What Drives Your Work-Life Design? The Rat Race or the Essential Pursuit

As-salamu alaykum,

I have been MIA for a couple of weeks now, literally, buried in a few high stakes commitments that punctuated the months of Rabi’ Al-Thanni/October for me. The high value investment in self care and rejuvenation at the VRIC Men’s Retreat was excellent prep for what has transpired so far. Having said that, you all have been on my mind and this is the right time to check in despite some of the key commitments still ongoing. I appreciate your patience and truly value your engagement here.

The Struggle

Healthcare work is very meaningful work. Alhamdulillah.

It is also work that places a huge demand on every aspect of our lives that define us; from our own internal state which is impacted by the attention we give to each of the 4 key dimensions of our essence, to our social support with our families at the center and to the lifestyle choices that are often driven by our immediate healthcare environment such as your sub sphere in healthcare, your colleagues and your immediate community. 

This unfortunately sets up for the “healthcare hustle” - a type of “rat race” that happens to us (and many of us feel stuck) rather than a work-life design that we intentionally crafted in alignment with our core values and specifically, success in the afterlife (Akhira) in mind.

Reality Check

The “healthcare hustle” quickly fills up a good chunk of our time. We seldom pause to evaluate where we are or how things are going…often for several years at a stretch and not so uncommonly, we end up being stuck in the “healthcare rat race cycle” or even burnt out with no clear recourse. 

This is a reality we are all too familiar with given the high rates of burnout among our ranks.

One of the key drivers of this is the Dunya mindset - a relentless focus on the priorities set for us by our peers regardless of their value system, the society we live in even though many societies are now bereft of a higher purpose or by own lowly desires for financial gains, fame/reputation  disconnected from our Islamic ethos.

The Essential Pursuit

Islam calls us to leverage this very meaningful work that we do in healthcare in a pursuit that is more lasting even if the short term gains may be less apparent.

Allah, the Most High, and Prophet Muhammad PBUH challenge us to focus on the success in the afterlife without losing the tailwinds of the very meaningful work we already do. 

This Akhira mindset will challenge us to step outside of our comfort zones and reappraise, often, the lifestyle choices that we make to seek more balance and be more intentional about our work-life designs. 

This mindset shift will transform our niyyah (intentions) and the raison d’etre for why and how we show up in our unique healthcare spaces on an ongoing basis.

The Akhira mindset will, in essence, help us upgrade our healthcare identity to one that is aligned with Allah’s will and grounded in the divine and prophetic wisdoms that inspire growth, resilience and an impact-driven identity. 

Divine Wisdom

“But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters.” [Quran 28 - Surah Al Qasas: v77]

Choose the Essential Pursuit over the Rat Race and Find Balance

The call to action from Allah, the Most High, is evident. Continue your meaningful work in healthcare but make it count towards your afterlife.

Start with these 3 pillars;

• Hit the pause button now to evaluate how things are going?

  • Am I driven by a Dunya-Mindset or an Akhira-mindset? 

  • What drives me in this direction versus the other?

  • How can I make the shift? 

  • What can get in the way of this mental shift?

• Commit to an Akhira-Mindset and identify 1 or 2 areas where you can intentionally adopt this

  • Let’s take the area of spirituality and your connection to Allah, the Most High (often the area many of us readily push off as the rat race gets more intense)

  • Choose to cultivate your relationship with the Quran - think of the smallest unit of improvement you can make in this area relative to where you are today. 

    Is it 5 minutes of Quran study daily or is it time to commit to memorizing a few lines every week?

  • How about the area of physical wellness? 

    Another area that typically gets pushed aside - are you getting enough rest and prioritizing your recovery? 

• Focus on the process

  • Show up everyday even if the quality is variable with each time that you show up

    1. 1 line of Quran versus Half a page - just show up

    2. A 5-minute walk versus a full-body seven-minute HIIT or 30-minute session with a personal trainer - just show up 

Building these unique muscles will help you develop the mental clarity and resilience to stay focused on the Akhira as you go through your work-days and to hold yourself accountable when you slip up so that you can quickly get back up and continue the Jihad (struggle) of the Nafs (self) and work your way towards your next best version by Allah’s will.

May Allah, the Most High, assist us all on this journey towards success in the Akhira that does not diminish our success in this life but rather enhances it and allows us to continue to grow, cultivate resilience, and create more meaningful impact across the healthcare space. Amin 

Sincerely,

Sulyman

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