Disclaimer: As always, pick what advice best fits and suits you. You choose what to believe in. I also picked the advice that I wanted to believe in!

What this book is about:

This book ‘The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People’ distils 100 perspectives from 100 people on their top advice to be happy. I found this intriguing and as expected, many of the advice given were the most basic cliche advice such as ‘smile’ or ‘exercise’ which are important but I only read the advice I thought was unique and profound. 

What it has taught me:

Limit yourself to thinking about one subject as you lie down to sleep

This was a very interesting piece of advice which I think the majority of people do not follow. Better sleepers are 25% more satisfied with life than poor sleepers. Therefore, in order to get that sleep, we should get to sleep as quickly as possible. This can be done by only thinking about one thing e.g. just your family and nothing else. 

Don’t let your entire life hinge on one element.

I really like how this statement was phrased. And it is absolutely true. Diversify your hopes by building your hopes around many things that are important to you. You should be able to enjoy the different aspects of your life, without becoming too dependent on one thing. In a nutshell, don’t let only one thing define you. 

Learn to use a computer. 

This is more for the senior citizens out there but learning to use a computer not only provides a great experience of technology but also it has been proven to increase the self esteem and satisfaction by five percent for senior citizens.

Never trade your morals for your goals

I am a strong believer of this lesson and have been following this for so long! It is very easy when times get difficult for your goals to just do immoral things but that is not going to help you. An example given in the book is of a student who got into Yale but by faking his whole application – from his activities to his letters of recommendation. Even though he was doing well at university, he had to confess his mistakes because he felt that his achievements would be predicated on lies. So live guilt-free by never cheating and always following your morals!

How we see the world is more important than how the world is

Such a great tip that so many people need to know in this day and age! Everything in this life is a matter of perspective and as I said at the start of the article: you choose what to believe in. 

What I like about this book:

I love how so many different perspectives of happiness and how to attain happiness were given in the book. It made me feel very impressed with how regardless of your background or culture, everyone usually follows the simplest advice to be happy such as believing in yourself. 

The possible improvements to the book:

Each lesson had a very short explanation on it which is good for readers who don’t like reading very much but for an avid reader like me, I would have wanted a bit more explanation on each lesson and perhaps a link between each chapter.

My Rating: 3/5

This book was really good at showing different perspectives yet, it was more of a skim read rather than a full book to read, when I prefer reading books back-to-back. 

Where to buy the book from (not sponsored):

The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below if you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other articles too:

• My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student 
• My First Term of Medical School | Exams, Essays and Events 
• My First Month of Medical School | Moving Out, Freshers And Workload
• The Ultimate Guide To Ace Year 12 | Revision, Friendships And Supercurriculars
• How I Got All A*s At GCSEs | 10 Tips Every Year 11 Student Should Know

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day! 

I wanted to share my own experience of 2020 and the lessons I learnt. We are taught to learn by venturing out into the world, but this time I learnt some lessons from the comfort of my own home.

So here goes… 20 life lessons I learnt in 2020, a revolutionary year.

Be more accepting of mistakes

As much as perfectionism may make you work your best, it can sometimes be detrimental to your health. Therefore, I would suggest remembering that no one is perfect and everyone commits mistakes and you have to accept and learn from these mistakes. Mentions go to Smile2Jannah who posted a video with Hamza Tzortsis a few years ago and Hamza mentioned something like this.

Create an identity of who you want to be.

This year, I really questioned my goals, ambitions and my purpose in life which is pretty good because it really allows you to carve out your own future. As Tim Han (the CEO of Success Insider) suggested, you should create an identity of who you want to be and then pretend you are that identity.

You don’t need to have an issue to have a story

I remember watching this TED talk from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie saying that she sometimes lied to people saying that she had a terrible childhood as it may sound ‘inspirational’ or because other writers do it, when in reality she had a wonderful childhood. This is to show that you don’t need to come out of a dark past to be successful in the future.

Don’t be afraid to stand out of the crowd.

This year, I stepped out of my comfort zone by creating my own podcast and promoting to people around me. This may have been difficult in the beginning, but now I am happy and thriving in terms of my podcast Alhamdulillah.

You will always get haters.

