THE SERENITY LETTER | NO. 08
When Growth Looks Quieter Than You Expected
As-salām ʿalaykum,
Recently, I found myself thinking about how differently I understand growth now compared with a few years ago.
There was a time when I associated growth with something I could clearly see. A new opportunity. A completed project. A successful programme. More people responding to my work. Something moving forward in a way that made me feel, yes, I'm making progress.
But the more I try to become intentional about my relationship with Allah and the work I am building, the more I realise that some of the most important growth in my life has been much quieter than that.
It has looked like stopping myself before reacting to something.
It has looked like saying no to something that might have been good, simply because it wasn't right for me at that particular time.
It has looked like doing work that very few people see, learning something new when I would rather already know how to do it, and continuing with an idea even when the response isn't immediate.
And spiritually, it has looked like becoming more aware of why I am doing something, not only whether I am doing it.
That last one has been particularly important for me.
As my work grows and I think more seriously about what I want Guided Serenity to become, I find myself returning to my intention more often. I want the business to grow. I want my work to reach more women. I want opportunities, financial growth, and meaningful connections. I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting those things.
But I also don't want to become so focused on building something successful that I forget to ask Allah to put barakah in what I am building.
Those are not always the same thing.
Something can look impressive and still leave you empty. Something can grow quickly and still not be good for you. And something can appear to be moving slowly while Allah is developing something within you that you will need when the opportunity finally arrives.
I think that is one of the things I am beginning to appreciate about slower seasons.
Not every season is supposed to give us something visible to show people.
Some seasons are teaching us discipline. Some are correcting our intentions. Some are showing us where we have been seeking too much validation. Some are forcing us to become consistent without applause. And some are simply teaching us to trust Allah when we cannot yet see where everything is going.
Allah tells us:
“And whoever relies upon Allah — then He is sufficient for him. Certainly Allah achieves His Will. Allah has already set a destiny for everything.”
Surah At-Talaq, 65:3
Tawakkul does not mean that we stop working. I still have to plan, learn, send the email, prepare the programme, improve what needs improving, and take the opportunities that make sense.
But I am learning that taking the means and controlling the outcome are two very different things.
I am responsible for what Allah has placed within my hands. The outcome has never belonged to me.
There is something freeing about remembering that.
Because when every result becomes a measurement of your worth, you become exhausted. A quiet response feels like failure. A delayed opportunity feels like rejection. Someone else's progress starts making you question your own.
But when your responsibility becomes sincere effort, you can look at your life differently.
You can ask: Am I becoming more disciplined? Am I making better decisions? Am I learning? Am I more conscious of Allah in the way I pursue what I want? Am I doing today's work even though I cannot see tomorrow's result?
Those are forms of progress too.
So if your life feels quieter than you expected right now, don't be too quick to assume that nothing is happening.
There may be growth taking place that cannot yet be photographed, announced, monetised or explained.
Keep taking the means available to you. Keep improving what needs improving. Keep making duʿā. Keep asking Allah to purify your intentions as your opportunities increase.
And when something you have been working towards finally arrives, may you discover that Allah was not only preparing the opportunity for you.
He was preparing you for the opportunity.
A Duʿā for Us
Ya Allah, place barakah in what we are building and in who we are becoming. Purify our intentions when they become mixed, guide us towards opportunities that are good for our dīn and our lives, and turn us away from what would distance us from You.
Give us the discipline to take the means, the humility to keep learning, and the tawakkul to leave the outcome with You. Do not allow our desire for progress to make us ungrateful for where we are, and do not allow slow seasons to make us doubt what You are doing in our lives.
Grant us growth that is good for us, success that brings us closer to You, and hearts that recognise Your blessings when they arrive.
Āmīn.
Until next time,
Khadeejah Sulaimon
Guided Serenity Coaching & Services Inc.
600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Ottawa, ON K2J 5W7
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