Three thoughts to maintain your Ramadan resolutions

Does this sound like you?

Every year, you graduate from Ramadan with clear Ramadan resolutions like these:

• I'll pray on time, recite the Quran more, fast at least three days a month,…
  
  
• I'll eat less, be less distracted by social media,…
  
  
• I'll be closer to my family, find good friends, avoid bad ones,…

During the first few weeks after Ramadan, you stick to your resolutions and are excited about the progress you’re making. But after a few weeks, your motivation wanes and you return to your old self, feeling guilty that you aren’t good enough to change or improve as you promised yourself towards the end of Ramadan.

If this sounds like you, then I have some good news: the problem is not you. The problem is with how you’re thinking about these resolutions, and this can make all the difference.

With a few simple tweaks to your Ramadan resolutions, you can start to follow these resolutions through and make them a permanent fixture in your life. These tweaks are all about changing how you think about your Ramadan resolutions so that they translate into permanent action.

Here are the three thought-tweaks for your Ramadan resolutions:

1.) THINK REALISTIC

When you set expectations for yourself for goals that are above and beyond your capacity, then you’re setting yourself up for failure. Conversely, if you set expectations that are lower than your potential, you won’t challenge yourself enough.

You need to ensure that your Ramadan resolutions are easy enough to achieve and hard enough to make you excited as well as challenged to achieve them. If you’re not sure what this perfect level is, experiment with your goals to see what works and what you’re able to stick to.

2.) THINK LONG-TERM

Tie your Ramadan resolutions to who you want to be 5 to 10 years from now. What would your life look like spirituality, physically, and socially all those years later?

Once you’ve identified these long-term goals, ask yourself: What habits, routines or goals should I be setting myself after Ramadan to achieve these long-term goals? How will I connect my day-to-day behavior and activities after Ramadan to these long-term goals?

3.) THINK HOLISTICALLY

A lot of us tie our Ramadan resolutions to our personal habits and routines. Rarely do we think about our Ramadan resolutions across all our roles. What are my Ramadan resolutions for work? Home? My community? Thinking holistically allows you to connect what you want to change about yourself on a personal level to the impact you want to have on those around you.

When you make these three tweaks to your thoughts, you’ll notice that your goals feel more attainable, and you’ll feel excited about them. Moreover, inshaAllah, these tweaks will add purpose and meaning to your goals, connecting your long-term vision and role in society to your day-to-day behavior and activities.

Mohammed Faris is an international coach, author, and speaker who helps executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs rebalance their lives spiritually, physically and socially to achieve peak performance and live meaningful lives. He’s the founder of ProductiveMuslim.com and author of The Productive Muslim: Where Faith Meets Productivity.

(Writing by Mohammed Faris; Editing by Seban Scaria)

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