A Eid Your Kids Will Never Forget

Deeply ingrained in most kids' minds is a Party that is far more superior than any other party in existence. A Party so amazing that it makes all other parties bow in respect. At this Party kids are dressed up, balloons are hung all around, and party games are played. Most exciting is the infamous cake, the plentiful candy, the stacks of presents, and the songs in the air. It's no wonder that kids consider this party to be the Ultimate Party. If you haven't guessed it by now, the mystery party is a Birthday Party.

While celebrating another year in existence has become common in most cultures, I think it's important to be as passionate about celeberating more important occasions such as Eid. So why hasn't Eid been the subject of exhilaration to the extent Birthday parties have been? I think its a matter of focus. We simply need to shift our focus to Eid.

So this year, let's all push to revolutionize Eid. Let's serve our kid's with the most delicious Eid their little minds can think of. Let's make Eid that gem that kids dream of and patiently wait for all year round. Let's turn Eid into the ultimate extravaganza. Let's scrap birthday parties and turn our kid’s attention towards Eid.

For the 2nd year standing, my wife and I have thrown Eid parties for our daughters. On the 3rd day of Eid we invite all of their friends. The girls get dressed up in their tiaras and tutus. We go all out with the party decorations. We have games, songs, and fun activities going on. We get a giant cake shaped to their favorite cartoon character. Everyone gets presents. Everyone is flooded with candy and treats.

The goal: To make kids drool when they hear that Eid is coming.

As Muslims, we need to embody the Islamic cultural within our kids. We need to get our kids excited about Islamic tradition. We need to provide our kids with an alternative to christmas, new years, independence day, and halloween parties. We need to create a fun, exciting alternative that our kids can be proud of and look forward to. We need to boost their Muslim pride and strengthen their sense of belonging. The Eid initiative is one step in that direction.
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Yes Man

I watched the movie Yes Man a few days ago. The idea of the movie was really inspirational and eye opening. I really was excited and thought I was going to give it a try. But the more I thought about it, the more I started seeing some serious shortcomings. I'm still really psyched by the idea, that's why I'm taking a jab at tweeking the idea so that it can actually be applied.

The Yes Man idea in brief is that you should be open minded to everything and try new things. Say yes to everything that encounters you, and you will set yourself free by experiencing new and diverse situations. The character in the movie goes from being a self centered introvert to an outgoing spontaneous guy.

There are a few major problems with the idea though. You become reactive and slowly destroy your personality. You await people to run their ideas by you and then accept blindly without regard for your principles or preferences. You don't initiate anything. You don't innovate anything. You simply become a pawn in the game of the first person who approaches you.

The Yes Man idea can be really powerful, if someone is stuck in life and can't seem to get things rolling. The idea will take you out of your comfort zone, and into a broad world of opportunities. When someone presents you with an opportunity, before you say YES, first weigh it against your principles to see if it is acceptable to you. If all checks out, say YES. Once you have a full plate of events on your schedule, you will have to start filtering the things you say YES to. You can do that by weighing new opportunities against your goals. If an opportunity gets you closer to one of your goals, then say YES.

So now your exposed to new exciting opportunities, but you are not proactive yet. You are not in the driver's seat. You're not taking initiative to do things that are important to you. So now all you have to do is figure out what it is that is important to you. Once you know what it is that you want, say YES to it.

For example, if you decide that you want to become more social, your objective is: to become more social. Ask yourself, how can I become more social? If you decide you'll get there by attending more social events, your goal is: to attend more social events. So now you know that to achieve your objective all you have to do is achieve your goals. The next step becomes simple, actively seek your goals. Don't hesitate. Just say YES. Or in Nike terminology, Just Do It.

I'm going to start the Yes Man and let you know what happens.



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