New Muslims, Character Talks

Personal Development Plan

This document is a guide for personal improvement.  Inshallah, we can grow stronger in our faith, and our knowledge and more committed Muslims/Muslimahs by aiming to improve ourselves.  This guide is designed for us to set some attainable goals for ourselves, then reminding ourselves of our commitment to improvement, and tracking our own progress.  The categories listed are suggestions and can be adapted to your own personal plan. 

This plan belongs to:  

 

 

 

 

 

Setting Targets

 

As Muslims who are members of an Ummah which has been given the directive to be balanced, we have to ensure that our development is also balanced and comprehensive. Since Islam is a way of life, we simply cannot afford to overlook any aspects. Otherwise we risk lopsided development in isolation.

 

Whether we like it or not, the plan for our development is already in place all the way from Preschool (even Daycare) till the day we die. Now whether this pre-programmed plan meets the needs of a Muslim or not is a different question altogether. Needless to say, unless we take charge of our own development, someone else will.

 

Listed below are development areas that should inshallah be helpful in planning our own route through life.

 

Development Areas (Scope: Individual)

• Salat (Prayer)
• Zakat (Charity)
• Fasting (Sawm)
• Hajj (Pilgrimage)
• Increasing Islamic Knowledge
• Building Personal Skills
• Time & Money Sacrifices
• Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
• Reading Books (Focus: Individual)

 

Development Areas (Scope: Family)

• Family
• Reading Books (Focus: Family)

 

Development Areas (Scope: Society)

• One-to-One Relationships, Muslim and Non-Muslim
• Social Responsibility / Dawa Activities
• Reaching out to other Muslims
• Participating in the Muslim Community
• Reading Books (Focus: Society)

 

Identify the areas where most improvement is needed and prioritize the areas based on their importance. Once the priorities are in place, set some specific targets with attainable goals and track the progress.  Keep the goals attainable.  Take one step at a time, but do take that first step, inshallah.

 

 

 

	Current Status	6 month goal	Level Achieved	1 yr goal	Level Achieved
Fard (obligatory) Salat
Juma’h (Friday) Salat
Salat in Jama’ah (congregation)
Quality of Salat

 

 

 

 

Meanings of Duas (prayers) read in Salat
Sunnah (recommended) Prayers

 

 

 

 

	Current status	6 month goal	Level achieved	1 year goal	Level achieved
Have I calculated my Zakat?
When will I give Zakat this year?
How will I distribute my Zakat?
How many fasts do I keep during Ramadan?
Have I performed the Hajj?
When will I perform the Hajj?

 

 

 

 

	Current Status	6 month goal	Level Achieved	1 yr goal	Level Achieved
Fasts on the 9/10 or 10/11 of Muharram
Fast on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah
Six Days in the month of Shawwal
Performing Umrah
Visiting the Prophet’s Mosque

 

 

 

Check off  the days of Ramadan successfully fasted.  Use this as a reminder to make up any fasts missed before next Ramadan. 

 

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

	Current status	6 month goal	Level achieved	1 year goal	Level achieved
Quran Reading on a weekly basis
Arabic recitation of the Quran
Pronounciation of the Surah
Biography of the Prophet
Islamic History
Islamic Magazines

 

 

Study of Hadeeth
Study of Islamic Literature
Studying the commentaries of the Quran
Memorizing recommended Duas (prayers) read during the course of the day

 

 

Whether with a friend or a teacher, much can be gained when working together, encouraging each other, and reminding each other to continue to work towards our goals.  Keep track of the people and what progress they have helped with.

 

Who I’ve Studied With	Topic(s)	Began	Ended	Achieved?

 

 

 

In order to make progress with anyone, whether it is with our family, friends, neighbors, elected officials, the most important aspect is how well we communicate. Keeping this key goal in perspective, we need to continue to develop our skills which will help in this area.

 

	Current status	1 year goal	Level achieved
Can I give a speech or lead a study circle session?
Can I plan/research material for a speech or discussion?
Do I feel comfortable asking for information?
How are my writing skills?
How are my reading skills?
Do I communicate or write to the elected leaders?
How are my Internet skills?
Am I comfortable initiating/maintaining informal discussions with Muslims & Non-Muslims?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sacrificing time and wealth for the sake of Allah (SWT) is something that a Muslim does to please the Almighty.   Look for areas of sacrifice not attempted in the past. 

