Plant Seeds with Insight

As-salamu alaykum,

Congratulations!

You are among the few that took the decisive step…To Pause…Alhamdulillah…!

Your pause led you to reminisce and replay 2024.

You recalled Barakah-filled moments and thanked Allah for His immense grace and generosity over the course of the past year!

You intentionally scouted out opportunities for improvement so that you can build forward with insight.

And you saw through choices you made that bolstered your resilience and the not so great moves that did not serve you well.

Ultimately, you’ve come out of the annual review process with incredible awareness about how to best take the leap forward without drowning in regret! 

Today, we begin to make intentional adjustments and plant insightful seeds for a better Ramadan in this sacred Hijri calendar month of Rajab and leverage this focused energy to cultivate a year of growth and increased resilience in 2025 by Allah’s mercy.

Here are 5 Steps you can take today towards Praiseworthy Planning for Ramadan 1446AH And 2025.

1. Start with Sincere Intentions 

This is where you take what you have learnt from your annual review to define 1-3 things in each key area of your life that you want to take to the next level. 

I always start with my spirituality as I firmly believe it is the foundation of any meaningful growth and a solid foundation for you to build your resilience as a healthcare worker given the sheer intensity of what we do. This is also consistent with the example of our beloved Prophet Muhammad PBUH with the 5 daily prayers forming the pillar of his days.

As an example, I intend to strengthen my relationship with the Qur’an by recommitting to reading the explanation of the verses. My process - I will read 1 page of the Madinah script Qur’an on Mondays (after Fajr salah) along with the translation and follow that with an exploration of deeper meanings from Tafsir Ibn Kathir every week in sha Allah. 

What will you intend around your spiritual growth and what system will you build to make it sustainable? Focus on the period between today through Ramadan 1446AH (2025)~90 days!

2. Go Beyond the What and Think about Who You Want to Be 

Expand your approach to your intentions to incorporate your persona - how you want to show up in the world. The race to check things off our list often constricts our potential to impact and serve better at the bedside and outside of work. Slowing down and intentionally refining how we show up with even small tweaks can transform our relationships at home and the rapport that we leverage to do meaningful work in healthcare. 

What is your pulse check on how you show up today? Is your confidence ego-centered or God-centered? How might you show up differently with God-centered confidence?

3. Reap What Has Been Written for You

You have sowed the seeds of sincere intentions around the What and the Who. You have also committed to do the work and to “Tie Your Camel” with Ihsan (Excellence). Now approach each day with a Gardener’s mindset - appreciating small and big wins with each passing day and learn from the challenges on your journey this new season of your integrated work-life. 

Detach from the results knowing that they are in Allah’s hands; rather stay laser-focused on your efforts. 

What systems and processes will you put in place to help you make meaningful progress towards realizing, In sha’Allah, the intentions that you have set?

4. Supercharge Your Intentions and Efforts with Du’a (Prayer).

A central essence of our growth and journey of resilience lies in our utter reliance on Allah, the Most High. The complexity of healthcare coupled with the sanctity of human life makes my job and yours just a tad bit challenging - We need all the help we can get to serve humanity with grace without losing ourselves on that journey of service. 

The ultimate source of help is Allah, the Most High who admonishes us in very clear terms in the opening chapter of the Qur’an; 

Surah Al-Fatihah verse 5, “You Alone We worship and You Alone we Ask for help” 

How will you call upon Allah, the Most High to support your journey going forward? Consider Allah’s beautiful names and pick 1-2 that most aligns with your desire to rectify yourself in this new season?

5. Review Your Journey Periodically

Staying the course with our intentions requires all of the above plus more - closing the loop often by regularly reviewing how you are doing and to keep the intentions front and center as priorities for your growth in the new year. Consider a weekly, monthly or quarterly check in with yourself against the intentions you have set to appraise your gains and make adjustments as you see fit. 

What cadence will you commit to for your review and Who will help you stay accountable? 

Before I let you go, please allow me to share some more details about the upcoming SakeenahMD workshop to walk you through this seemingly simple but intricate process of planting seeds with Ihsan for a year of growth, balance and resilience.

Workshop details: 

Title: The Healthcare Pro’s 2025 Seed Planting Workshop

Date: Saturday, 18th Rajab 1446 AH (18th January 2025)

Time: 10:30 AM CST

Duration: 90 minutes + Q&A

Register here

During the workshop, we will in sha Allah help you 

• Understand the pillars of praiseworthy planning

• Capture insights from your annual review with clarity

• Co-create a Ramadan plan that starts NOW and sustainably builds forward

• Leverage your Ramadan strategy to define a year of growth, balance and resilience

• Make choices that better align with your faith-based foundations and protect you from burnout

I look forward to helping you make meaningful progress with your sincere intentions for this new season and build towards a productive Ramadan and a year of growth in sha Allah

May Allah, the Most High, make us from among those who chose to be intentional about our integrated work-lives and to experience growth, resilience and impact in this new season and beyond. Amin 

Sincerely,

Sulyman

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