Find Your Calling

I read a quote that said the two most important days in life are when you are born and find your calling. What does finding your calling mean? There are activities that I enjoy for work and outside of work, but how do I know if one is my calling? 

Is a person’s calling the activity you enjoy doing away from work? Is your calling a pursuit you did not initially enjoy and then found enthusiasm for with hard work? Is a calling an activity that we always relish whether the work is hard or easy? Is a calling an activity we gravitate to whenever we have the opportunity?

I read and listened to interviews with people who say they love a specific type of work or activity and plan to do it for the rest of their lives. What do they love about it? Is this the secret ingredient to make something a calling? Do they enjoy the money their calling provides, or do they love their calling so much that they would do it for free?

To find answers, I read several articles about finding your calling. Each article featured lists of action steps to search for your calling. Changing routine, living in the moment, and hanging out with people you like are good places to start. Fixing problems, looking at your dreams, and expressing yourself each day are practical actions. Other lists said to focus on what you enjoyed as a child, look at what activities make you feel good, and look for reoccurring engagement patterns.

The three ideas that made the most sense came from Parker Palmer and Jeff Goins. Author, Activist, and Educator Parker Palmer said this about our calling. "Our highest calling is to grow into our authentic selfhood. Whether it conforms to some image of what others think we ought to be or not."

Too often, we are looking for permission. We find something we love, are passionate about, and share it with others, looking for a seal of approval. Others tell us our inkling is not practical or possible, and we let the idea and dream melt away. Our calling is an activity we need to feel strong about trying. Does this guarantee we will be successful at finding our true calling? The more ideas we come up with and attempt, the better chance we hit the target. 

The last two ideas came from Writer and Entrepreneur Jeff Goins. He said about our calling, "Finding your purpose is more of a path than a plan." Having an idea about what might be a calling starts a path of discovery, more education, trial and error, and work to see how your possible calling fits into your life. Jeff Goins also says that discovery "Happens in stages, clarity comes with action." "The most important thing is to take the next step." Finding our calling is a process of searching and discovery that takes time, work, and a process that requires patience and practice. I always thought people came across their calling through magic. People often say I always knew this was what I wanted to do.

I never felt that way. I started my work life with many different jobs until I started working at a park. That opportunity led to another until I arrived at my current position. Does this mean the work I am doing right now is my calling? I will never be sure. The truth is I am going along my journey. One day, it is possible that my true calling will hit me like a bolt of lightning, and I will discover I was on the journey of finding my calling the entire time.

What is your calling? How did you discover your calling? Are you still in search of your calling?