Q: I am a Muslim. For the last 10 years I have endeavoured to live by the teachings of Islam. I do whatever I can to spread Islam through my daily actions. I have always hoped and prayed people will be touched by what I do. After 10 years now, I realised that this method is too indirect and even ineffective as there are some who perceive my actions as insincere. This has affected the achievement of the kind of results I was seeking.
In view of this constraint, I am now thinking of becoming a Faith or Religion Coach of sort, and use coaching to bring people closer to God so that they will enjoy eternal happiness when they leave this place on earth. I wonder whether this is a far-fetched idea. Is there really any difference between this sort of coaching with that of others such as life, sales or business coaching? How can I be a successful Religion Coach if this is the right route to take?
A: In essence, this sort of Coaching comes from the same tree as Life Coaching as it coaches people around their passions, life purposes, inner strengths and goals. However, religion coaching places God as the key factor in reaching fulfilment and happiness, while life coaching places self-awareness as the key to reach these outcomes.
Your discipline and ability to be congruent in what you preach and practice are the very crucial hallmarks of a good Religion Coach. Anyone in this position must know that people expect a lot from them. Remember when you coach people around religion, it is about getting them closer to God. So, there cannot be double standards in your own life as when you preach “what is good for you is not necessarily good for me”. People will soon see through such a person and in time, they will lose their credibility in the Religion Coach. Apart from these requirements, it is also important that you have the required coaching skills as well. The ability to listen deeply and question powerfully are two prerequisites that no Coach in any field can do without.
POWERFUL QUESTIONS
• How do you gauge your ability to live by the same religious principles that you preach to others?
• What are your special qualities that will make you a creditable Religion Coach?
• What are your imperfections?
• What commitments are you willing to make to learn the skills of a Coach so that you do not operate like a religious expert instead?
DAYDREAM IT RIGHT
Q: Is daydreaming bad or is it better not to daydream? I ask this because I daydream a lot, especially when I travel on long flights for business. There is absolutely little else I can do except for the occasional reading, eating and drinking, etc. So daydreaming is what I do as I do not like to watch any movie on flight. I wonder whether I should change this habit to do something else if this is unhealthy. What is your advice?
A: Daydreaming with a focus on the positives of a subject or matter you want more ideas and details on is actually deep thinking. It is therefore good. However, when thoughts go wild without a central focus, then it is daydreaming.
Be mindful of getting into wild daydreams by asking yourself whether what comes out of it helps you move forward. When it does not, develop the mental discipline to erase it and then, quickly move on to other areas of greater benefits where you can gain more valuable output. Such practice is therefore, very rewarding and helps you gain greater insights.
POWERFUL QUESTIONS
- What are the common subject matters that often come to your mind?
- How useful are they?
- How can you spot undesirable subject matters and get them out of your mind?
- What are the positive things you can focus on instead?
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