A very warm welcome to all our new members! 🌿

We for You | Daily Reflection | *by Maryam* ❤️

Assalamu Alaikum dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope you are all feeling well today.

Summer and the holiday season can be a beautiful time for reflection and personal growth , there is often a little more light, space and opportunity to slow down and reconnect with ourselves.

Today I would like to share a simple but powerful practice with you. If you approach it sincerely and practise it consistently throughout the week, it help you develop InshAllah :

🌱 More inner calm
🌱 Deeper self-awareness
🌱 Healthier communication and relationships

🌿 Our 7-day practice:

🤍 “I’m OK - You’re OK.”

Before we begin, I want to clarify what “OK” means here.

It doesn’t simply mean “I’m fine” or that everything we do is right. In this practice, it carries a deeper meaning:

“I am acceptable and worthy as I am and so are you.”

It is about recognising our equal human worth even when our personalities, feelings, opinions, choices or ways of living are different.

It does not mean that we must agree with everything another person says or does. We can disagree, set boundaries, say no, or choose a different path while still recognising:

“You have value as a person, and so do I.”

In our relationships, we can unconsciously move between four different positions:

1️⃣ I’m not OK - You’re not OK
We may feel disappointed with ourselves and others, focusing on what is wrong with everyone and everything.

2️⃣ I’m not OK - You’re OK
We put another person above ourselves. We may compare ourselves, feel inadequate, seek approval, over-explain ourselves or be afraid of disappointing them.

3️⃣ I’m OK - You’re not OK
We place ourselves above the other person. We may judge their choices, believe that our way is better, or feel that they need to change.

4️⃣ I’m OK - You’re OK 🤍
This is the position we will consciously practise from today and throughout the coming week.

It means:

There is space for you to be who you are, and there is space for me to be who I am.

You may think differently from me.
You may want something different.
Your feelings may be different from mine.

And I do not have to make you smaller in order to feel secure in myself.

At the same time, I don’t have to make myself smaller in order to respect you.

We can disagree without deciding that one of us is less than the other.

For example, someone may invite you somewhere while you genuinely want to stay home and rest. Instead of feeling guilty and giving a long explanation, you can recognise:

“It is OK that they want to go, and it is OK that I want to stay home.”

No competition. No need to prove whose choice is better.

You can apply this to any relationship, and especially with your closest ones - where emotions are strongest and patterns are often deepest.

🌙 Additionally Starting tonight - your daily practice

Every evening for the next 7 days, take just a few minutes and think about the people you interacted with that day.

Ask yourself:

“From which position was I relating to this person today?”

Did I make myself smaller?
Did I put them on a pedestal?
Did I judge or look down on them?
Or was I able to remain in:

🤍 “I’m OK - You’re OK.”

Then ask yourself:

“How would this interaction have felt if I had approached it from a place of equal human worth, respect and healthy boundaries?”

Acceptance does not mean agreeing with everything another person does, tolerating harmful behaviour, or abandoning our values and boundaries. It means recognising another person’s humanity while also respecting our own.

So, starting today: observe, notice and reflect.
Don’t judge yourself when you catch yourself in one of the other positions, simply notice it and consciously return to:

🤍*“I’m OK - You’re OK.”*
I am acceptable and worthy as I am and so are you.

May this coming week be an opportunity to understand ourselves more deeply and to practise healthier, calmer, and more compassionate relationships with our spouses, children, parents, friends, and everyone we interact with in our daily lives. 🌿🤍Ameen🤲🏻