Saiyyidah Zaidi is a business coach and psychologist. She is founding partner of a City coaching practice and works with clients internationally.

All around us we see successful people often judging them by their shoes and handbags and the superficial accessories that they wear.

These items are an external expression of the internal success they have. And some might say that the Mulberry handbag or LK Bennett shoes are unnecessary. I disagree; I think the outward display of success reflects the internal belief which then manifests itself into more success. Why is this important? Because it is the internal belief and emotional attachment to success that creates the outward expression and then the outward expression emphasises the internal belief. Look, I am not saying go out and get yourself an expensive handbag, especially if you cant afford it, what I am saying is that the awareness of this is critical to building conscious habits and practices which you can use to enhance the actual and emotional quality of your life as an employee or entrepreneur.

When it comes to the habits of successful people it matters because while something is still a habit it means that you are having to put effort in and that particular task or feeling you want to have requires energy. However, when a habit becomes a practice it just becomes part of life, something you do everyday like praying and brushing your teeth.

For me it is the practises of highly successful people that is the key to the enhanced success that so many Muslimahs are looking to achieve in their businesses and at home. Many of these practices also have their foundation in the Sunnah and are now being used by non Muslims as ‘success practices.’

Let’s look at 7 of these practices:

Be consciously aware and deliberate about the kind of life you want to lead. I am a firm believer in the power of having a plan and in a hadith narrated by Bayhaqi the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) said ‘the best of intelligence is planning.’ Take full advantage of this, plan and design the life you want to lead, make this into a regular practice so that you are regularly reviewing your plan and adjusting it as required so you are always looking ahead and have a direction in life. Remember you only move forward if you are looking forward.

It is important for you to know who you are. Sounds simple but actually listening to your mind and heart is not as easy as it sounds. Knowing yourself requires some energy to be given to it. By increasing your self-awareness you will be calmer and have a more positive approach to life as well as removing any negative subconscious thoughts that may be holding you back. A simple way to start is to find 5 minutes in the morning and close your eyes, breathe slowly and deliberately taking deep breaths. Just listen to your body and what is coming to your mind. At first you may be overwhelmed with what you discover, keep consistent with it and discover what your body is telling you.

In my work as a business coach one of the things I teach others is to establish how they can serve people best. When you help or serve someone you plant seeds that can help in the future with your career and you might not see the results until years down the line. In my own career, I had a major restructure to organise as Director in a local authority. As I had helped out a few people in HR before I could then ask them to help me and they were more than willing. Work out how you can hustle and serve. And use linkedin, facebook and twitter to hustle in the first place with people you really admire and aspire to know.

Do your hard work in the morning: I think it’s really important for us to love how we spend every second that Allah has given us. What is also really great is that He has told us that the morning hours are blessed. When you look at the practices of successful entrepreneurs one thing that many have in common is that they wake up at 5am and start work. Imagine staying up after Fajr and taking advantage of those blessed hours to do the hardest task. That would mean you are working with a clear mind, setting yourself up for the day and also taking advantage of the blessed hours. Why do you think so many of the Sahaba were really financially wealthy? Because they did just that, worked in the early hours after Fajr.

Have the right intention: Remember that with everything you do you can make it a worship. Allah has given us this wonderful gift where we can take everything that we do and turn it into worship. So next time you have a business meeting or are typing an email think of how you can make Allah pleased with you through that (it could be as simple as knowing that the money you are earning will help you to support your family or yourself and make you a stronger Muslimah).

More, less, start, stop. Use these wonderful words to realise what you want more or less in your life and what you should start or stop. This will help you to free up some valuable time and also get rid of things causing stress or not adding much to your business or life.

There is no point in reading or learning if you do not take action. I know so many people who are more able, have better connections but do not have as much success as others. Why is this? It is primarily because one set of people took action and the others did not. Sometimes the action you take will require you to experience some pain, other times it will be easy. One thing I always say is that if you want something enough then take so much action that it hurts a little. The rewards are a lot greater and much more satisfying.

We have habits and practices in our life. The key thing is to think how you can increase awareness of the practices you want to keep in your life and how you can remove the habits you don’t like or are a lot of effort. Implement the ideas above and you will see an immediate change in your life. Lastly, always have the right intention and make Dua to ask Allah for help so that you are tying your camel and effectively leaving the rest to Allah.