Spiritual Intelligence: 43 Years of Becoming

As-salaam alaykum!

I turned 43 this week.

No "43 lessons" list. No regrets to share. No advice to my younger self.

Because here's what 43 years taught me: Every struggle was necessary. Every failure was preparation. Every setback was actually feedback in disguise.

Capitalism obsesses over the destination - the exit, the IPO, the quarterly earnings. Faith focuses on the journey - the becoming, the struggle, the growth. The point of prayer isn't checking it off your list. The point of fasting isn't the moment you break it. The point of Hajj isn't shaving your head on Eid. It's about who you become along the way.

Here's the spiritually intelligent reframe:

Capitalism asks 'What did you achieve?' Faith asks 'How did it change you?' One measures output. The other measures transformation.

The Journey You Can't Skip

When I was a graduate student, I always told myself that I couldn't wait to become a professor. Then when I got closer to finishing my Ph.D., I had a meeting with a famous professor from Carnegie Mellon University. I asked him: "What's your one piece of advice for a graduate student who wants to have your career?" "Enjoy every moment of being a graduate student," he replied. That hit me like a ton of bricks!

That simple comment made me realize how much of our lives we wish away: "Can't wait until the week is over". "Can't wait until I get married". "Can't wait until the kids go away to college", etc. But life happens in those moments of striving towards our goals, not at the finish line.

I once heard Allan Watts say that enlightenment is to neither prolong pleasure nor hasten pain. True enlightenment is to be content with what is and not wish anything else beyond it. That's literally the definition of Islam: to submit to what is (God's Will)! This made me reflect on the famous verse:

"Which of your Lord's favors will you deny?" [55:13]

Whatever Allah puts our way, whether we interpret it as "good" or "bad" is still our Lord's favor. That long ride? Allah's favor. That experiment that 'failed'? Allah's favor. That book that keeps getting rejected? Allah's favor. Even if it doesn't make sense... yet.

When I was broke at 27, scraping by on $21,000 as a PhD student, eating ramen for the third night in a row... I needed that hunger. Not just for food, but for something more.

When I married Zahra after knowing her for only 6 months and everyone thought I'd lost my mind... I needed that leap. It taught me that the best decisions often look crazy from the outside.

When I failed repeatedly pursuing my PhD, when professors doubted me, when imposter syndrome had me questioning everything... I needed those bruises. They became the foundation of resilience I'd later need to build a $30M startup.

Allah doesn't give us what we can't handle. It gives us what we need to become who we're meant to be.

The Setback-to-Feedback Framework

Here's the framework that unlocks huge growth in my executive clients:

Every setback carries three types of feedback:

1. DIRECTIONAL FEEDBACK

"This path needs adjustment"

When I couldn't get my first startup funded after 50 rejections, the feedback wasn't "give up." It was "your pitch addresses the wrong problem." That redirection led to a $30M statrup in AI and healthcare.

Ask yourself: What is this setback telling me about my current direction?

2. DEVELOPMENTAL FEEDBACK

"You're not ready... yet"

When I got passed over for a promotion early in my career, it stung. But looking back? I wasn't ready for that level of responsibility. The setback was protecting me from a failure that would've crushed me.

Ask yourself: What skills or character traits is this setback developing in me?

3. DIMENSIONAL FEEDBACK

"There's more to life than this"

When my relentless pursuit of success started costing me relationships, the feedback was clear: Success without connection is failure. That setback forced me to develop spiritual intelligence alongside my IQ.

Ask yourself: What dimension of life is this setback asking me to pay attention to?

How to Stay Stuck

Every executive I now advise - the ones running billion-dollar companies, the ones everyone sees as "successful" - they all tried to skip parts of their journey. And that's exactly where they got stuck.

You see, my failures weren't preparing me for success. They were preparing me to guide others through theirs.

• That broke PhD student taught me empathy for the struggling entrepreneur
• That "crazy" marriage decision taught me to trust intuition over social approval
• Those repeated failures built my resilience for when the real tests came

If my future self appeared today to warn me about all the pain ahead, I'd still walk the same path.

Because you can't Google your way to wisdom. You can't ChatGPT your way to depth. You can't shortcut your way to becoming who you're meant to be.

The journey IS the destination.

Your Setbacks Are Speaking. Are You Listening?

Think about your current biggest challenge. Now run it through the framework:

Directional: Is it telling you to pivot, adjust, or try a different approach?

