henever someone shoots down an idea by saying, “Oh, that niche is saturated,” I genuinely want to tell them off. This whole aura of scarcity is so annoying. You know what’s even more annoying? That these same people are always trying to “get it easy.”

Let’s keep one thing straight: nothing in life comes easy. And if you ever choose to pick their brains, literally, all you’ll need is a tweezer. That’s how scarce their brainpower is when it comes to understanding the vastness of things.

The fact of the matter is, the earth itself is saturated. Everyone has to work hard to stand out. This idea of finding some ‘untouched’ niche that will make you an overnight billionaire is so, should I say, unenlightened. (Unenlightened is a perfect word to describe people who try to “dim your light” or “blow out your candle,” isn’t it?)

One thing is for sure: work hard enough, with passion and dedication, in whatever field you choose, and you will get noticed, you will stand out, and you will succeed.

While on the journey of setting up a business of my own, I’ve recently realised that I don’t look at other businesses as my competitors. Sure, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to outdo them, improve my offering, or add more value. What I mean is that God has promised rizq to anyone who strives for it. Whatever I get, however I get it, was written in my naseeb.

I genuinely pray for my competitors. I want them to be successful just as much as I want success for myself. Why should I be happy about someone’s downfall? Why can’t we all grow together?

We think too much. Birds don’t sit around anxiously every night, wondering whether they’ll find a worm tomorrow. And food is literally all animals think about. A bird sleeps calmly, while humans, with a roof over their heads, food in the fridge and a God they believe manages the entire world, sleep in stress and worry.

I don’t feel threatened, and honestly, it’s such a calming feeling. There’s God who provides sustenance for the entire universe, and we’re here worried that a little competition will rob us of our wealth or livelihood. Really?

Maybe that’s why business/ trade has been the profession of many prophets. There’s so much spiritual enlightenment in running one properly.

The real problem lies in our brains. We think too much. Birds don’t sit around anxiously every night, wondering whether they’ll find a worm tomorrow. And food is literally all animals think about. A bird sleeps calmly, while humans, with a roof over their heads, food in the fridge, and a God they believe manages the entire world, sleep in stress and worry. We’ve learnt how to fly by looking at them, it’s time we learnt this lesson as well.

What we need is trust. Of course, trust in God, but also in the abilities He has blessed us with. When the Creator Himself is taking care of you, what do you really have to worry about?

Two phrases I live by:

Whatever is meant to happen is written, so don’t fret over it.

Whatever happened was for the good, so don’t dwell on it.

So trust that God is with you, and the Creator created you perfectly.

Shaafay Zia is an ex-serviceman and a freelancer. He can be reached at shaafayzia@gmail.com