 We are in the second third of Ramadan, and there's really no more time that we can afford to waste. There are three major pitfalls that have been right here in the middle of Ramadan. But if we don't pay attention to them, many people feel that they're not getting the most that they can get out of Ramadan. Those three major pitfalls are I don't have time, I don't have help, or I have to get it exactly right. So let's talk about some practical solutions about these three pitfalls and what to do about them. The first one about I don't have time is a common one because life is tough. And the reality is every single one of us has some combination of difficulties in our life, whether it be that we're working multiple jobs to feed our family, or we're a student that's taking 20 some credits to try to graduate, or we're homeschooling children because of distance from learning or taking care of elderly parents or having young children that you know take care of every one of us has some combination of difficulties in our lives. And the beautiful thing about this religion of Islam is that you're able to change anything into an abadah or worship simply by changing or shifting your intention. So suddenly, all those things, whether it's the mundane cooking and cleaning, or whether it's the schoolwork, or taking care of children or parents, that suddenly, with the right intention becomes a form of abadah or worship. And some people think, well, I need to take some time away and neglect those duties so that I can recite more and Ronald on, or I can pray more. But the reality is, if this is your stage of life at this moment, then Allah knows that and this is part of your abadah in this moment to with the proper intention. So what do you do. You try your very best to turn every thing you're doing, first of all, to be an intention for worship, but also that you turn it around creatively and actually add worship to it. What do I mean. While you're cooking, you can do the care of Allah. While you're communing, get rid of that music and listen to Quran and maybe even recite along with it. While you're taking your daily walk, do a du'a, make your du'a. Take everything that you're doing on a daily basis and convert it. First of all, make that intention a form of worship and then add to it. Add to it the Quran and du'a. Suddenly, you have a whole lot more time to do worship than you thought and stack the good deeds, stack them as much as you can. You're sweeping, great, recite Quran along with it. Do you see what I'm saying? And then every so often, make sure that in a day you actually dedicate some time for abadah and solely for abadah with nothing else happening. Find the quiet moment. Is it an early morning for you? Is it a late night? Is it the middle of the day? Where is that moment in the day or night that you can actually dedicate and say, this is solely for worship. And there maybe you add more prayers or you add more Quran. And every other moment of your chaotic day, you're adding other worship upon worship. And then one more piece of advice here. With the last 10 days of Ramadan coming up, it's really important that we actually start to block off our schedule to make more time. If it means taking a couple of your vacation days. I knew people who would actually take vacation days in the last 10 days of Ramadan, particularly when the mosques were still open to do. They're taking off in the mosque. And even if they weren't able to go to the mosque and just be at home, they were having a staycation at home. And doing more abadah and more recitation of Quran and more prayers, because while you have a fully active work schedule, it may be hard to do so. So you kind of plan ahead and take it off. Some days. Number two. Number two is number two for the pitfalls are I don't have enough help. This is where we also need to be creative. Maybe enlist the help of a friend or family member to help you with meal swapping and Ronald on. I'll cook for you this day you cook for me that day. Right. Maybe it's a matter of enlisting help in terms of babysitting to be able to go to the mosque to pray. Or maybe it's taking turns with your spouse or with your friend or with your sister, my sister. Right. And say I'll watch the kids one day while you put them to sleep and go to the next day. Right. And you swap who goes when it's about being creative. It's about making this a priority. And please do not spend all that time on cooking. I'm a big fan in Ramadan a very simple meals because the whole point of Ramadan is to make sure that we feel we empathize with those who have less than us. So it's not just in quantity of what we eat which is being reduced by fasting, but it's also the quality of what we eat, because you may eat less in the day because of fasting but if everything you're eating is very luxurious. So you really feel that you really feel Ramadan. So simple meals, semi homemade meals, right, where you get some of this is not the time for great grandmother's recipe that takes five hours to make. Keep that for aid, inshallah. And for some people the help is actually because they feel that no matter what they do, they're just not able to really get through the day. Maybe there's a lot of stress that they have, or maybe it's a lot of anxiety that's not very well controlled. And maybe this is the time where you say to yourself, I should probably get some help, some professional help and there's no shame in getting that kind of help when you feel extra stressed out. And it's not going away on its own well enough where you're feeling too down and it's not going away on its own well enough. Pitfall number three are those who say I have to get it exactly right. There's no right way to do Ramadan. There's no right way to read the Quran it's there for you to read from any page. Most people want to read from cover to cover and that's amazing and beautiful. But if you can't make it from cover to cover and you open up and want to read a portion or a certain section or a certain page and skip back to another page. You can read the Quran from any area. It's really important to know that we have to push aside any of those nagging thoughts, that critical voice in our heads that says you're not good enough, you don't do it well enough. I'll look at those people mashallah how much they're able to accomplish. We have to get rid of all or nothing thinking. Don't give up. Every day of Ramadan is a new day. There are scholars who say mashallah that every day of the 29 or 30 days of Ramadan is an independent day of worship so it has its own intention for fasting. Every day is a new day you wake up the next day it's a new brand new day. So do not get paralyzed in your worship thinking I have to get it right. Or you gave yourself a goal and said I have to read this much on every day. And then when it didn't reach it one day or second day third day suddenly you feel like you're really behind. And you just give it up all or nothing just give it up. No, no, this is where we need to push further. Wake up the next day and try again and do more take one more step forge ahead, you will make it through inshallah because Ramadan is a marathon. It's not a sprint. And you have to pace yourself pace yourself pace yourself because when we get to the last 10. Those are the days where our teachers would say are the most hectic days of the year. We need to be exhausted in those days mashallah because of how much we're exerting. So let's do this by pacing ourselves and getting ourselves there. Do not give up inshallah to Allah. I hope these three pitfalls is common pitfalls are ones that we're going to make sure we avoid the one that says I don't have time you say no inshallah by Allah. I have the time to do more. I don't have help. No inshallah with Allah's help. I do have the help to get through this. And I have to get it exactly right. No you don't. And may Allah bless me and you and bless this Ramadan. For this month of Ramadan and allow us to really reap its full benefit. Allahumma amin. This is your sister, Dr. Rania, signing off. As-salamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.