The Barakah Effect Way: From Work-Life Balance to Haqq Balance

Assalamu'alaikum,

Today, I want to challenge you to look at your life differently through a simple but powerful exercise.

1. Grab a piece of paper and draw a vertical line labeled "Performance (0-100%)" and a horizontal line labeled "Roles."

2. List every role you carry in your life - spouse, parent, child, employee/business owner, community member, Muslim, neighbor, etc.

3. Score your performance in each role - how well are you performing in each role (this is totally subjective, so be honest!).

Your diagram should look like this: 

What are your thoughts when you look at your scores?

You might notice something common - if you're a high performer, you might notice that you put a lot of performance into work but lag in many other areas of life.

You see, many of us have been chasing the myth of "work-life balance" - that elusive state where we try to balance between our "work" and the rest of our "life." But here's what I've discovered: this concept is fundamentally flawed.

Why? Because it:

1. Creates a false dichotomy between "work" and "life" - as if our work isn't part of life.

2. Forces us to center our entire existence around our work

3. Ignores the different seasons of life we go through and how our responsibilities shift based on these seasons (e.g. when we have young children or elderly parents)

So what's the alternative?

In the Barakah Effect program (starting this Saturday, insha'Allah), we introduce a new concept: Total Haqq Balance. Based on the Prophetic hadith about giving everyone their rights (huqooq), this approach transforms how we view our responsibilities.

Instead of asking "Do I have work-life balance?" ask yourself:

• Am I fulfilling the haqq (right) of my body?

• Am I fulfilling the haqq of my spouse?

• Am I fulfilling the haqq of my parents?

• Am I fulfilling the haqq of my work?

This isn't about achieving perfection across all roles - it's about fulfilling the rights required in each role while striving for ihsaan (excellence) where possible.

When you find yourself struggling with these rights, you have two options:

1. Redistribute your energy, focus, and time by reducing performance in one area to fulfill essential rights in another

2. Have honest conversations with those affected about how you plan to fulfill their haqq. For example, if you're offered a position abroad while caring for dependent parents, you might:

   • Discuss the opportunity with them openly

   • Create systems to fulfill their rights remotely

   • Arrange regular visits and support structures

This is just a glimpse of what we explore in the Barakah Effect Way - where success isn't measured by career achievements, but by how well we fulfill our responsibilities to Allah ﷻ through all our roles.

Our inaugural cohort begins this Saturday, and I invite you to join us on this transformative journey. We'll dive deep into practical strategies for achieving true Haqq Balance while attracting Barakah in every aspect of your life.

Let's redefine productivity through spirituality together, insha'Allah.

Sincerely,

P.S. The program starts this Saturday - don't miss this opportunity to transform your approach to life's roles and responsibilities.