Speaking of my podcast, I then realised that some people were not very supportive when seeing me create my podcast and doing something a bit out of the ordinary. You just cannot please everyone and there will always be people who may be jealous or insecure about you. You can’t fear hate as if you do, you may regret reaching your deathbed having not accomplished your goals.

Be cautious of strangers

Do not trust strangers blindly, even your best friends, as once upon a time, your best friend was also a stranger. Even your closest friends can leave you. Don’t panic but be aware of what you tell people.

Learn to have fun

Nowadays, it seems that the only way of having fun is by using your phone and scrolling through social media. That may be one form of entertainment, but there are so many other forms of entertainment to check out, such as playing games, chatting to your family and friends, exercising and even organisation.

Have other extracurriculars

This year, I really broadened my horizons and introduced some extra-curriculars into my life such as my podcasts and my Instagram pages ‘@surobiscribbles’ and ‘@thechatlibrary’. Again, this helped build my brand, kept me busy and helped me to have something to do alongside academia.

Don’t be a passive reactor, be a creator.

Another lesson from Tim Han that I learnt is to not just depend on your emotions based on your environment and current circumstances, but instead take control of your thoughts and almost have a strong mindset to determine your emotions based on what you want your brain to think. You control your brain, not the other way round.

When uncertain, list out the pros and cons.

There may be some decisions you have to take in your life, and I realised that you may need to put your thoughts in pen to paper. If you want to make a decision, make a ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ list or a ‘for’ and ‘against’ table and list out all the factors. This helps you to see exactly your thoughts in front of you.

Everyone fakes it till they make it.

Everyone who you see is faking it till they make it. So do the same. 

Learn to forgive yourself.

In Islam, it says to not let guilt eat you up. Forgive yourself for any mistakes you have made in the past. Seek Allah’s forgiveness. And then just move on. This can make you feel quite peaceful. If you are finding it hard to see the positives and forgive yourself, speak to someone and get help.

You are not missing out on anything in life.

Do not ever think you are missing out on something in life. For example, if you have taken the decision to study instead of party with good intentions, just believe in Allah’s plan. Don’t think you are missing out on anything in life.

Accept yourself unconditionally.

Self-acceptance is vital. This was also mentioned in one of my favourite books so far which is known as ‘You Are A Badass’ by Jen Sincero. Self-acceptance helps with self-belief and self-love too.

Life is short, simple and sweet.

Life can have many obstacles. But, also, life is not that hard. If you live with the mindset that life is extremely hard, then it will be hard. Always believe that life can be beautiful and everyone is trying to make the most of it despite their problems. 

Always thank God.

As soon as you lose gratitude, it can impact everything. Please do stay grateful and thank God for everything you do. An example of this is when one of my posts in ‘@thechatlibrary’ Instagram page was liked by ‘@salamgirlpodcast’ who are two quite famous podcasters. Also, they reposted one of my posts in ‘@surobiscribbles’ on their story. I thank Allah for that.

Consume positive content.

This year, there was a lot of negativity in the news and people going through hardship. However, you must ensure you do not get consumed in it, however hard it may be. Listen to motivational videos, read self-help books and stay with positive people.

Have a good support system.

Speaking of positive people, you need to have a good support system especially if you are a teenager going through a lot or someone who is quite busy. These people can be there to help and support you and obviously, return the favour. Being giving really makes you feel better.

Don’t be ruled by the ego.

The ego is sometimes one of the biggest enemies for humans. If someone attacks you, you may immediately feel like you have to respond something back or gain revenge. Just relax. Don’t take anything personally.

Emotions are a temporary state of mind.

Remember that if you are going through a low day, your anger, frustration, nerves or sadness is temporary. Similarly, if you just achieved something, that happiness, thrill or excitement will not last forever. You need to remember that life moves and life is too short not to enjoy it.

These were some of the lessons I learnt this year. These are my personal lessons, and if you have any lessons that you learnt, comment down below.

Please check out my other articles!

Thank you so much for reading, and have a lovely day!

Many people in this world look for peace and happiness, thinking that they have to wait to attain happiness. But this could not be further from the truth. Yes, you can aim high and try to achieve your goals which may give you happiness, but no one said that you can’t be happy from now on.

How can you be happy right now, you may ask? It is not as hard as you think. You need to find yourself and find what makes you happy.

