How can I make the best use of my youth?

Hawzah News Agency - Question: How can I make the best use of my youth?

When I look at some older people who accomplished nothing meaningful in life and wasted their younger years on useless and foolish activities that brought them no good future, I feel more determined and tell myself, I don’t want to end up like them.

However, I don’t know where to start, what I should do, or what the main causes of failure are. Please guide me and show me the right path!

Answer:

There are three main factors that waste a person’s time, youth, and valuable opportunities—and as a result, leave one facing the Hereafter empty-handed, filled only with regret.

The First Factor: The Individual Himself

1. Living with anxiety and nervousness.
2. Being occupied with trivial and unnecessary matters.
3. Living without order or organization in one’s time and work.
4. Procrastination and laziness.
5. Curiosity and interference in other people’s affairs.
6. Having little knowledge about the essential matters of life.
7. Isolation and limited interaction with society.
8. Indecisiveness and lack of determination in making decisions.
9. Failing to plan for the future.

The Second Factor: The Individual and Those Around Him

1. Long, idle gatherings.
2. Unscheduled or unexpected guests.
3. Spending excessive time on the phone discussing trivial and unimportant topics.
4. Unreasonable demands from others.
5. Keeping company with aimless or unproductive people.
6. Wasting time on entertainment—especially sitting for hours watching television series and movies.

The Third Factor: Accidents and Unexpected Events

1. Illness.
2. Traffic accidents.
3. Losing valuable items such as money, books, or other possessions.

Dear brother, be aware of these things that rob you of your time, peace, and opportunities. Avoid such habits and distractions. Instead, read about the lives of great and successful people—you will learn how to make the best use of your time, how to build your life and future, and how to make your family and community proud of you.

Most importantly, you will please Allah, and He will be pleased with you when you meet Him alone, granting you eternal happiness. This is the true path—everything else leads only to loss and regret.

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Source: "For a better future" by Hussain Ansariyan