Port Dickson 3-4 November 2018
This weekend's inspiring moment for us arrived - of all places - from a brief 5-second encounter at a toll booth.
As we were driving up the Springhill toll nearby PD, there was only one Toll Booth Lane was open, and that Lane sharing between both Cash payments and Touch 'N Go. As my father tapped drove to the booth, he tapped his Touch and Go card on the receiver, the senior lady at the booth, looked out, smiled and said, "Assalamualaikum".
Masha Allah. That was amazing!
Now, let's dissect this 5-second encounter for a minute.
This Aunty didn't even attend to us (we were using the Touch N Go), yet she still invested the extra effort to greet us warmly. It's a genuinely refreshing counter of passion at work, in today's world where people deliver mediocre effort and work as if it's the final 10 minutes of their shift - just exerting our efforts the "barely pass" and content with poor quality, because "It's not like I get paid more anyway".
Now, working at a toll booth - alone in your shift - has virtually no interaction with others. And in this case, it was the only booth open!
Forget about complaining "the environment is not conducive" or "I am surrounded by pessimistic co-workers", you - and YOU ALONE - are the environment. The work is repetitive and mundane by nature: perhaps you'll be interacting with hundreds of other strangers throughout your shift, and by the end of your shift, meeting your 94th customer might have drained the energizer in us.
So how is your work ethic? Do you process their toll payments robotically, mechanically prodding to the hours of your shift? Or do you use this window of 10-20 seconds of interacting with complete strangers, as an opportunity to have a positive impact on them?
With all this in mind, it is very apparent to us that this was a deliberate CONSCIOUS decision for her to smile and greet us with salam.
Though some may deem this as trivial or small, to me, gestures like these demonstrate a certain level of passion and commitment: to invest greatness - ihsan - in our actions, despite the nature of our deeds on what some may deem as mundane and repetitive. To invest quality towards perfection and take pride in the work that we do.
How many of us waste away opportunities of brilliance to inspire others as we get through "the grind" - in our work, daily routines, chores at the home?
Seize every moment as opportunities of greatness - not because you expect gratitude, praise, or recompense from others: but because it's your personal brand and commitment to quality, and that defines YOU.
As a child, Steve Jobs was instructed by his dad to paint the fence of the house. He completed the outer parts of the fence, and declared "job's done". And his father told him "but son, you didn't paint the inner part of the fence." Steve replied justifying, "but Dad, no one will see the inner part of the fence!". And his father replied,
"But we will".
In his years in Apple, as he was building the revolutionary computer at the time, the Macintosh, he told his design team to make the Macintosh BEAUTIFUL. But here's the thing: He told the team, to "Design the internals circuitry to be just as beautiful as it is on the outside".
Naturally, the team responded, "But no one's going to see what's inside!"
Like a boss, our boy Steve said, "But we will."
May Allah make us amongst those who deliver our tasks sincerely with passion and ihsan (excellence).
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
“لاَ تَحْقِرَنَّ مِنَ الْمَعْرُوفِ شَيْئًا وَلَوْ أَنْ تَلْقَى أَخَاكَ بِوَجْهٍ طَلْقٍ”
“Do not belittle or consider insignificant any good deeds that you do, even if it is to meet your brother with a cheerful face” (Narrated by Muslim)
إنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الْإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ
"Verily, Allah has prescribed (that you perform with) Ihsaan (excellence) in all things" (Narrated by Muslim)
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