Oftentimes you force yourselves into doing something you don’t even like. For instance, your job. It is rare to find one person who sincerely fancies handling the same task daily. Be that as it may, as a Muslim, you realize that certain situations are inevitable and that responsibility is an obligation one needs to fulfil. So, when it comes to facing your duty, you should know by heart that there is more than one way to go about it to ensure happiness before, during and after the completion of the assignments.
How can the way a person look at things makes a difference in his or her working time thus producing fruitful results?
How to love your job
To this Allah has already prepared an answer:
“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves”. [Ar-Ra’d: 11]
This verse indicates an entitlement of freedom in choosing, bestowed by Allah for humans, Alhamdulillah (praise be to God). That means, you have to do something in order to change the way you feel about work. Otherwise, before you know it, you’ll be retired and still miserable. Now is as good time to start as any.
To note, changes in this context focus on the present job and not suggesting to look for a new one. In other words, you can find ways to experience fulfillment in your job that you have right now.
Here are some tips that you may find workable:
Straighten Out Your Intention of Working
“Verily, all actions are but driven by intention and for everyone is what he intended.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
Most people neglect the interconnection between their inner thought and productivity. Intention, in fact, is the anchor of one’s mission. It’s the navigator. That being said, taking it lightly can perilously impede the progress of a job. In order to relate to your task, it is suggested to re-evaluate the reason(s) of why you’re doing it. Is it because of money, convenience or status? Truth is, objectives that exclude Allah from the equation are short-lived. Once they are achieved, you’ll feel lost. Remind yourself frequently that what you do is only because of Allah and nothing else. That you are doing it not for other people and not expecting to be rewarded by none other than God Himself. In sha Allah (God willing), you’ll feel more contented with your task and your enthusiasm lasts longer.
Perform Night Prayers
Atha al-Khurasani stated that “when a person gets up to pray tahajjud (one of the night prayers), he will feel calm the next morning”. Tweet this
Night prayers are special. Despite lack of sleep, you’ll feel more energized than ever. It builds your sincerity because waking up at night is private thus entitles you to deserve Allah’s praises. That sincerity can be channeled into your attitudes to finish your work progressively. Upon gaining the pleasure of Allah, He opens up the door of your sustenance generously. Plus, in seeing such good results, it may convince you to liking your job. So, make a plan with yourself to sleep early and ask Allah to awake you in the middle of night to spend some meaningful time with Him. A word of advice, when you’re awake because of a crying baby or a need to use the bathroom, don’t go back to sleep right after. That could be Allah’s way of waking you up for a night prayer. Thence, take ablution and pray.
Read Al-Qur’an
Reading Al-Qur’an as a start of the day truly creates a difference in your opinions about your job. Tweet this It bears thoughtful reminders consist of happy news, stern warnings as well as relatable lessons for each individual:
“And We have certainly diversified [the contents] in this Qur’an that mankind may be reminded…” [Al-Isra; 41]
As a Muslim and a believer, it elevates your motivation through verses that emphasize on rewards and happy news. On the other hand, it admonishes you to be grateful of what you have as opposed to thousands of people out there who are still jobless. In addition, it strengthens your will to work harder to emulate the ancestors who were happier and more successful in a less modern setting.
Abstain from Small Complaints Even Jokingly
You would think it is normal to grumble because it’s a cultural norm, but such behaviour has a silent effect in your productivity. Tweet this It can also indicate obliviousness to Allah’s blessings.
“And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe”. [Ibrahim; 7]
Small complaints to a likeable job are like flies circling a clean food. You can’t reach the food until the flies are cleared. Islam instructs the Muslims to be prudent in word selection and Islam is right. Words, once out, you can’t take them back and they are transformed into invocations. If a pray is granted, let it not be out of complaints and silly jokes. Alas, most people do it all the time, addressing complaints in a sarcastic, whiny manner until it becomes habitual. As a result, you’ll end up feeling wearied and unmotivated. While jokes are not entirely prohibited, there are limits to making them. If something is bothering you, speak up about it politely or remain silent as a sign of a believer. When you stop feeling sorry for yourself and assigning blames, you’ll notice an improvement in the quality of your work and the time spent is genuinely valued.
Embrace Optimism and Share with the Others
Some suggestions instruct you to cut the cord with negative people. However, it is not easy to stop hanging with the people you work with, not to mention it is against Islamic teaching to break the established rapport. Therefore, what you can do is cultivate positive thoughts by demonstrating them in front others. Waiting for them to change their mind set would be futile, so you have to be first to act on it. You may also initiate pleasant conversations and creatively find a way to digress from controversial issues. In addition, feelings are known to be contagious, so spread a smile and practice kindness.
Umar (may Allah be please with him) said,“Generosity is an easy thing. It is a smiling face and kind words.”
People around you will pick up the positive energy from you. Thus, a job satisfaction can be obtained collectively in a happy environment. Who knows, one day, all of you may actually look forward to coming to work!
Challenge Yourself
How, you asked? You can do it by learning something new at your job. Boredom emanates from routine activities and you need some novelty to keep your job interesting. In other words, you are under-challenged. An optimist will see that as an opportunity to acquire something new, for an improvement.
It is possible if you venture out and engage in new skills that may be useful for your job position. Keeping it busy with new knowledge may distract you from thinking how much you dislike your job. At times when you are available, find something that can spark your interest and you’ll survive. The real enemy is not having too many things to do, it’s doing nothing.
A wise person fully utilizes his time because he doesn’t want to be among the losers:
“There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time.” [Bukhari].
Dear brothers and sisters,
It might be overwhelming to try out all these tips at once causing you to feel frustrated after few days diving into them. The best is to elect one that you’re inclined to do and keep it consistent. Insya Allah (God willing), you’ll witness some good transitions within yourself. Remember, every journey to making changes begins with the first step.
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