Kids want the fun of an amusement park to last forever. Grownups also desire lasting happiness and fulfilling contentment. Just about everyone looks forward to have lots of money. We know that the capacity to achieve these desires is within us, and those who have this insight seek self-help to discover their potential. But self-help is more than just a think-happy solution; it requires us to use every interaction with our thoughts, the encounters with other people and the challenge of events, to build ourselves in the positive direction—that is, Self build. Now Self building is a life-long event with thousands of steps. In my book, The Provocative Qur’an, I share some of these valuable secrets with you. Let me start off by sharing a few tips from my book.

• Open your mind; and I mean it
Remember the famous failures who became epic successes? What was so different about Lincoln and Edison, Freud and Einstein? Certainly it wasn’t just academic excellence, hard work or physical prowess. No, more than anything else they dared to think differently and thus unlocked the genius within. So you think you are open-minded? Think again. Isn’t your claim to being yourself simply a capitulation to your upbringing, peer pressure or political correctness? So, whether you want to be the JK Rowlings of the literary world or the Bill Gates of technology, open your mind to creativity.

• Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize
No doubt you have heard this before. But I’m not talking about just your office work. I am talking about your life, whether it is a five-year or a five-hour plan. Without prioritizing, you may still roll in money, but your insides will be rolling in pain.

• Always keep the Bigger Picture
Remember the judge who asked an overzealous attorney whether he expected the client to come to his funeral. Yes, it is good to be passionate, but if we neglect the bigger picture, we may kill ourselves by agonizing over the smallest imperfections.

• Become Romantic
Have you noticed that the people who blissfully enjoy a gorgeous sunset at the beach, nevertheless tense up with their good looking spouses and lovely children. Everyone enjoys when they take things as gifts—the romantic mood; yet once heart-strings are attached to objects—sentimentalism, then everything is spoiled. So don’t be fooled by soap operas; remain romantic and you will always find happiness.

• Open the Gift box
Chances are that you were born with a label: Christian or Jewish, Muslim or Atheist, and so on. Chances are also that you will spend your whole life with that label, searching for life’s answer. Although it good to expand your knowledge, let me tell you the secret to find the answer a little faster: Your label came with a gift box. Forget the label and instead open the gift box of your chosen faith and philosophy; you will find spiritual treasures to repose the most troubled soul. You may still choose to look around; but you won’t feel lost and stumbling.

• I’m my Own Enemy
Doubtlessly, you have heard that we are often our own worst enemies. But let me tell you a secret. It is not the ‘Self’ that is your enemy but Self-ishness. If you act Self-lessly, you will never shoot yourself in the foot, whether it a quest of love or job-hunting.

• Build on Success
We should learn from mistakes. However, you can also learn from success. Too many of us who are doing good, go astray when we don’t have to. If you are abstinent, there is no reason to take up drugs and alcohol. If you are happily married, there is no reason to seek the so-called thrill of affairs. Remember that it is great to rebuild a business after bankruptcy; but it is not necessary to go broke in order to prove solvency.

• Stay with Facts
Remember the suicide bomber who, imagining his flourish into paradise, blows himself and innocent bystanders mile-high. Believe it or not, many of us toil strapped to many burdensome and unnecessary superstitions, doctrines and suspicions. So next time when you wish to escape to a dream world, read Harry Potter or watch Star Wars; don’t spoil your marriage, job prospects or a new purchase by replacing facts with fiction.

• Always have a Mission
When the teenage drunk-driving took it victims, the mothers formed MADD to promote safer driving. Yes, this action did not bring back the dead, but it spurred parents with a worthwhile goal. Indeed, there is no fulfillment unless each of us takes up a mission. Is there a mission waiting for you? You bet there is!

• Avoid the Paradox
Everyone makes mistakes. But have you heard of a celebrity who dies of drug overdose while promoting a drug-free message or a conservative politician who is caught in a scandal while running on a family platform. It happens all the time. So don’t feel smug because you have the best intention and know it all; instead watch for the paradox of seeking success while you shoot yourself in the foot.

Too many times, we give up because we stop believing that the World is ready for our good ideas or our positive contributions. Remember the World is always a positive event. It is our lens which sometimes gets negative. So what should you do, when everything starts looking dark and dismal? Time to either clean the lens or better, get a new lens! My book, The Provocative Qur’an, is a guide towards this new deal. Want to try it? You won’t be disappointed.