3 Things I Need to Survive
God, Health, (Self-Disciplined)-Passion
God
- Born Muslim and practiced
- Dropped the ball down the road
- Turned into a scientist atheist
- Postulated string or quantum *
- Depressed during the time
- Sought peace, couldn’t find
- Ditched self-sufficiency pro tem
- Drew myself near to God again
- Found promptly profound peace
Self-Sufficiency Sufficient?
No! I used to postulate self-sufficiency would solve my problems. My old agnostic-then-atheist self was clinging to the idea that string and/or quantum physics * proposes that cause and effect can go in loops. Thus, they eradicate the existence of the creator of a multi-universe — which by the way, ought no contradiction. I was unyielding to a point a casual reference to spirituality used to make me bristle with antagonism. I used to even amuse myself by cynically dissecting spiritual beliefs when I was observing that many spirituality-minded people of all races and colors were demonstrating “a degree of stability, happiness, and usefulness, which I should have sought myself”. I noticed how frequently I say: “I wish I had what they have”. Then, I realized I never really gave the spiritual side of life a fair hearing.
So, I abandoned my old theories for a bit — experimentally and curiously. As soon as I drew myself to God, he disclosed himself to me with profound peace. (Goosebumps head to toe while editing this.)
I ask God to show me directions — when I cannot — to have peace and process my emotions. When I’m baffled my roots grasp new soils when I let it go and let God. Religions and science aside, God is the ultimate answer, and Love is the best tool. Peace ✌️
* It is very difficult to get any kind of consensus in the community of theoretical physicists at the moment. Yet, there is a sense in which string theory is favored because it’s mathematically more rigorous and consistent.
Health
It’s a no-brainer. I need to exercise, nutrition, and communication to maintain a healthy body and mind. Otherwise, every other thing falls apart or even fails to happen. Lifehack: don’t ever underestimate the effect of oxygen and deep breathing.
(self-disciplined) Passion
I need to do things that I’m passionate about to keep going — rewarding and matching my capacity. I love reading, writing, listening, and talking — my mood often sets its order. Intriguing conversation with interesting people makes me also excited.
Excellent! Let’s drop what I’m not passionate about and start writing a book and making a podcast!
Hold the fuck on! — I say to myself when I’m about to nag, “I’m not passionate about it”. Am I really unpassionate about it? Or I’m not passionate about everything all time?
Because so many people talk about passion and following heart. Is it overrated? Probably not yet can be misleading.
So I reword that question to “are you passionate about your self, family, and friends?” I often end up answering “passion is yourself” and sucking it up.
I believe passion deserves a meticouless self-disciplinary. As Amy Cosper, Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine has noted:
“Passion is chocolate cake: You can’t subsist on it alone. You have to know when to give passion a break. You have to know when reason should step in…Passion slams the gas; reason steers us safely. Passion throws us out of an airplane; reason pulls the parachute cord.”
Finding Purpose In Work
When most people think of finding passion or fulfillment in their work, they think of jobs that can be easily attributed to a cause, like providing clean water to unindustrialized areas. But the reality is that we most likely can find fulfillment and passion in your current line of work, no matter what you do.
Achieving a balance between business and passion often require a shift in mindset. If it does require a job change, try the one that leverage your pre-existing expertise and skills.
Stewart and Lewis’s story may help:
“I had worked in analytics and IT for several years,” Lewis explains, “but I felt like there was more I could accomplish. I care about the environment, and that’s when I realized that I could use my skills to help solve a serious problem — gas pipeline failures.
A passion for analytics and the Internet of Things subsequently led to the development of their product mIQroAware, which measures everything from pressure to corrosion levels to accurately predict pipeline leaks. This allows pipeline owners to perform needed repairs before a leak ever occurs.
Finding passion and purpose in your current line of work might require some out-of-the-box thinking, but it’s not impossible,” Stewart notes. “Finding them ultimately depends on you bringing a pure-heart attitude to what you do. Apply yourself to your work, work hard and don’t complain or argue. With the right attitude about working hard, you will garner fulfillment in your work. That will directly translate to you achieving your personal goals. Do this, and the stress of work will melt away, and peace and joy will fill the void.
If you don’t feel satisfied with your current job, Stewart and Lewis suggest taking a step back to look at the big picture. Try to identify ways that your work makes a positive impact in the world around you and the people around you. Find what brings you joy and fulfillment during the work day. Recognizing how your current work helps you use your talents on a daily basis will help you be true to yourself and perform better.”
My story may help:
I’m currently improving and driving Apple Silicon’s low energy pivotal initiatives, working closely with desingers and product leads to help drive increased customer engagement with and enjoyment of our extended and prolong low power resources.
From answering mom’s calls to tracking health and making emergency contacts to doctors and loved ones, I’m blessed to be a part of a team that creates products that millions of people touch, use, and enjoy every day.
Not only my work helps creating great products and services, yet also enables possibilities for others to create. Empowering individual developers, entrepreneurs, artists and even unlocking countless opportunities for small and large businesses.
Another source of fullfillment to me in my job is that I’m saving energy for our beautiful planet 🌍.
If a mindset shift still doesn’t bring fulfillment to you in your job:
It’s time to consider a change. But to achieve the right balance between business and passion, you can’t simply identify a way you can use your talents to make a difference in the world. You need to take a more thoughtful approach.
