Devotion: The Forgotten Majesty of Being Human By Rishad Ahmed

Some years ago, I found myself standing in the quiet stillness of a monastery.

It was just before dawn. The sky had not yet turned. I watched as a monk woke before 3am, washed himself in the ritual way, dressed with precise care, and made his way silently toward the Buddha.

There was no urgency. No audience. No sermon. Only a presence. A dignity. A quiet offering.

He stood, hands joined, eyes soft, in total stillness.

And in that moment, something unspoken moved through the space—something majestic, intimate, and sacred.

It struck me deeply:

Devotion is not for the gods. It is for us.

The divine does not require our ceremonies. But we, so easily fragmented, distracted, reactive - we need something to give ourselves to. We need something greater than the flickering moods of our ego.

We speak of devotion today, but often in fickle ways. We say we are devoted to our spouse until they stop appreciating us. We say we are devoted to our work until we feel unvalued. We say we are devoted to a cause until it costs us something real.

But that is not devotion. That is a transaction. Devotion is not conditional. It is not based on outcome. It is a sacred loyalty to what we love, not because it rewards us, but because we have chosen to honour it with our life.

It is an expression of inner alignment - an act of self-respect.

True devotion is not about how the world responds. It is about how we choose to show up, even when no one sees us. Even when it is inconvenient. Even when it no longer serves us in visible ways.

In Leading with Wisdom, I speak about this often: If we are to reclaim leadership, not as performance, but as sacred service, then we must return to devotion. Not as dogma. But as a way of being that anchors us in truth.

Devotion softens the need to be seen. It clears the clutter of egoic ambition. It gives us a compass, not to get somewhere, but to remain in right relationship with life.

And that is rare in our times.

We live in a world obsessed with results and recognition. We are taught to measure our worth in metrics, to chase visibility as if it proves value. But devotion reminds us of a deeper truth:

That what is most beautiful in life is not efficient. That what is most meaningful often cannot be measured. That what makes us most human is not our ability to achieve but our willingness to offer.

A parent waking in the middle of the night for their child—that is devotion. An artist painting long after the applause has faded—that is devotion. A leader holding space for others even while quietly struggling—that is devotion.

It is not always glamorous. It is not always rewarded. But it is sacred. And we know it when we feel it.

Because devotion brings us home to ourselves.

Without it, we drift. We perform. We survive. But we do not live.

Without devotion, our values bend to convenience. Our relationships collapse under ego. Our sense of meaning gets outsourced to performance.

And slowly, we become less human.

But when we return to devotion, even the ordinary becomes holy. The way we walk. The way we speak. The way we care for the unseen moments of life.

We remember that there are things worth serving, whether or not the world claps.

Because devotion is not about being noticed. It is about being true.

And when we live that way - quietly, fiercely, consistently - something inside us becomes unshakable. Not hard, but whole.

So I ask you:

What are you truly devoted to?

Not what excites you.

Not what benefits you.

But what do you honour even when it no longer suits you?

That answer will tell you who you are.

Take a moment today and ask yourself: What am I truly devoted to? Not what gives me reward or recognition. But what I honour, quietly, consistently - even when no one is watching.

That answer may change how you lead, how you love, and how you live.

I wrote Leading with Wisdom as a response to the world we’re in - a world of acceleration, disconnection, and noise. But also a world still filled with quiet, sacred choices. Like devotion. Like care. Like the courage to lead with soul.

If this message speaks to you, I offer keynotes and leadership workshops around the world, guiding teams and individuals to reclaim the deeper intelligence we’ve forgotten, and to lead from a place of presence, coherence, and wisdom.

To bring this message to your company, event, or team, reach out via Linked Rishad Ahmed ╰☆╮ or my website.

My new book Leading with Wisdom is available soon.

This is more than a book. It’s a call to return.

Rishad Ahmed