Developmental: What capacity is it building in you? Patience? Resilience? Humility?

Dimensional: What area of life have you been neglecting? Health? Relationships? Purpose?

Most people treat setbacks like roadblocks. High performers learn to treat them like GPS recalculations; not stopping you, just rerouting you to a better path.

My Birthday Gift to You

For the past year, I've been privately guiding Muslims through their own "feedback transformation" in my Spiritual MBA program. These aren't just ambitious professionals - they're the ones ready to stop skipping steps and start integrating meaning into every aspect of their rise.

Inside the Spiritual MBA, we don't just talk about success. We architect the kind of expansion that comes from alignment - where your career, purpose, and family finally stop competing and start amplifying each other.

The leaders in this program aren't learning tactics. They're undergoing transformation. They're discovering that their struggles weren't obstacles - they were prerequisites for their next level.

Here's what happens inside:

• Weekly group coaching where we tackle your real challenges (not theoretical ones)
• The Setback-to-Feedback Framework plus 11 other frameworks that transform how you approach every decision
• Direct access to me for those moments when you need guidance, not Google
• A community of high-achievers who get it - who understand the weight of worldly success and the hunger for something deeper

But more than any curriculum or framework, you get this: Permission to be both powerful AND peaceful. Ambitious AND content. Successful AND spiritual.

43% Off for My 43rd Birthday (5 Spots Left)

I rarely discount my programs. When you're ready for transformation, price shouldn't be the deciding factor.

But birthdays make me reflective. And grateful. And if my journey has taught me anything, it's that timing matters.

Maybe you've been watching from the sidelines, knowing you need this level of guidance but waiting for a sign. Maybe this is it.

For the next 43 hours only, I'm offering 43% off the Spiritual MBA program.

This isn't about the discount. It's about the decision - the decision to stop trying to figure it out alone, to stop compartmentalizing your ambition and values, to stop believing you have to choose.

There are only 5 spots remaining in the current cohort. Once they're gone, you'll have to wait until next year (and at full investment).

The Real Question

What setback are you currently treating like a roadblock instead of feedback?

What if that thing you're trying to avoid is exactly what you need to experience?

What if your biggest frustration right now is actually your biggest teacher?

Who This Is For

This is for you if:

• You've achieved what others call "success" but still feel there's a different kind of success waiting
• You're tired of choosing between ambition and meaning
• You know your next level requires integration, not just information
• You're ready to be guided by someone who's walked this path
• You understand that transformation requires investment (time, energy, and yes, money)
• You want to learn how to read the feedback in every setback

This is NOT for you if:

• You're looking for quick fixes or hacks
• You want to stay comfortable in your current contradictions
• You're not ready to do the inner work
• You think success and spirituality are separate journeys
• You're still blaming your setbacks instead of learning from them

Your Next Step

If something in this letter stirred something in you...

If you're tired of treating setbacks like failures instead of feedback...

If you're ready for the kind of guidance that changes everything...

Click here to secure your spot in the Spiritual MBA with 43% off use coupon code BDAY at checkout

The investment after the birthday discount is $1,995 (normally $3,500). Payment plans available.

But remember: The real investment isn't financial. It's the decision to stop running from your becoming.

43 and Still Becoming

At 43, I'm more convinced than ever: We're not meant to have it all figured out. We're meant to keep becoming. Keep growing. Keep walking toward who we're meant to be, even when the path is unclear.

Your struggles aren't signs you're failing. They're feedback that you're growing.

Your challenges aren't punishments. They're preparations.

Your journey isn't broken. It's exactly what you need.

Stop treating setbacks like stop signs. Start treating them like feedback.

Join me in embracing every single lesson.

Because 43 years taught me this: The people who change the world aren't the ones who avoided struggle. They're the ones who learned to decode the feedback within every setback.

Ready to master the Setback-to-Feedback Framework and transform your entire approach to challenges?

Join the Spiritual MBA today (43% discount expires in 43 hours, use coupon code BDAY at checkout)

Peace and blessings,

James

P.S. Those 5 spots? They won't last the full 43 hours. Every birthday, I make this offer. Every year, we sell out within 24 hours. If you're feeling that pull, trust it. That's not FOMO. That's timing.

P.P.S. Want a taste of the framework? Reply with your biggest current setback, and I'll personally show you which type of feedback it's giving you. But only for the first 10 people who respond.