Talent, a college education, and ambition are not enough to be successful in a career. Especially for those of you working in high-stress fields that have bad turnover rates, without self-discipline and emotional regulation, it is a track to anxiety disorders, physical health problems from stress, and a greater possibility of not achieving career success.

Alhamdulillah, fasting during Ramadan gives you an opportunity to increase your discipline which can help you achieve your most successful year yet. As Allah says:

“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become [God-conscious]” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 183]

Here is how your faith is helping you live the best version of yourself even professionally.

Self-Discipline

Islam promotes self-discipline. We can see this in the discipline needed to wake up before dawn for prayer, guarding one’s chastity and abstaining from items which are commonplace in society such as drinking. Consider for a moment that while fasting during Ramadan, you are more susceptible to provocation and irritability due to hunger and thirst, yet if provoked we are recommended to respond with “I’m fasting” instead of anger.

“When any one of you gets up in the morning in the state of fasting, he should neither use obscene language nor do any act of ignorance. And if anyone slanders him or quarrels with him, he should say:” I am fasting, I am fasting.” [Muslim]

Acts such as backbiting and lying are always prohibited for us, but this is even more so during Ramadan. We are repeatedly facing situations in Ramadan that require us to exercise self-discipline, which really is a commitment towards mastering one’s self.

As your self-discipline grows, this carries into your career as you become more organized, accountable and productive. A self-disciplined employee and leader are more steadfast, ingenious and diligent in their tasks, refusing to quit when times get tough.

Delayed Gratification

A psychological experiment performed at Stanford in the 70’s examined delayed gratification with children using marshmallows. Kids could have one marshmallow instantly or if they chose to delay that gratification and exercise self-discipline, they received two marshmallows. These same children were followed up with years later and the ones who were able to delay gratification were shown to perform higher on exams, have more positive coping skills for stress, better reasoning abilities, and higher focus.

Imagine for a moment if you could flip a switch and have stronger focus, reasoning and coping skills; all of these impact work performance and productivity.

While fasting, our nature tells us to eat and drink. It is more than a mere desire, it is related to our core survivalist instincts. Ramadan fasting is an all-day exercise in delayed gratification. When you are able to master delayed gratification this gives you the strength to curve impulsive behaviors, which can be very dangerous in the corporate world. Business decisions need to be calculated, methodical and not rushed. Additionally, being impulsive in the workplace opens the door to anger, overlooked opportunities and even lustful actions with coworkers.   

“But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from [unlawful] inclination, Then indeed, Paradise will be [his] refuge” [Qur’an: Chapter 79, Verse 40-41]

Self-Awareness

Fasting gives us time to reflect; about ourselves and about our faith. You are able to spend time in introspection. If it is your goal to become a better employee or a better leader, you have to understand yourself first. The more self-aware you become the easier it is to control your thought patterns which impact your emotions. Then you can better recognize your weaknesses in order to take steps forward. Self-awareness actually increases your ability to understand others which is beneficial for interacting with clients, co-workers, and leadership.

Neuropsychology of Fasting

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s amazing ability to modify itself. Subhanallah your brain is not static, it has the ability to change and fasting impacts this. The Journal of Neuroscience highlights evidence of neuroplasticity within the limbic system during periods of fasting. You may be wondering what the limbic system is. Essentially, it is the areas around the thalamus which help us regulate our emotions as well as our drives. This is directly related to self-discipline and the ability to delay gratification.

Therefore, Ramadan fasting provides you with the opportunity to strengthen neural pathways associated with emotional regulation and discipline at work. If you think of your brain as a muscle you can exercise, you are taking your brain to the gym during Ramadan!

As long as you properly fuel it during iftar and suhoor as well as getting adequate sleep after evening prayers, you will improve your work discipline on a psychological and a neurological level.  

Take Action

At this point, you should have realized you are capable of picking up any good habit you want and getting rid of the negative ones holding you back. It is time to look at yourself in the mirror and determine where you have room for improvement and how you are going to accomplish this.

If disorganization and distractions take away from your focus, set aside time to clean up your work area while also disabling phone notifications. Make it a regular habit to turn off notifications when you are working and clean up your work area. Creating a schedule beforehand will help you stay on task and also provide a reward when you notice that you completed today’s scheduled tasks. Block out time for your responsibilities and use alert reminders if need be such as google calendar alerts.

Make sure you are setting specific goals instead of vague ones. Instead of making a goal to increase profits, be specific and make a goal to edit your website with SEO within two weeks and post one blog per week to increase marketing. Google maps seo helps your local business stand out so make sure to plan for that too. Using Shopify SEO will help analyze your online store’s search engine optimization. This will help you generate more traffic to improve your rankings.  Part of goal setting is holding yourself accountable. Success and excuses do not walk the same path. You have to set goals and schedule out tasks related to those goals. If you don’t meet your goals then sit back and ask yourself why, without passing the blame to others. Maybe you have such a fear of failure that you are not putting in your full effort.. Holding yourself accountable gives you a chance to expand your self-awareness and dig into why you are struggling.

