Fasting: A Great leadership Boot Camp that we shouldn’t miss.

As long as history recorded, fasting has been a consistent practice that was performed by all our prophets, from Abraham to Moses, Jesus and Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon them all. Every year people across the world practice fasting, but probably the majority miss the opportunity to reflect on the practice and learn some great wisdom behind it.. It is becoming a habit and a social practice rather than a real change opportunity .. Isn’t that correct?

In this post, I will reflect on “Fasting” as an opportunity for leadership development and personality building .. Here are top 5 leadership lessons that we shouldn’t miss when practicing our fast..

1. Discipline

During fasting, people learn order .. there are times for eating, times to stop eating, times for meditation, prayers and self reflection.. If you are one of the people who spend the fasting weeks in tents, coffee shops and in front of TV, then you have missed this great leadership lesson.

Great leaders across the world all agreed that the number one habit that they all had in common was discipline .. In order to do something, then you need to stop doing something else .. Controlling your desires and focusing on creating self-discipline is key for leadership growth and success.

2. Hunger

With people today being spoiled with enormous levels of luxury, a great number of young leaders are now growing without being prepared to deal with crisis. Getting “Hungry” is good for leaders as it teaches them the art of survival and builds in the “Can do” attitude.

If you are one of those who “eat all what you can” after you break the fast, then you are missing this lesson of austerity! Great leaders know how to deal with life when things get tough .. Where are we from this skill?

3. Perseverance

Keep going despite the challenges is one of the great learning areas from fasting. Every year I hear people who complain about working while fasting, and brag about spending most of the fasting hours sleeping or wanting to sleep .. Isn’t that true?

Teaching our bodies, minds and soul to strive is not easy. Forcing ourselves to do more with less resources is a challenge that the majority of people fail in. Don’t take a short cut and work less, sleep more … Flip the equation .. work more and rest less .. It’s a boot camp remember? No pain, No Gain!

4. Humility

Realizing that we are weak creatures is a fact that we ignore at so many occasions. Just depriving ourselves of food and water for few hours makes us feel so weak, right? Have you seen the street workers? Working outdoors for hours under the same deprivation conditions? Building workers? Craftsmen? Nurses? Engineers? ..etc .. Do you think of yourself as a strong person?

Trying to change the source of individual power from food, water, money, position, social status and all other shiny material needs to internal power and confidence is the route towards humility. It’s simply to realize that we gain power from the soul, which is non-material rather than the body.

5. Focus

Looking at the number of distractions specifically focused on the fasting month, from TV serials to yummy buffets to late evening parties ..etc, it is crucial for leaders to learn how to avoid distractions and focus on their learning curve and own acumen build up.

If you are in the Gym, or a physical boot camp, then you hear someone calling you for a drink and a movie, will you leave the camp? Of course not! Unless you are not serious from the first place on the value behind the camp. That’s exactly how we should all learn to focus and avoid distractions when we are trying to learn new skills and discover new possibilities.

The Middle East tomorrow witnesses the start of their fasting month, and if you want to change something in your life, then it is your chance .. start a new self-discipline journey … work more, eat less, don’t waste any time on distractions and prioritize… It’s a golden chance that comes once a year for leaders to change something and explore their own internal power .. Be a winner this year!

Written by:

Engagement Expert, International Speaker & Pragmatic researcher