar culprit fueling America's home of workaholics and healthy demise.

Wiki will be the first to let you know, stress is the 'body's way to react to a challenge.' 

In its most simplistic and natural state, the cause of your stress boils down to a problem and how you perceive that problem.  A problem, in Hibah's most humble definition, is a self-created complexity at which ignites a state of worry and anxiety.  Before Webster can refute my definition, I will explain.  I do not believe in problems.  I believe in a challenge.  

Yes, there is a difference.

I can tell you, 99.99% of the issues we face daily are self-made.  Yessir, I said it.  You are the sole creator of your problems.  

I'm sorry, what? 

If you are poor, you chose to make money your problem.  If work has stacked papers like sky-scrapers on your desk, you chose to make work your problem.  If your in-laws bug you with daily to-dos, you chose to make family your problem.   You cannot control the situations God puts you in.  Agonizing over the past is simply silly, the past has vanished.  Nor should you stress the unforeseeable future, for you can do nothing but submit to the world that comes to you.  But on a positive note, you do have NOW.  Now is precious.  You have challenges that enter NOW.  So in the now, attack the situation at hand and submit to the results God places.  

I am also at fault here.   We expect happiness and resolution to come to us the next day or the next week or the next month.  We are always expecting time to bring us happiness.  We look forward to tomorrow because we have a preconceived notion that TOMORROW will bring us happy.  But hello, what about the present moment?  You are living each moment for the next moment, never fully are you here in the PRESENT moment!  And by the time the future reach us, it becomes... the present moment.  So really, is there a future, if when it comes to you, it becomes your now? 

A problem arises from a constant state of worrying the unknown.  You think you have a problem!  "Oh my gosh, I have to do XYZ by tomorrow's 5 o'clock deadline."  BUT, what problems are currently present at this current moment?  Really think this through, at this moment... what problem do you have now?  It is likely that you do not have a problem now, but you have a challenge, perhaps pain and possibly even emotions involved.  Now, you can accept the challenge and do the work you need to adhere to your deadline.  What tomorrow brings is another day, not to be stressed over until it becomes your now. 

Free yourself of your -what my friend Eckhart Tolle likes to say- 'problem-making' attitude.  Surrender to what is current.  Take life as it comes to you, one step at a time.  Because when you live in the now, you internally align yourself with the present moment.  Seeing the beauty of what you have now.  

And Now... Now will bring you freedom.  

Be well.