Don’t wait for inspiration, create it. The action itself comes before motivation, yet we tend to think it is the opposite.

Successful CEOs will get up and start working even when they don’t feel the urge to do it. You will notice within 10 minutes you find that drive to keep going and finish your task. Once that happens, reward yourself. Take the time to feel happy about your accomplishment and praise Allah . Say Alhamdulillah and smile.

Final Thoughts

Ramadan is a time where we not only purify ourselves spiritually and physically, we draw ourselves closer to Allah through acts that require self-discipline. This practice of discipline and delayed gratification extends to our career and workplace decisions. If you are able to control your hunger and thirst, even during hot summer months, you have the ability to become more disciplined with your work habits.

Our spiritual willpower and discipline are exercised during Ramadan, it is a workout that strengthens all areas of our lives. When you feel hungry or thirsty, but you control it; you are teaching your mind that you are the one in charge in of your actions, secondary to Allah who has ultimate control. The more you practice this level of discipline with your day to day life, the more it will positively impact your career.

Now tell us, how do you plan to improve at work this Ramadan?

The post How Fasting Can Make You More Disciplined in Your Career appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

During Ramadan, we are continuously doing our best to make positive changes. From the early hours of the morning as dawn breaks until the later hours of the evening, we carefully schedule when we will eat, pray and perform our tasks. We are more conscious of time and of our behavior; some people start to be efficient with time management and know the time of Maghrib down to the minute or second, even though they used to be heedless of that before Ramadan.

Despite the challenges to one’s mood when hungry or thirsty, we display a positive and modest demeanor as best as we can. If you continuously make positive choices during Ramadan and reinforce those positive behaviors until they become habits, this will help us actualize the purpose of Ramadan, which is to transform us as human beings and help us be the best version of ourselves. Ramadan is not just about those 30 days, it is about how those 30 days influence us the rest of the year, and throughout our life journey. 

So, here are some ideas that you can try to tap into this Ramadan for lasting changes.

Professional Goals

Many of us have Ramadan goals such as reading the Qur’an, performing more prayers in congregation or setting aside specific blocks of time for worship and studying our deen.

But alongside our spiritual goals, this is a time to also modify negative habits in our professional lives.

Start by picking an area of your work life that has room for improvement, and make a clear plan to work on it. For example, if you tend to be late for work, make it a goal this Ramadan to get rid of this habit; prepare your work clothes and workbag the night before- if this will help you be on time. Importantly, remember while reading the Qur’an that Allah says about successful believers:

“And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive” [Qur’an, Chapter 23, Verse 8]

Spirituality is not just about reading the Qur’an, it is about implementing the instructions in it that help us be successful people spiritually, physically and socially.

Working ethically and productively is a form of worship and gratitude to Allah . Even if your career or educational field is considered more secular, it can still be considered an act of worship if you display Islamic manners, have work ethics and outstanding behaviors- provided you remain mindful of Allah with every action.  

Understanding the Formation of Habits

Habits are beneficial, it is our brain’s natural way of increasing efficiency. By turning daily actions and behaviors into habits on auto-pilot, we can perform with less thought and concentration, thus freeing up more of our focus for important tasks. Subhanallah, this is a wonderful way our brain operates to keep us at maximum efficiency.

Imagine if you had to ponder over every single action, we would be in a daze.

The first time you do something new, it requires more thought and focus. As you repeatedly perform that same action it seems to become easier and the brain power you are using to perform that task decreases.

So here is how to form new beneficial habits in Ramadan.

3 Steps to Help You Form a New Habit

The trigger that causes us to begin the action, the actual action and the result which either rewards or punishes us.

When this is repeated consistently, our brain can set it into an automated mode, and after time, that action becomes a habit.

This is why breaking bad habits can be so difficult; We train our mind to automatically expect a certain routine.

During Ramadan, we are continuously choosing positive actions and often on a schedule, thus reinforcing the behavior into a habit.

These 30 days of choosing positive habits, such as getting to work on time every day and following a schedule of daily goals, will strengthen the neural pathways associated with those behaviors.

A study on habits showed 43% of our actions are performed daily and usually in the same context, which makes the power of habit really important to our productivity and creativity.

Think about that for a moment, almost half of what you do every day is habitual. That means you have immense potential to alter negative habits into productive and beneficial ones this Ramadan. 30 days is enough time to solidify a new habit and keep it as Ramadan ends.

