In Islam, it is believed that your rizq is destined. Rizq is anything that a human benefits from. This includes money, health, relationships, and so much more.
Your rizq is a fixed amount that will never change based on your action or even other people’s actions.
I happen to think that God has chosen to inform us that our rizq is guaranteed because He wants us to choose our profession based on our passion and interest.
Most people nowadays pick their profession based on its ability to accumulate wealth. However, wealth is not the only thing we can enjoy in life.
For example, health matters much more than wealth. Yet, we don’t pick our professions based on its effect on our health.
God chose to comfort us by telling us that we will NEVER miss out on opportunities. What we missed was never ours to being with.
Passion is a key to happiness
I know what you’re thinking, “Follow your passion” is bad advice. Or at least you might be thinking that it’s overused advice.
I am here to argue that it’s not used or followed enough. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes of my past is that I followed the money, not my passion.
Happiness is all about living in the moment. Living like a child does. In essence, children pick their activities based on enjoyment.
Chasing money, success, or long-term goals is all about living in the future. This is what most adults do.
Therefore, doing work you’re passionate about helps you live in the moment. In other words, you become happy for most of your day.
Did you read what I just wrote?
In your day and NOT your life….
A day is a microcosm of your life. You have no business thinking and planning for the future. Your future is not guaranteed, you may or may not live till next year.
Back to work. Getting into flow during work is the epitome of happiness. I lose myself in writing, I barely even remember my identity, worries, and problems.
I am doing this right now as we speak.
One of the conditions of getting into the flow state is doing a slightly challenging task. If it’s too easy, you’ll fall into boredom. If it’s too challenging you’ll quit.
How else are you going to persist?
Passionate people work more
I’m sure you’ve heard of the 10,000-hour-rule. The basic premise of this rule is that you need an insane amount of hours in order to reach mastery in a given skill.
Passionate people don’t quit on their work. They may take breaks but they stick to their goals over the long haul.
If you’re lucky enough to have found your passion, STICK TO IT!
On the other hand, people who are motivated by outward goals such as money eventually switch their career for a slightly better one.
In the book ” Grit ” by Angela Duckworth. She reveals that grit ( passion and perseverance over the long run) is one of the major indicators of success in any career.
It matters more than IQ, social status, talent and even short-term motivation.
Alan watts (American philosopher) would always advice college students to follow their passion and would tell them that the money would come later.
“Somebody is interested in anything”
Alan Watts
In other words, your work will eventually find the right audience. If the internet taught us anything, it is that you’re not that unique. The are always enough people on this blue dot we call earth that are interested in your work.
Creativity is passion’s bestfriend
Most great ideas come during a break from work.
Have you noticed how many thoughts go through your head during a shower?
This is called “Active rest”. Guess what?!
Only passionate people think about their work during rest. This incessant chatter in your mind is can be turned into useful ideas once you’ve found your passion.
Creativity is in essence the art of combing two (or more) ideas to create another idea or solution. Creative people work a lot but they take breaks. There lies their magic, their mind can fluctuate between high and low levels of activity.
Passion creates impact
I don’t know about you but I’m thankful for the fact that Isaac Newton was a passionate physicist. I’m also thankful for the passion of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein.
I’m thankful for each and every genius that pursued their passion. They are the ones who made our lives better.
Being passionate is self-serving and not selfish. It might seem a bit self-centered to follow your passion.
However, people around you benefit from you being passionate. You’re more lively, you’re more useful, and you’re better able to serve others.
Passion more often leads to success
Studies indicate that pursuing work aligned with one’s passion often leads to higher success rates due to enhanced engagement, persistence, and performance. Research based on the Dualistic Model of Passion (DMP) distinguishes between harmonious and obsessive passion.
Harmonious passion, which reflects a freely chosen, integrated interest in work, is closely linked with positive work outcomes like higher career satisfaction, task engagement, and resilience, which all boost long-term career success.
Obsessive passion, on the other hand, is driven by external pressures and can lead to stress and burnout, limiting these benefits
PLOS
In entrepreneurial and professional settings, harmonious passion has been shown to encourage persistence through setbacks, which is vital for achieving long-term goals.
For instance, research on entrepreneurs has highlighted how harmonious passion promotes resilience and motivates sustained effort, even in challenging circumstances.
This type of passion also supports a balanced approach to career challenges, allowing individuals to effectively manage both personal and professional demands, ultimately fostering more sustainable success
My personal take on it
I prefer following my passion over following the money any day of the week.
I know it can vary from an individual to another. Circumstances can often prevent you from doing the work you want.
Yet, whenever you can, you SHOULD follow your passion!