Spending time with loved ones, being productive and remembering that emotions and feelings are temporary can all play a role in your happiness.

Happiness is something that needs to be achieved and you may not feel happy all the time but that is okay.

Be Happy.

Please share this short, motivational reminder to anyone and everyone. 

What does happiness mean to you? Comment down below.

Please check out my other articles relating to Islamic content, My Experiences, Teenage Advice, Book Reviews and Poetry.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

A lot of you might hear the word ‘productivity’ or ‘productive’. This word is used all the time especially in social media nowadays and maybe in the StudyTube Community. But I wanted to explain this word and go into depth with it because I feel that people have misinterpreted this word.

Many people nowadays have this perception that productivity is when you ‘get a lot of schoolwork done’. You must have possibly studied or revised for hours and hours and that is the only way you can find yourself ‘productive’. However, this could not be further from the truth. 

Productive is achieving a significant amount or result. – Google

This simply means that if you are achieving something that will add value to your life or will give you a good result or will positively impact you in some way, you might be ‘productive’. This could surely be doing schoolwork or academic work, but it could also be extra-curriculars, self-care and sometimes even taking a break.

Obviously, there is a disclaimer to this. Procrastination cannot be productive as it is a guilty pleasure and is not really the break you deserve. So the key to being productive is priority – what is more important to you at that moment. You cannot be taking a break all the time and you have to do what is best at that moment. If you have an exam tomorrow, the thing that will make you ‘productive’ is obviously studying. But if you have just finished an exam, maybe what would be productive is spending an hour rewarding yourself by talking to your loved ones so it will replenish and motivate you for the future.

Productivity comes with discipline and choice. You have to want to be productive even when you are in a low day sometimes. 

Prioritise. Be Productive. Move On.

Please share this short, motivational reminder to anyone and everyone. 

What does productivity mean to you? Comment down below.

Please check out my other articles relating to Islamic content, My Experiences, Teenage Advice, Book Reviews and Poetry.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Many people wake up with no purpose in life. They are merely just existing and not really living. This is one of the harsh realities for many people living on this Earth. The 21st century was supposed to be easier for people, yet it seems there are now more diseases and mental health issues than ever before.

This may be because people get trapped in their busy lives and really forget the true purpose for why they are waking up. I want you all to stop thinking about what happened in the past or what will happen in the future and just ask yourself ‘why are you here?’. It is a deep, powerful yet significant question.

You need to find that motivation for why you are living. What do you want to have achieved before your last few breaths on this Earth? That motivation is required to help you keep going and every time you feel low, you can just remind yourself. Write your goals down in a piece of paper and keep going until you make it to your dream destination. And after you have reached your dream destination, you may find another goal along the way. 

Be resilient, consistent and persistent. – Surobi Scribbles

Please share this short, motivational reminder to anyone and everyone. 

What’s your purpose in life? Comment down below.

Please check out my other articles relating to Islamic content, My Experiences, Teenage Advice, Book Reviews and Poetry.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

There are times when you may feel like giving up. There are times you might feel confused about what is happening. There are times you might question your purpose in this world.

Breathe. Relax. It is okay.

Allow yourself to find the answers slowly. You can write down your propose in life, you can write down why you should not give up the good, you should write down why you feel confused. Talk to someone. But do not ever feel like you are alone.

Everyone has talents, and you need to show your grace. So fake it till you make it and just believe that it is okay. Work hard to solve the problem. 

Please share this short, motivational reminder to anyone and everyone. 

How do you keep motivated? Comment down below.

Please check out my other articles relating to Islamic content, My Experiences, Teenage Advice, Book Reviews and Poetry.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

However many people say that ‘rejection is redirection’, ‘learn from your mistakes’ and ‘FAIL means first attempt in learning,’ I know that it can still hurt after you have gone through failure. There are many reasons why failure might seem bitter – it might be because you wish you had worked harder or longer, you have dreamt for this to succeed for so long or purely because it was unexpected.

But today, I wanted to give two pieces of advice about failure.

Firstly, believe that success and failure are planned. Not by you, not by your teachers, nor by anyone else. In my beliefs, it was God. God loves us all but maybe this was just a test. As a Muslim, I believe that Allah either gives you what you want because He wanted to give it to you or He doesn’t give you what you wanted. If He doesn’t give you what you wanted, it is because He has something better planned for you or He will be rewarding you for your struggles in this life. As you can see, there is no way to lose as you are getting good in any of the three ways as Allah is merciful and All-knowing. So yes, you should definitely work hard but also, keep this in mind.

