It is hard to believe that my fellowship has come to an end! It seemed like just yesterday that I began this journey, which has been physical, mental, and very spiritual. I must admit it's been a container that has kept me focused over the past two years, allowing me to give myself permission/excuse to do a lot of things that normally I couldn't or wouldn't do on my own.  This opportunity provided me the necessary space to grow, and cultivate myself as a person and leader. I'm grateful to G-d for sending me an "Angel" in the form of the Bush Fellowship.

What have I learned?

I have learned to trust myself! I have evolved to be a very confident person over the years which has provided the much-needed fortitude to press on in difficult times in my personal and professional life. This process required me to trust myself even more than I have in the past. Part of trusting myself meant that if I put myself in the best position to be successful by obtaining knowledge, surrounding myself with good people, and simply admitting that "I don't know", that space opened the door to new opportunities and relieve???  life into me. Perhaps one may say this is what a good leader is supposed to do.  To that I would agree.  However a great learning for me is transferring theory into practice. Coming into this fellowship I felt I had led my faith community as far as I could without something significant happening in my personal and professional life. I was getting bogged down with the lack of resources, both financial and human, yet the ever increasing demands and expectations of a growing and diverse Muslim congregation continued. Having the opportunity to attend various national conferences over the past couple of years and interacting with dynamic leaders in faith, social entrepreneurship, social justice and thought leaders was just the synergy I needed to collect my "leadership breath". To be selfless as a leader is a noble idea.  However, to be a leader committed to self-care elevates that idea and makes it more practical and balanced. Self-care has been a theme throughout many of my reports and writings throughout my fellowship.  This I have learned has been one of the biggest obstacles of me being effective as a leader. I had an idea before I started but it crystallized during this process with my interaction with other highly effective leaders across a spectrum of disciplines. I am not out of the woods yet regarding myself here but I've learned a lot and I I'm becoming more disciplined in this area.

I've learned that effective leaders are both focused and flexible in their approach to their work. They work to minimize distractions and road blocks through thoughtful planning and preparation. Good leaders don't "wing it". I have entered into the High-Performance Academy, designed to help me both personally and professionally through a series of proven techniques used effectively all over the world.

I'm also taking two courses on public speaking, The Art of Public Speaking and Booked and Paid to Speak. These courses are teaching me a lot about effective communication, structuring presentations for different settings, and marketing and promoting myself as a thought leader. As I review my initial application for the Bush fellowship I wanted to create new narrative of what it means to be a Muslim American and today's reality. These courses have help me tremendously in that regard.

I have established a website www.makramelamin.com to assist in branding and messaging both as a Muslim American leader and a professional life Coach. It was important for me to create a platform that is accessible and allow me to build a following from diverse backgrounds that I message to on a weekly basis. I have established Makram’s Motivational Mondays as a weekly coaching to addressing various subjects to help others overcome obstacles in their lives. This has opened the door for me to receive several speaking engagements in 2016 to a variety of audiences around the country.

I've taking a writing course through The Loft called "Writers Block". I took this course early on in the fellowship and learned methods to help me articulate my thoughts on paper more effectively and specifically than before. I like many other leaders have felt I have something to contribute through my writings but I struggled mightily to make this a reality. I began to keep a journal through the majority of the fellowship to practice the skills I learned in this class and to get used to what they call "free writing", getting my thoughts down on paper without editing as I write. This was a scary proposition as it made me feel somewhat vulnerable to freely put my thoughts out there without having them fully thought through. I learned that not only is this an impossible task but the most effective writers trust themselves to be vulnerable on paper.

I've learned that being an effective leader in a faith community is much more than simply preaching.  It requires management skills, fundraising, and program development to keep the organization moving forward. I had and will continue to take courses through the Minnesota Council of nonprofits as well as spending quality time with effective leaders across the country.  This will allow me the opportunity to shadow them in their work. Picking up key strategies and soft skills along the way to maximize situations and make "in flight adjustments" when necessary.

The above are just a few examples of some of the things that I have been able to accomplish with the support of the Bush Fellowship. I'm grateful for the Bush Foundation for thinking enough of me to support me in this way. It has renewed my energy and enthusiasm for my work in ways that I have desperately needed.  I feel better situated on the path of being my best self.

Thank You!