One simple change held onto consistently can have a large impact.

So, start thinking about the habits you need in your life that will really help you beyond Ramadan and contribute to your self-development, and then start consciously working on building those habits consistently. And remember,

“Take on only as much as you can do of good deeds, for the best of deeds is that which is done consistently, even if it is little.” [Sunan Ibn Majan]

Persistence, being steadfast and having patience are themes commonly seen in the Qur’an. Consistency throughout Ramadan is what will cause us long-term changes and improvements. It is not enough to go after a goal for two days; you must remain steadfast with your positive changes all throughout Ramadan as best you can for them to truly become habits and stay with you. So remember to be conscious and patient. As Allah says:

“O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 153]

Remind, Repeat, Reward

Remind. Choose a reminder that will go along with your goal, something that happens on a regular basis for you or a pre-planned alarm. Some examples of reminders would be a phone alarm that goes off midday, or you can teach yourself to associate new changes with already occurring behaviors.

If you want to use the miswak before fajr every day, then put it in the same area as you do wudu. When you see it while doing wudu, it will trigger you to remember this task.  

If you want to send out a weekly wrap-up email to your coworkers or employees, set a phone alarm that goes off near the end of the day reminding you to write down something memorable for that workday.

Perhaps you want to read a book about your career field, put the book in the same location where you used to keep the TV remote. Seeing the book will act as a mental reminder.

Repeat. We are always motivated in the beginning when we make changes, but it is consistency over time that will help it become a habit. Don’t ignore the alarms and mental cues. Remain consistent and keep repeating the positive actions.

Remember, the more you repeat an action associated with the trigger, the more it becomes automated in your mind and will become a part of your improved routine. You have to keep repeating the same behavior while remaining patient. If you think about Qur’an memorization, it takes repetition in order for your brain to hold onto that information. Forming a habit requires that same repetition.

Reward. Take the time to feel grateful for the positive changes you are making and smile. Give yourself a pat on the back and if you want to celebrate, do it! Reflect on the blessings of making positive, productive changes during this beautiful month. For example, if you want some new equipment for your business, reward yourself by investing in some of it.

Final Thoughts

Ramadan gives us a beautiful opportunity to not only deepen our spiritual connection and seek forgiveness but to improve ourselves in all facets of our lives. 30 days of consistent positive changes will turn into more beneficial habits that increase our productivity long after Ramadan. If you are able to control your hunger and thirst, even during a hot summer month, you have the ability to become more disciplined with your work habits and increase your productivity.

Remember that almost half of our daily actions are habitual and we are the ones who created those habits; this shows us how much we can improve if we set our mind to it and remain steadfast. Building habits takes time and consistency, Ramadan is a perfect opportunity to make those positive changes we need in our lives.

What positive change are you trying to turn into a habit this Ramadan? Share with us in the comments.

The post Ramadan is Just the Beginning: How to Plan for Lasting Changes appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

He was someone with seniority, good education and impressive experience in his field. He was also a father and a husband… Sadly, one day this great person was headed home to tell his family that he lost his job… because he couldn’t control his anger!

His family didn’t have a lot of savings; we know that they had used all their savings to move closer to their son’s college in order to help him succeed.

When he first began the job, he had a great disposition and always smiled. Overtime; however, the stressors of the job began to take their toll on him, and instead of finding ways to handle that stress, he began to grow more irritable. Instead of thinking and talking positively, his conversations were more focused on complaining and expressing frustrations. Despite that, no one would have guessed that he could get so angry that he would physically push someone in the office!

The ongoing lack of self-awareness and inability to implement positive coping techniques resulted in an outburst of anger that cost him his job, reputation, and family’s stability.

When we observe situations like this, we realize how the Prophet’s advice is indispensably important for us.

A man came to the Prophet and said, “Counsel me,” so he said, “Do not become angry.” The man repeated [his request for counsel] several times, and [each time] he said, “Do not become angry.” [Al-Bukhari]

Dealing with Anger from the Qur’an and Sunnah

The Qur’an and Sunnah have numerous tips that help one observe his shortcomings, and then learn how to deal with them. Here are some tips.