Secondly, remember to have low expectations. When you are revising for an exam, have your big goal in mind and work hard. However, after you have done the exam or coursework and you have submitted, and there is nothing you can do, have low expectations. This is because if you succeed, you will be over the moon as you expected low and if you fail, it won’t hurt so much. 

Thos were my two pieces of advice about failure and my poem above. Keep your head up high, work hard but don’t stress.

What;s one failure that you went through and overcame? Comment down below.

Please check out my other articles relating to Islamic content, My Experiences, Teenage Advice, Book Reviews and Poetry.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Sometimes, it is hard to let go. And I understand that. Everyone has been through struggles. One common struggle that I went through was bullying and yes, it did impact me but now Alhamdulillah, I don’t get bullied anymore and I am here writing an article on my very own website. I surely have many more positives than negatives in my life.

So, yes, I have let go of some of my bad experiences. But that doesn’t mean that I have forgotten about it. Because I think that’s nearly impossible. But what I have done is learnt from the bad and looked at the positives.

So yes, everyone goes through their own fair share of obstacles, yes, even that Instagram model, even your friends from school and even your own family members. So please, do not think you are alone because I spoke up nearly every single time in times of hardship and Alhamdulillah, I am so grateful for everything I have – education, food, water, family and friends just to name a few.

Please don’t give up.

Let It Go. Learn From It. Cherish It.

Please leave a comment down below of something that you have let go of whether it is a bad habit or a bad memory.

Please check out my other articles, relating to  Islamic content, My Experiences, Teenage Advice, Book Reviews and Poetry.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Well, there is no need to sulk because, in today’s article of the month, I will be sharing ten things that you can do before the New Year to have that refreshing feeling, but hopefully also one step closer to achieving your goals. 

These tips are subjective and it is your choice on whether to follow them or not :). 

Plan your New Year’s Resolutions

Okay, I know that some people are probably fed up of setting themselves New Year’s Resolutions and failing to complete them within the first week of the new year. However, remember to never give up and keep going. A great example of this is my sister who despite having gone through most of this year, she still managed to lose weight on the last few months which was one of her goals. 

One tip is to give yourself small achievable goals for each big resolution and set yourself up to three or four resolutions.

Organise your room

If your room is looking a bit like an old bird’s nest, it is time for you to clean up.

Cleaning helps to not only make you feel fresh and organised for the year, but it also helps to declutter your room.

What’s more, you can also add some new room decor to give a new vibe to your room.

Spend time with your family

Throughout the year, you may have been quite busy with ongoing tasks. Now that the year is ending, I think it is the best time to reflect on your year and rejuvenate by having a good old chat with your family about anything and everything.

Ask for forgiveness

Starting a new year is like planting a brand new farm ready to grow new trees of memories. If you don’t want that old weed to be stuck in your farm, I would recommend that you forgive people who have wronged you to get that feeling out of your chest and ask for forgiveness to start the new year with healthy good relationships.

You could also eliminate toxic people from your life to begin a year of positivity.

Do one random act of kindness

Being kind gives peace to your soul.

Therefore, do as many random acts of kindness to have that feeling of warmth and happiness in your soul from remembering the person’s smile that you helped. Trust me when I say that it will make you feel good inside.

Set up a planning system that works for you 

Realised that you were quite disorganised this year and drowning in cramming or last-minute work stress?

Not to fear, maybe the solution is to plan efficiently and write to-do lists. Set up a planning system where you will keep track of your activities and write to-do lists. Some examples are bullet journaling, a pre-made academic diary, a simple notebook or even a digital app. Set it up to be motivated to start using it.

Envision yourself in a year

Imagine yourself in a year. Even if there isn’t a drastic difference, you should want to improve yourself as a person internally and externally. Set a few goals of who you want to be and keep them realistic. You could also make a vision board or make a word of the year.

Complete any unfinished projects

If you had any ongoing projects throughout the year, then it is possibly time for you to complete them. For example, maybe you were saving for a bag and after you saved, you never got around to buying the bag. You can now complete that task. 

