The Power of Gratitude – Interview with Bahraini entrepreneur and life coach Abeer Al Matooq
Bahraini entrepreneur and life coach Abeer Al Matooq helps people find true happiness which, in turn, supports finding gratitude in all aspects of life
Can you talk us through your career? I started working very early on in my life, first at summer jobs which I continued throughout my high school and university careers. My career then “officially” began when I started my first job at a large multinational company. I was still doing this in tandem with my Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Psychology. From there, I progressed in my career to where I was appointed Director of Human Resources and Administration at one of the government entities in Bahrain. From there, I decided to establish my own coaching consultancy firm where I now work with organisations as well as individuals to help align their daily actions with their end goals and results, helping them work from a space of clarity, focus and power. How do you help people find purpose in their lives? Most people don’t live their best lives
because they do not know how to find it. In coaching, we call it the geography of happiness. However, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, how will you find it? This is where I come in to help people find their purpose. Purpose is what keeps you connected to your own core, which is the source of your true happiness and joy. There is a huge difference between what many people assume as happiness and what true happiness actually is.
What are the benefits of life coaching? Life coaching gives you clarity, so you get to know who you are, what exactly you want, what are the feelings you are longing for, what makes you happy, what resonates with you and what brings you fulfillment and more meaning to your days. It can also help you create peace with potential tragedies you have gone through and work through trauma to create a more balance and ful
filled reality for yourself. If you feel like you’re at a standstill in your life, it can get you out of that so-called “rut” and it helps you take your power back and be the leader in your life and the writer of your own story. Overall, life coaching can help you balance your energy so you can enjoy the true essence of who you are. It also helps you manage your relationships better with confidence and true self love. You’ve achieved so much throughout your career – what are you most
proud of? I am most proud of the person I am today, my ability to see through challenges and work through it all while remaining the loving and joyous person I know myself to be. I actually love my ability to remain this grounded and balanced while moving forward constantly.
Who would you say your mentors are in life? There are so many, so I cannot name them all, but I am truly grateful to each and every one of them. I was always blessed to have genuine people around me who took the role of my wise and loving mentors. What does it feel like being a woman in this region that is paving the way for others? I am blessed to be born in this day and age, and I’m so very grateful for all the women who came before me and opened doors that were previously closed. Today I do feel both grateful and responsible to be someone who eagerly drives change for other women to be able to speak their truth and be the best they want to be.
What are your hopes for women in the future? Honestly, my hope is for us not to even take gender into consideration because to make this world a better place to live we need men and women to support each other. My view is that we all came here with a message, a purpose and a role in the orchestra of life. So, by working together harmoniously we will reach a beautiful balance. Can you outline the ways you give back to the Bahraini and wider GCC community? I was and still am engaged in a number of projects that support women in leadership or who aspire to be in leadership to unlock their potentials and learn about their unique strengths in order to put them into use and create better futures and careers. I also create a lot of content in this regard and share it on my social media platforms, website and more. I also have a best-selling book Be True to the Song in Your Heart, which was also then translated into Arabic so it could reach a wider audience.
How do you want to inspire others? By helping people know themselves more, love themselves more and better understand and appreciate the difference each and every one person can make. What have been the largest hurdles throughout your career? For me personally it was always striking a balance between life and work.
What have been the key milestones? I would consider leaving my safe job as an executive and launching my own business a milestone because from there my career and entire life took a turn and a new version of me was revealed. This version of myself is stronger, more focused and more loving, too. This is ‘The Gratitude Issue’ – how do you practise gratitude in your life? I do a lot of journaling and I regard it as a very important practice of mine, it helps me keep things in perspective especially during tough and challenging times. It helps me stay focused on what’s good, what’s bad and what’s working. I have a strong belief that there is good in every bad – we just have to be intelligent enough to see I and focus on it to have more of it. Gratitude is magic – I know so.