Bismillah walhamdullilah wasalatu wasalamu ala Rasoolilah wa’ala alihi wa’sahbihi wa manwala, wa ba’ad

Assalaamu Alaykum Warahmatulahi Wabarakatuhu

Welcome to the ProductiveMuslimah interview sister Heba – may I take this opportunity to say jazaakumullah khair for spending some time with us to inspire us and to give us all some productivity tips insha’Allah.

To begin insha’Allah: 

Tell us a bit about yourself – a bio for our readers – so they can connect with you insha’Allah

I actually don’t really like talking about myself as I once did – maybe it’s because I’m getting older :)  But I do love to connect with people and am happy to do the same with your readers insha’Allah. 

My life roles include: teacher/mentor, (hopefully) inspirational writer, wife, and mother of five.  But in all of these roles, I am firstly, a student – certain that I can learn more from those I interact with than they can learn from me.  I’m always in the middle of at least 3 books and I’m trying desperately to kick a nasty caffeine habit.  

 

2. What was your first project/venture?

Well, I don’t know if it’s my first project, but the concept of “Release Your Inner Queen of Sheba” has certainly been the one to resonate with the largest number of people.  I began blogging with the idea that Muslim women have a legacy of strength and that if we learn to harness the confidence and drive and goodness that our mothers exemplified in the past – we could live our best lives today.  Out of the blog came a number of other writing opportunities (including the book by the same name) and the chance to travel to many places and present to sister audiences the idea and format.  Alhamdullilah, it’s been a tremendous blessing and keeps finding steam and new people that hear the message and seek to better their lives. 

 

3. How do you manage your time? Workload/resources/people?

I am a big, big believer in deadlines.  That’s what’s always worked for me.  Parkinson’s Law is next – which says that work expands to fit the time that’s allotted to it.  So, if a project is a big one – and there’s a lot riding on it, I give it more of its rights time wise too.  This is my simple strategy to getting things done – but time management is a big issue that many need guidance with.   

And because it’s an oft-requested one, I’ve actually written about it in the past and developed a workshop that deals with it extensively.  I don’t believe that time management is as simple as making a “to do” list or waking up an hour earlier to get things done.  I believe that there can be mental blocks or that we don’t fully comprehend the “why” of why we let things slide or how we lose focus on things that we really seek to do.  When I hear things like “oh, I’d really like to do xyz – but I just don’t have the time,” I think, “okay, either they really don’t want to do xyz and are using lack of time as an excuse (even though they may not realize it) or they really don’t have time (in which case, they may be justified and shouldn’t be doing it anyway).” 

And Allah SWT knows best.  Like I say, the topic intrigues me and I hope to put my thoughts into a strategic guide one day soon inshaAllah.  I just have to put a deadline on it  :)



4. Tell us about your forthcoming book

InshaAllah, it’s coming in early 2010 and is titled “Seeking Solomon:  The Muslim Woman’s Guide to Finding, Keeping, and Living Happily Ever After with her Life’s Mate.” 

After Release Your Inner Queen of Sheba, which has a laid out guide (21 protocols to follow) for the Muslim woman to strengthen her own personal power, I felt it was time for her to learn how to translate that into mastering her marriage too.  InshaAllah, people will benefit from it.



5. Did you ever want to give up? What kept you going?

Interesting question :)  I think that there are definitely times when you want to give up –when things aren’t living up to your expectations of them – when you’re not doing what you want to be doing.  And when you’re unhappy.  Some people fear those times.  But I don’t – I just look for the lessons, chalk it up to experience and move on.  If I feel like giving up is warranted, I give up – and my new goals keep me going. 

If you consider your life as a road – knowing what your destination is, knowing the end result that you’re looking for - then you always have something to fall back on.  Perhaps something didn’t go your way, or you took a side road (thinking it might have been a short cut) and found it was a dead end.  The important thing is always to get back to your road, to put one foot in front of the other, and to connect with the things that matter.  Plus, you have to make sure not to dwell on “what might have been” or let bumps in the road paralyze you. 

I keep meaning to write an article about it.  Gotta put a deadline on it :)



6. How has your brother, Sheikh Muhammad AlShareef, influenced you?

I should probably not admit this, but many out there think that I’m the younger sister.  Not true.  So, amongst the children – isn’t the first born the one who does the majority influence? By force, if necessary?  I’m just kidding. 

Alhamudillah, we’ve been blessed with wonderful parents and I’m so proud of what my brother has accomplished and with the depth to which he’s influenced so many.  He’s truly inspirational and sometimes in his classes (or when we discuss things) I find I’m not his sister – but his student, wanting to soak it all up.  MashaAllah.



7. What do you think are the ingredients of a Productive Muslimah and what advice would you give to sisters reading this who seem to have lost focus or are struggling to stay productive?

I would assume that a Productive Muslimah is one who knows who she is, where she came from, and realizes that her potential is great.  She understands her roles and responsibilities, seeks to please her creator, and in following her passions, finds authentic happiness.  She realizes that every moment is a learning opportunity, a chance to let go of past “anti-productivity” and seize the moment to do something worthy.  Every moment is a chance to do something beneficial, to make a difference, to be grateful, to aspire to make and to have hope that all the moments that follow will be as fruitful.  And hope is a wonderful thing.



8. What are some of your future plans or projects/ventures which you would like to work on/are going to work on?

There are some remaining dates left on the “Release Your Inner Queen of Sheba” tour, so I look forward to meeting more sisters around the world.  And I’m still blogging and writing for various Muslim outlets.  There are some very talented others working on their own “iamsheba” books and it’s my intention to focus on ensuring that we continue to help other women “live the legacy” through a number of means.  We have radio spots and programs that we do, and live seminars planned inshaAllah.   

Personally, I continue to take classes and upgrade skills that I hope will bring benefit to others – hoping to branch out into other writing mediums.  It’s about continually putting one foot in front of the other.  Keep me in your duas :)

Jazaakumullah khair sister Heba for your time – we hope to speak to you very soon in our audio interview insh’Allah – part 2 – and until then we leave you with our duas from the ProductiveMuslimah team and sisters please do visit sister Heba’s website: http://iamsheba.com/.  

W’salaam

ProductiveMuslimah