 

 

I need to…	By doing…	Began	Succeeded by…	Continuing by…

 

 

 

I need to…	By doing…	Began	Succeeded      by…	Continuing by…

 

 

 

 

 

The health that Allah (swt) has bestowed us is one of the greatest blessings that we have. As Muslims, we are commanded to take good care of our health. When we look around us especially in the society we live in, the widespread health problems are numerous. These problems are not limited to any segment of the society, but all segments of the society are equally afflicted. We must make a conscious effort to plan for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

 

	Current status	1 year goal	Level achieved
Do I have an exercise program in place?
How much walking do I do?
Is my diet balanced?
How should I change my diet to better balance it?
Which sports do I regularly participate in?
What outdoor activities do I do?
Do I smoke or use any tobacco products?
Do I have regular medical checkups/consultations?
Do I wear a seatbelt?
Do I promote healthy lifestyles?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identify books that will help your personal growth. Record the title, author, general topic and date each book was read.  Additionally, include a short summary of each book, what was gained by reading it, and if  you gained additional information from the book (or not). 

 

Title	Author	Topic	Date	Helpful?
				Yes           No
Summary:
What I learned from this book:

 

 

Title	Author	Topic	Date	Helpful?
				Yes          No
Summary:
What I learned from this book:

 

 

Title	Author	Topic	Date	Helpful?
				Yes          No
Summary:
What I learned from this book:

 

Make as many copies as necessary of this page.  Refer back to this list often to recommend books to others.

 

Children, siblings, parents and spouses often need encouragement too.  Setting a good example is important.  We should do whatever we can to encourage improvements in our families. 

	Current status	6 month goal	Level achieved	1 year goal	Level achieved
Family Discussion on Islam
Praying Together
Reducing Watching TV
Discussing problems/issues of members
Reducing ‘distance’ between members
Knowing every member’s activities
Distribution of responsibilities

 

 

Who	Working on …	Began	6 month level	1 year level

 

 

 

 

Identify books related to improving your family. Keep track of the books read.   Record the title, author, general topic and date each book was read.  Additionally, include a short summary of each book, what was gained by reading it, and if  you gained additional information from the book (or not). 

 

Title	Author	Topic	Date	Helpful?
				Yes          No
Summary:
What I learned from this book:

 

 

Title	Author	Topic	Date	Helpful?
				Yes          No
Summary:
What I learned from this book:

 

 

Title	Author	Topic	Date	Helpful?
				Yes          No
Summary:
What I learned from this book:

Make as many copies as necessary of this page.  Refer back to this list often to recommend books to others.

 

Inviting others to Islam, explaining Islam to non-Muslim neighbors, co-workers, class fellows, and encouraging other Muslims to improve themselves is required of all of us.  Develop and build relationships that create dialogs with non-Muslims and help fellow Muslims improve themselves.  Keep track of the progress of discussions, the ‘successes’ and the ‘difficulties; in each relationship. 

 

Name:	Type of Relationship: Non-Muslim/Friend/Coworker/Neighbor/Family
Subjects Discussed
Progress Made
Problem Areas

 

 

 

Make copy of this page for each relevant ‘dialog’.  Refer back to it to track progress as well as to learn what efforts have brought success and what were less successful. 

 

As Muslims in America we are expected to do what we can to promote and encourage the betterment of the society in which we live.  Giving time to the community at large is an obligation on us.  There are many ‘causes’ we can volunteer time to, donate some money towards, or merely participate in.   Anything from volunteering at a school, donating to benefit medical research, marching against injustice and so on will strengthen our personal resolve as well as let the society at large know that Muslims care too.  Keep track of involvement/participation below.

 

Cause/Task	Benefiting whom?	Date

 

Make as many copies as necessary of this page.  Refer back to this list often to recommend tasks/causes to others looking for ways to ‘make a difference’.

 

 

 

Efforts must be made to reach out to brothers and sisters in Islam.  Visit the sick, console the grieving, counsel those in need, befriend and invite others – in all ways, ‘being there’ for fellow Muslims.  Reaching across ethnic and language ‘barriers’, surprising someone with a gift or a much needed ‘helping hand’, inviting others to share everything from a dinner or an lecture - it is easy to neglect or postpone such things.  Some people may be strong in one area, but weak in another that could easily be improved by keeping track and setting some goals. 

 

Who	What was done?	Date

 

 

 

Make as many copies as necessary of this page.  Try to do various types of ‘helping’ rather than being limited to one or two types. 

 

 

Being part of a Muslim community is essential.  Whether it is going often to the masjid, volunteering time at an Islamic center or Islamic school, or participating in programs held by Islamic Organizations, we can benefit from increasing our activities and support.

 

	Current status	6 month goal	Level achieved	1 year goal	Level achieved
How often do I go to the masjid weekly?
How often do I go to an Islamic lecture (monthly)?
How often do I invite Muslims to my home per month?
How often do I visit other Muslims’ homes per month?
How often do I participate in activities at the masjid per month?
How many Islamic organizations do I belong to?

 

 

I need to…	By doing…	Began	Succeeded by…	Continuing by…

 

 

 

Identify books related to improving your role in this society. Record the title, author, general topic and date each book was read.  Additionally, include a short summary of each book, what was gained by reading it, and if  you gained additional information from the book (or not). 

 

Title	Author	Topic	Date	Helpful?