Ramadan....

Oyeahhh.... Ramadan is here again...

Every year that I'm a freelance trainer I declare Ramadan as my vacation time. Of course, last year, the whole year was a vacation of sorts lol. This "vacation" idea was kind of forced on me in the beginning.  There was a time some years ago when I couldn't get anybody to organize or attend training in Ramadan if I paid them, regardless of whether they themselves fast or not.  Thats no longer true of course.  Nowadays when most KPIs / appraisal forms include a certain number of training hours, there are people willing to organize training in Ramadan, and while many of the Muslim staff might not be too happy about it, they do attend.  I still don't deliver training in Ramadan though.

Now, don't get me wrong. Its got nothing to do with this being a holy month.  In fact, work is just about as holy as prayer when done in Gods name and as fulfillment of a trust already agreed upon. Its just that if I'm going to be talking as much as I need to when I deliver training, I need to take a drink. I know, because I tried it.  The participants were fine, the organisers were happy, but I was a disaster. So I don't agree to any training dates during this time.

Thats not the only thing I seem to have declared a month-long holiday on though. Somehow, I seem to develop a great aversion to seeing and talking to people, even online.  I don't really know why.  Maybe I am just too happily busy with Ramadan stuff.

So... I don't deliver training and I don't interact much with people. What do I do then?

I used to spend the month thinking of new programs or improving existing ones. It seems to be a great month for introspection and being inspired with new ideas.  This year, with my first new online business already started, I'm getting several ideas about how to do it better.  I'm also mentally already improving on the other stuff I'm planning on doing -- translation and some other stuff I'm not sure whether I should add to my plate or not.

Like previous Ramadans, I've been spending a lot of time online, only this year I've been reading up on products, benefits of certain ingredients, tips for online businesses and the like.  I've also been polishing up and stocking up -- making new nifty and informational pics to post online, and searching for new ones.

Its refreshing.

I've been focused on training for much longer than I've stuck to anything else.  Even now, I still will be conducting training -- just not in Ramadan.  I was bored out of my mind last year what with the operation, chemo and whatnot.  I'm glad to have several things I can sink my mental teeth into again.  I was rather worried that my brains would calcify with all the enforced inactivity lol.