1. Seeking Allah’s Help and making Dua regularly 

The daily prayers teach us to seek the help of Allah in everything. We say in every prayer,

“It is You we worship and You we ask for help.” [Qur’an: Chapter 1, Verse 5]

And Allah says:

“Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” [Qur’an: Chapter 40, Verse 60]

There is also this beautiful dua that the Prophet taught us:

“O Allah, by Your knowledge of the unseen and Your power over creation, keep me alive so long as You know that living is good for me and cause me to die when You know that death is better for me. O Allah, cause me to fear You in secret and in public. I ask You to make me true in speech in times of pleasure and of anger. I ask You to make me moderate in times of wealth and poverty. And I ask You for everlasting delight and joy that will never cease. I ask You to make me pleased with that which You have decreed and for an easy life after death. I ask You for the sweetness of looking upon Your face and a longing to meet You in a manner that does not entail a calamity that will bring about harm or a trial that will cause deviation. O Allah, beautify us with the adornment of faith and make us among those who guide and are rightly guided.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i]

2. Seeking refuge in Allah from the accursed devil

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“And if there comes to you from Satan an evil suggestion, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing” [Qur’an: Chapter 41 , Verse 36]

Similarly, we find in the hadith that Sulaiman bin Surad reported:

I was sitting with the Prophet when two men began to quarrel and curse each other and the face of one of them turned red and the veins of his neck were swollen (from rage). Messenger of Allah said, “I know of a word, if he were to utter that, his rage would vanish and that is: A’udhu billahi minash-Shaitan nir-rajim (I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed).” So they (Companions) said to him: “The Prophet tells you to utter: ‘I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

3. Changing one’s position

Narrated AbuDharr :

The Messenger of Allah said to us: When one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise he should lie down. [Sunan Abi Dawud]

4. Silence

The Messenger of Allah says, “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, must speak good or remain silent.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Step-by-step approach to controlling anger

Emotions and thoughts are linked to our behaviors; this means that if we purposefully influence our thoughts, we can influence our emotions or feelings. This will then lead to a positive change in our behavior.

We can apply the following step-by-step approach to managing anger in workplace situations:

1. Recognize the triggers or stimuli that contribute to your anger.
2. Increase self-awareness of emotions, recognize when you are having an emotional response to a situation.
3. Know your positive coping skills that help de-escalate your emotions.
4. Implement prevention to minimize the chances of bursting into anger.

The first step in managing anger at work is to recognize our unique psychological triggers. What upsets one person may not faze another.

When you identify your triggers as well as accept responsibility for what you may play in that trigger, you are empowering yourself to feel differently if you choose to. When you identify that trigger you can increase your awareness of WHY you feel it and how you can influence it.

Examples of emotional work triggers

• Feeling unappreciated.
• Feeling unaccepted by coworkers. An employment lawyer assists in collecting proof of intentional sabotage at your job by a jealous coworker.
• Feeling pressured due to a close deadline.

Then we can move to therapeutic coping skills.

It is important to try a variety of coping skills until you determine what works best for you. Different techniques exist for anger management depending on the person and workplace situation. Some skills for anger management should be done on a regular basis like making dua, while others are meant to be implemented during the escalated moment such as breathing skills.

Coping skills while angry

• In that moment of anger, seek refuge in Allah and say the supplication with sincere intention from the heart. Don’t just say it without any understanding.
• Breathe slowly through the nose and out the mouth. Consciously control your breathing and do not feel compelled to speak to anyone until you can feel your heart rate slowing and your breathing becoming more relaxed.
• Sit by yourself away from others and engage in dhikr. Make dua during this time as well.
• Read or listen to Qur’an.
• Change your posture, if you are standing then sit down or lay down.
• Perform wudu’ (ablution) and take time to pray for guidance.

Prevention Techniques

Dealing with the situation is something positive, but what can drastically help as well is learning/applying the prevention methods. We need to make the prevention methods part of our lifestyles, especially if we know we’re prone to anger and/or emotional outbursts.

Here are some essentials:

• Devote regular time to reading and contemplating the Qur’an daily. Allah says: “Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” [Qur’an: Chapter 13: Verse 28]
• Read and study the Seerah to find perfect examples from the life of the Prophet on emotional control and how to treat others.
• Sitting down with the family for a meal after a day of work. Even if work needs to get done it can wait until after family time.
• Implementing better time management if often stressed about deadlines.
• Devote regular time to exercise each week and strive to make physically healthier decisions.

Final Thoughts

If someone is actively identifying their triggers/emotions and their coping skills alongside prevention; then they are taking the reins of their spiritual, emotional and family health. When we are in control of our own emotions, we are better able to make productive and positive behavioral choices. The results of those positive and controlled choices would praise and validate our efforts, which act as a reward system emotionally. Improvements in anger management for working professionals also increase the likelihood of team building at work and dividing up work fairly.

This is why techniques related to how working professionals can manage their anger and prevent it from impacting their family and spiritual health is beneficial not only for the individual but also for fostering a positive work culture and healthy family dynamic.

If you have implemented any coping skills related to anger or have any insights, please feel free to share anything you think could be of benefit to others.

The post How to Stop Anger from Damaging Your Career, Family Life and Spiritual Health appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.