Salam Deenpreneurs,
Most of us have jobs.
Some of us have careers.
Very few of us rise up to the challenge of their calling.
Welcome to the next post in this Deenpreneurs Journey Newsletter Series.
Instead of defining those 3 terms, let me share a story with you from my recent book: 7 Steps to Succes in Deen & Dunya
Story of 3 Builders
Once upon a time, a traveler was passing by a building. He saw three builders doing the same thing: laying a brick on a wall.
Builder 1
The traveler passes by the first builder and asks him “How is life? What are you doing?” Builder 1 replies: “Man, life is tough. Look at what I am doing! Laying a brick. This job sucks. It doesn’t pay well. Life is unfair. I wish I was resting on a beach right now.”
Builder 2
The traveler continues and passes by the second builder and asks the same question: “How is life? What are you doing?” Builder 2 replies: “It is ok. We are building a mosque.” Then he continues his work.
Builder 3
The traveler continues and passes by the third builder and asks the same question: “How is life? What are you building?” Builder 3 replies: “Life is beautiful. I am part of this beautiful and amazing building project. I love building. We are building a house of Allah SWT where hundreds and maybe thousands of people come and pray every day. I hope My Lord will reward me as long as this masjid is standing because I am helping to seek His pleasure. I’m so blessed, alhamdulillah. You know what? You may not believe this, but even though I offered my help free of charge, these people are paying me as well. Can you believe it?”
Why
Even though each of the three builders is doing the same thing and even getting paid the same, their attitude and how they perceive the world and their work are different. Do you know why?
Why is the answer. More specifically, those who know why they do what they do is the answer we are seeking.
Most people are similar to Builder 1. They don’t know why, how, or what they do. They work because they have to. They complain. They wish they didn’t work at all.
Some people are similar to Builder 2. They know what and how they do what they do. They may be climbing on their career ladder. But unless they discover their “why”, they are missing out on a lot in life, and may not even realize it.
Then we have Builder 3. People like Builder 3 are very rare, unfortunately, and include around 1% of people or maybe even less. They know not only what or how, but they know why they do what they do. They know their purpose in life. They know their passion. They turn their purpose and passion into prosperity by solving problems for people. They live their lives in awareness of Allah (SWT). Every step they take and every move they make is for Allah (SWT).
They are the main heroes in their own stories. They are writing their life stories on one project, one page, one day at a time. They are preparing something beautiful for their Lord. They are pleased with their Lord in both good times and bad, by continually showing either gratefulness (shukr) or patience (sabr). Their Lord is pleased with them and grants them the best in this life and the next. They are the successful ones.
Which builder do you want to be?
By the way, if you like what you read so far, there is more…
This is a part of the series. Here is what you should do so you don’t miss a thing.
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Such a great reminder!