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Success is rarely a straight path. Sometimes you stumble your way forward through mistakes of your own, and other times someone’s advice gives you the push you need.
For UAE entrepreneur and influencer Sara Al Madani, one of those lessons was a phrase a friend once told her. During an appearance on Vishen Lakhiani’s The Mindvalley Podcast, she shared it with the world: “Don’t love your job, job your love.”
Meant to inspire people to turn their passions into work, the motto instead took on a life of its own and went viral for reasons that had little to do with business. Scroll down to see how the internet ran with it.
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In one interview, entrepreneur and influencer Sara Al Madani shared a piece of career advice: “Don’t love your job, job your love”
Influencer smiling and speaking into a microphone while wearing a white hat during a live recording session.
Sara Al Madani is an Emirati entrepreneur, fashion designer, public speaker, and media personality. Born in 1986 in the UAE, she launched her first fashion brand at 15 years old, gaining recognition as one of the youngest designers in the country.
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Since then, she has branched out into technology, marketing, and events, and taken on advisory roles—serving on the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry board as well as the UAE SME Council under the Ministry of Economy, where she worked to champion small and medium businesses.
Alongside her ventures, Al Madani has become known as a strong advocate for women’s empowerment and for challenging stereotypes about Emirati women in business.
But what recently made her go viral was a single phrase. During an appearance on The Mindvalley Podcast, she shared a line that became a quotable meme across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok: “Don’t love your job, job your love.”
The words weren’t originally hers—they came from her friend Mohd Hilal, owner of the Mohd Hilal Group—but after the clip circulated online, they became tied to her name.
People wasted no time putting their own spin on it. Comments ranged from “don’t face your fear, fear your face” to “don’t waste your time, let your time waste you.” At the same time, others began debating what the phrase was really meant to say.
On one Reddit thread, a user in r/unpopularopinion wrote: “‘Don’t love your job, job your love’ makes perfect sense, people just didn’t like the delivery.” Another suggested it could be an interpretation of the well-known quote: “If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.”
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After the buzz and confusion, Al Madani eventually explained in more detail what she meant by “jobbing your love.”
She told Khaleej Times: “At first it didn’t make sense, but then I understood. You shouldn’t just accept the job you’re in and push yourself to fall in love with it. Instead, take the things you love and ‘job’ them, make them your business. Work for what you love instead of loving what you work for.”
Her point was about entrepreneurship and passion, though the unusual phrasing is what captured people’s attention. By the time she clarified, the internet had already had a field day with it.
Al Madani, however, handled the jokes with good humor. “I love how creative people are,” she said. “But seriously, it’s about building a career around what lights you up, not forcing yourself into a role that doesn’t.”
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Oleksandra is an experienced copywriter from Ukraine with a master’s degree in International Communication. Having covered everything from education, finance, and marketing to art, pop culture, and memes, she now brings her storytelling skills to Bored Panda. For the past six years, she’s been living and working in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Oleksandra is an experienced copywriter from Ukraine with a master’s degree in International Communication. Having covered everything from education, finance, and marketing to art, pop culture, and memes, she now brings her storytelling skills to Bored Panda. For the past six years, she’s been living and working in Vilnius, Lithuania.
In my spare time, I enjoy creating art - both in traditional and digital form, mainly in the form of painting and animation. Other interests include gaming and music. Favorite bands include Swans, The Strokes, The Beatles.
In my spare time, I enjoy creating art - both in traditional and digital form, mainly in the form of painting and animation. Other interests include gaming and music. Favorite bands include Swans, The Strokes, The Beatles.
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