Reflect on this year

As well as preparing for this year, you must also reflect on this year. What were the positives and negatives? How can you improve? As I always say, there is always room for improvement.

Write a letter to yourself to read for next year at that same time 

This is like a time capsule. Write a personal letter to yourself to read next year. For example, if you write about the whole year on 31st December, keep that letter and don’t read it until next year’s 31st December. It is exciting, personal and fun!

These were ten things that I think everyone should do before the new year. It is your choice if you want to follow these or not and if this list looks a bit overwhelming, don’t worry, it is actually fun! Make sure to share this article with your family and friends if you enjoyed and please check out my other articles:

P.S I just wanted to say that I am so grateful and happy for anyone who has even taken a moment to click on these articles. I believe I have written over 50 articles on this website this year and I have enjoyed doing so. I feel blessed to have gone to so many new places and discovered so much this year as well as having fun!

Thanks to everyone!! 

Thank you for reading, have a lovely day and Happy New Year!

I don’t celebrate Christmas, however, I love the spirit of giving gifts to others. But sometimes, it can be difficult to know what your teenage girlfriend, your daughter, your female sibling or cousin likes.

So here are some ideas for what you can give to your teenage girls; apply these gift ideas according to what the recipient likes. Also, buy how much you can afford – don’t break your bank and ask your parents’ permission before buying. So without any further ado, let’s get started:

Nail/Hand gift sets

If that girl is always checking her nails and making them pretty, then you should definitely consider gifting them a nail set to spice up their nail collection.

Gift sets

These are just the normal gift sets you can find at cosmetic stores such as Superdrug. You can find really cheap gift sets that have amazing fragrances and body washes.

Body butter

Girls love to moisturise their bodies and smell good, therefore it is a good choice to pick out a scented safe body butter for your friend.

Make-up

Girls are known for their make-up so if you ever see your friend showing off her make-up collection or often wearing makeup, it would be good to gift her a palette.

Jewellery

Jewellery can catch anyone’s eye so buy your friend a dainty necklace that is versatile and a must-have.

Accessories

I know so many girls who are obsessed with scrunchies, hairbands and hair rollers so buy them their essentials, which they can use all the time.

Gift cards

If you see your friend nipping down to the shopping mall often, then it is handy to buy her a gift card of her favourite shop or mall, so she gets her pick!

Books

I have a few friends who are book-lovers and love Harry Potter, so gift them their favourite series, a book from their favourite author, or a book that they have been wishing to read.

Stationery

Girls love to have cute stationery to take to school and show off to their friends. It can also motivate them to study so you may want to head to some stationery shops!

Clothes

Trendy, fashionable clothes are what girls want to wear so buy them some clothes (remember to know their clothing sizes before buying!)

Electronic devices

If you have many friends gifting the same friends, you may want to split the bill and buy her some AirPods for her birthday!

Personalised goodies

I personally love personalised goodies – with my name or my initials, so maybe buy your friend a mug with her face, a cushion with her initials, or a letter board with her name!

Friendship bracelets

You are never too old to get friendship bracelets, and if you can remember many treasurable memories with your friend, then it may be time to buy a friendship bracelet for her and yourself!

Chocolates/candies

Lindt, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder – they are all good! But make sure your friend likes it first!

Memories book

This is a bit more time-consuming but is definitely worth it! Print out your favourite pictures with that friend and make a small collage or book with all those beautiful memories! You will definitely see that smile light up in your friend’s face as all those memories will ignite in her mind!

Bag

A small handbag or backpack is very versatile and handy for a girl to use and they will remember you every time they take it outside!

An experience

A gift does not always have to be a physical object – it can also be a memory. Buy your friend some tickets to go to the cinema – or to a theme park, whatever she likes best!

Phone case

If you know what phone your friend has, buy her an appropriate phone case that she can use to upgrade her phone.

Face masks

This links to cosmetics but buy her some hydrating face masks to give that glow to her face and you can even do this with her on a rainy day at home!

Reusable water bottle

A reusable water bottle is a way to also save the planet!

These were some of my ideas for teenage girls as I would love to gift these to my friends. I really hope that this gives you some ideas and make sure to share this article with others if it did. Here are some articles you can check out:

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!