This last week, nothing went smoothly.
Running Maktoub Studio between India, the U.S., Europe, and North Africa, often feels like trying to juggle sand. Shipments taking longer than expected, customs payments stuck, tech breaking down... all because I come from one country, Live in another, do business in another and serve clients in other countries.
For a moment, you feel like the world is against you.
But then, as always, something small happens. Someone offering help or advice, or getting an idea that helps sort something out, in your sleep. What felt impossible, even if not completely sorted, starts working out.
So the glass half-full person that I am remembered the importance to cultivate PRONOIA.
What’s that you may ask
Pronoia sounds like something Aristotle might’ve written about, but it’s actually a word from 1982. It’s the opposite of paranoia, the belief that life might actually be working for you, not against you.
Our elders already knew this. There’s a saying that goes: Every setback carries some good, “كل عطلة فيها خير”, and the Qur’an itself, in its infinite wisdom, tells us that we may dislike something that is good for you, “وعسى أن تكرهوا شيئا وهو خير لكم”
The thing is, being pronoic or pronoid (not sure which) doesn’t mean pretending things are fine. It means looking with two eyes, one that sees the mess, and one that looks for the meaning inside it.
How I Practice It
At Maktoub Studio, I try to live and create by seeing with both eyes. One that sees the struggle, and one that looks for the blessing beneath it. That’s where the trilogy of Baraka, Niya, and Himma that I talk about in FLOW: The Art of Moving Through Life with Baraka, Niya and Himma comes alive. It helps me stay open, purposeful, and moving, even when things don’t go as planned.
Baraka or blessing
Seeing with both eyes here means not only noticing what goes wrong, but what quietly goes right. It can be the delay that gives space for a better idea, the setback that teaches patience and tests resolve. Baraka helps me remember that some gifts only reveal themselves after the noise settles and that even the slow days carry hidden blessings.
Niyya or intention
With one eye, I see the work: the emails, the edits, the logistics, the steps forward and the steps backwards. With the other, I hold my WHY, the reason I created Maktoub Studio. Seeing with both eyes keeps my work from becoming mechanical, it turns tasks into meaning and effort into offering.
Himma or inner drive
Here, seeing with both eyes means showing up fully, even when I don’t feel ready, while also knowing when to rest. It’s the balance between doing and allowing, where one eye sees the need for discipline; the other trusts timing. Together, they turn effort into flow and help me build with both heart and direction.
When I practice this, things naturally shift, like the right person calls, a delay turns into space I didn’t know I needed… and the storm feels a lot less personal.
Cultivate Pronoia this week!
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See with both eyes
When something goes wrong, pause before reacting. With one eye, see what’s frustrating or heavy. With the other, ask what might quietly be forming behind it. Some problems are preparation or redirection, trust that. -
Name what helped
Before the day ends, recall one thing, or one person, that made things easier, even slightly. Recall the feeling of listening to music or the taste of your meal, that day. That’s how you train your sight to find baraka, even in ordinary days. -
Move without forcing
Take one small step that feels aligned, not pressured. A message you’ve been delaying, a small creative act, a decision made with calm instead of hurry. That’s himma guided by niya, movement grounded in meaning.
That’s how you start seeing with both eyes. Even if things don’t make complete sense, you’ll begin to feel held by life. Because sometimes, the only thing left to do is to trust. To trust deeply, not blindly.
We can’t control the current but we can learn to ride it, and that one choice, to see life as an ally, not an opponent, changes everything.
Heartfuly,
Ratiba
