About 80% of people are unhappy at work, and 20% are happy. Our culture has separated work from passion, and taught us to prefer a higher paycheck to higher happiness. That mistake costs us our souls. The goal of career development is to uncover one’s gifts and passions, and to link them to the practical needs of the world. We call that “being in the right place,” “finding a good fit,” or “making the best use of one’s talents.”
“There are all different kinds of voices calling you to all different kinds of work . . . (and) the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
but at the end of the day .. your passion is not going to put bread on your table or pay your bills.
As much as I agree with you ... but if one is only looking for passion ... then one is little selfish ..
cause the fulfilment of my passion is not going to help my wife or kids much ..
but if my job can provide them financial peace , then we are looking at less stress in life ..
so if my passion is to find a job that can take care of my finances in such a way that not only my family is taken care of but also I have enough left to take care of others .. would that be a justified passion :)
compassion does it - true to Allah swt dedication, honesty, forthrightness, hard work, consistency, ability and strength to own up to own mistakes and improve, go back and do all one can to correct some mistake that was utterly wrong, is all a part of that work made visible.
selfish, weak, dishonest, uncaring, self-pitying people never can have their work speak for itself in any good way, shape or form. from working to obtain halal earning for a decent living to making oneself educated, a bette person, and to fulfilling haqooq-al-ibaad and Haqooq-Allah, the drive is compassion.
a right balance of Huqooq-ul-Allah and Huqooq-ul-ibad is the key ..
I've seen people who are all in Huqooq-ul-ibad .. and no huqooq-ul-allah ... and that is a disaster. In fact we have such thread that was going on in religion about very good non-muslims and they are so kind to human beings and why wont they be allowed to jannat.
I think main reason is complete disregard of Huqooq-ul-Allah
but on the flip side, I saw people who are so much into Huqooq-ul-allah that they overlook Huqooq-ul-ibad ..
That is also a extreme ... which maybe questionabale on the day of judgement