“It is He Who has brought into being gardens, the cultivated and the wild, and date-palms, and fields with produce of all kinds, and olives and pomegranates, similar (in kind) and variegated. Eat of their fruit in season, but give (the poor) their due on harvest day. And do not waste, for God does not love the wasteful.”
— Quran 6 : 142
January 30th, 2024
9 : 44 PM
5. #EasyWayOut : Investments and Emotional Intelligence
— The Bank of Allah —
There is a book titled, “The Automatic Millionaire” …
I would recommend it
As it gifted to me by
A close friend of my mentor …
If you’re not a reader
And would want a simple overview …
The comment below pretty much summarizes it :
”Although the writing is repetitive and long winded, the message is clear and incredibly sensible: automate your savings at 10% or more, automate your debt reduction, automate your giving, don’t buy on credit, don’t rent. Automatic millions are doable, but there’s no such thing as a “get rich quick” scheme …”
Since reading that book in Berlin, Germany
After my mentor and his close friend
Came to visit me …
I began automating my giving …
That was around 2017 …
I began removing at least
Twenty percent of my income monthly …
— Once you get into the practice
You learn to live on less
And appreciate your savings
Every time you take a peek —
I have a deep desire to be wealthy.
And I say this shamelessly.
Yet, it is not only the automation
Of my finances that I have
Structured strategically …
I have also automized my giving
— Investing in those who mean much to me —
I organize the lunch and dinner meetings
Where I intend to treat
Whether it be students, colleagues or mentees
As I know my hands must be open
In order for me to receive …
Sadaqah …
— Isolation : Being Unbothered and Emotional Intelligence —
”Isolated to Inspired” …
That’s the theme for this phase of my life.
It’s an interesting chapter to travel through
As it requires that I remain still
And settle into discomforts
That I would prefer to quickly solve …
And the irony is that these issues
Require that I am faithfully patient …
Flashback with me …
Three years ago when I came back to the States
I remember finding
My sister’s old diary in the attic
She had taken time to
Describe her relationship with
— And the different personalities —
Of the members of our family …
My section was titled :
”Arrogant, Condescending, Know-It-All”
And I truly see her perspective …
Some things are so clear to me
So, I strive for them ambitiously
Not caring about any obstacle
That may stand before me …
If it is a dream …
— It must be manifested —
I am trying to tame that.
And sometimes it is extremely difficult
To … Be … Still …
For one,
I find great joy
In writing down my dreams
And crossing them off
When they become a reality …
And secondly,
I have a great fear of dying
And feeling incomplete …
So, once I dream a dream
I schedule it immediately
I speak confidently
And act as if
It is meant to be …
Now, having acquired more emotional intelligence
Than I had in my early twenties
I have learned where to share my dreams
And when it is wise not to speak …
That’s why I appreciate you, dear reader …
You keep me company along this journey
And I am honored that you bravely
Take these steps with me
— Though I know at times it is crazy —
Can I let you in on a little secret?
A dream that I am working on privately …
Why is it that I now seek to work in a university …
”I am not paying my college debt.”
I recently told my colleague.
”I assure you my next job will cover it for me.”
As it is written …
Inshallah …
— The Selfish Act of Giving —
I hope to be half the man my mentor is …
And I write this confidently.
There is a beautiful section
In the book, “The Symposium”
— Also, the original name of #TalkOut —
Where Diotima tells Socrates why people pursue beauty :
”Beauty is not the end but the means to something greater, the achievement of a certain reproduction and birth (206c), the only claim that mortals can have on immortality.”
I have a desire to be immortal.
The same way that my mentors
Are etched in history
By becoming pieces of my poetry
I want my name to one day
Reverberate through the halls
After I have done it all …
So, to me, giving is a selfish act.
I find those whom I value
And I invest wastefully …
The same way my mentors
Have done, and continue, doing for me …
Alhamdulillah.
- K.S. Fort
————————
This is the series to the next poetic phase, “#EasyWayOut : Isolated to Inspired”.
Be aware, this series will have several breaks. One break will occur when I head to Las Vegas for a week. Another break will occur during Ramadan when I will be completely offline.
For those interested in books written in the past, feel free to read the Google Documents at this link.
Lastly, for those who want to support my journey financially (please remember, I do have a fur baby), purchase the Kindle books at this link.
Enjoy the journey and live with intention …