“While some really look forward to Ramadhan, others find it daunting and won’t voice their concerns out of fear of judgement. You want to be more excited and engaged, yet you feel like it’s an afterthought due to work pressures or other personal commitments.”
#ToBeVulnerablyHonest, I actually don’t always look forward to Ramadhan (don’t come for me just yet!). I just find it hard to follow the crowd and be hyped for the holy month when it’s not coming very naturally from within for various reasons.
When I discovered coaching, I fell in love with the idea of meeting the client where they’re at. As a spiritual person, I wanted to extend that idea to my faith. I’ve often heard that if you walk towards God, He will run towards you. So how could I find a way where I could meet God where I’m currently at in my level of faith?
This is why I made the attached, free, downloadable PDF to help those who feel like this get reconnected with their faith, on their own terms. As a Positive Psychology coach, we focus on what’s
strong rather than what’s wrong (thank you Joanna Williams
for this great wording).
I’ll be using this tool myself over the month of Ramadhan so I can have a more authentic experience. Here’s how:
1. I’ve completed my personalised strengths profile (link in the PDF); and I’ve got my 24 character strengths.
2. I’m prone to toxic productivity and overwhelm so I’m focussing just 3 of those strengths (haven’t decided which 3 yet, that reflection time is set for this weekend).
3. I’ll choose 1 top strength, 1 from around the middle, and 1 lesser used strength.
4. I’ll do daily journalling about how I’ve used either one of those strengths. The month of Ramadhan is themed into 3 parts, 10 days of mercy, 10 days of forgiveness, 10 days of salvation. I haven’t decided if I’ll focus on one strength per segment, or be more flexible and try and use the 3 strengths as and when I can.
5. This is the beauty of this work – it’s so flexible, and can be tailored suit my work/personal life!
Every year when Ramadhan comes around, I have a sense of sadness. I wish I could feel as excited as some of my family and friends, but unfortunately, 11 months of routinised living where often my spiritual practice has taken a backseat, means that the zest has been forgotten. It can take me some time to get back
into it. So for the last 3 years I’ve tried to commit to journalling or holding myself to account through tangible means so I can get the most out of this month.
It’s my first Ramadhan in my adult life where I won’t be teaching. This means more flexibility over my time. This could be a good or bad thing because one thing that Muslims value over Ramadhan is routine!
I’ll be using this toolkit to hold me to account on my spiritual goals. Will you join me on this journey?
For Muslims – it’s my Ramadhan gift to you.
For my coaching peers – feel free to use with your clients/network!
For all – wishing you a peaceful Ramadhan when it comes.