In the newsletter I sent out yesterday I noted that the more people hear about LOI, the more support and positive feedback I get. It really is amazing. The other day I was feeling down (again) about my decisions of the last few years (quit the well-paying job, went to grad school, never used the journalism degree, etc., etc.) and my husband cheered me up in part by pointing out that I’ve raised so much money and other support for something that’s just an idea and isn’t even a physical place yet. And that is remarkable. It seems like every day I get more positive feedback of various kinds. Light of Islam is NEEDED for our community, and people KNOW that. And I have to make a point of always acting that way, and of living and breathing LOI. I really can’t reschedule the opening date again, so I’m in the home stretch. I have to stop thinking about how long it’s been since I started working on this idea and totally focus on what’s ahead.
That said, I need to hunker down and get serious. Two key things I have to do:
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Stop watching television. Period. It’s amazing how much time goes by without me realizing it while I’m watching TV. My last few months in Boston I got rid of my TV altogether so I could really focus on school, and it’s only been since working from home that I’ve gotten back in the habit. Every minute I waste on TV I could be reading a book instead.
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Clean up this office and get everything physically in place – files properly sorted, desks reconfigured if possible, send all the boxes, etc. to storage. I have to not have a lazy or unfocused second from here on out.
A final thought: Despite my boo-hooing over not using my master’s degree, I have actually gotten more and more opportunities to use it, primarily with Muslim media, but I have also established relationships with people in mainstream media, mostly the Chronicle (and of course the blog). And it occurs to me that maybe in the months ahead I should clean my slate of everything except LOI, media-related things and Toastmasters.
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Light of Islam is a nonprofit bookstore whose mission is to provide the Houston-area community with accurate and accessible information about Islam and Muslims. Find out more at http://www.light-of-islam.org.
Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 9:03 am
As-salamu Alaykum, Sister,
It’s really true what you say. People often have to be exposed to an idea several times before they start showing support. First, they have to get used to the idea, process it, let it sink it, etc. They also have to see that the idea is serious – not just a fleeting thought someone had for a brief period. People get encouraged, too, when they see how the idea is developing/progressing over time. That is one thing I like about this blog – it allows us to see all the work that goes into making a dream into a reality.
Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 6:32 am
Walaikum asalaam. Thanks for your comment. In a way I guess despite my worry over how long the process has taken, maybe it’s good if only because, as you said, it takes time for people to see that an idea is sustained and serious.