Is it passion or a casual interest?
Don't say you like doing something or are passionate about it until you have to wake up every day to do it and deliver results. This can apply to routine tasks like cooking (many women are sitting at this table), cleaning, as well as traveling the world, and a career.
As a young person just starting a career or fresh out of a tertiary institution, it is important to try new things out and not be rigid at the beginning of a career. Just because you studied engineering doesn't mean you have to work in an engineering firm or not at all. And just because you are doing something now doesn't mean that is what you will continue doing in 20 years. Go and try things out and give yourself a chance. More importantly, in the global economy where employment for starters is a bit more challenging. There are a lot of transferable skills we have acquired from that degree that will be useful in a lot of jobs.
You might think being an Imam or religious leader is fun and prestigious. I have an Imam friend who mentioned that delivering an inspiring and soul-lifting Khutbah every Friday could be a challenging task. It's not the absence of what to say. Sometimes, he said he prefers to sit back and allow another person to lead the solah. Most of the religious leaders at the same time double this role by being a private counselor to their audience coupled with having a full-time job they do.
This mindset of the ability to consistently deliver value over a long time can help us distinguish between casual interests and true passions and encourage us to put in the dedication and hard work required to turn our passions into tangible achievements.
Whether it's a daily routine or a long-term career, following through on our commitments and delivering results is what truly demonstrates our passion and dedication.
Money or a well-paid job or a good job may be good motivation and sometimes success in whatever we are doing matters most. You have been doing a couple of things and then you do one thing, become successful at it, and immediately the person is passionate about that thing. Success is a driver for passion. We have several people who chose some career because their parent was successful in a similar career or someone else they admire.
Steve Jobs said:
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."
For Muslims, our trust is in Allah.
