I received an interesting question recently in response to one of my daily Facebook videos I’m posting about life and leadership. I was talking about how decisions around time and money get easier when we know what our calling is. They get easier because we can exclude anything that doesn’t directly tie to what we want to do in the world. Based on the question I received (which was “How do I determine my calling?”), it occurred to me that lots of people might not know what their calling or purpose is.
Purpose or calling can be difficult to find because we’re surrounded with familial and cultural expectations. These expectations can box us in and guide us to pursue things that aren’t life giving but we think they should be, which then leads us into a downward spiral to misery, despair, or craziness. It’s called the rat race for a reason.
Peeling the layers back one at a time is how we identify our calling and begin to live from a deeper purpose. Life is more than getting a paycheck every two weeks or month. We can have a life well lived that is fulfilling, meaningful, and joyful. But we often have to fight for it.
Here are three questions to help you identify your calling.
· What brings me joy?
· What makes me super angry and want to fight?
· What type of conversations give me juice and energize me?
Once you have these answers, do more of the positive (the joy and juice) and work against the negative (what makes you angry). You’ll continue to refine your calling and get clear about who you are and what you’re supposed to do in this world!
Stay curious friends!