Do you wake up in the morning full of excitement and enthusiasm about your day? Or do you dread going to work? If your job is draining life out of you, then it is time to reassess your life and your work. If you feel like an old dream is stirring and just won't go away, then it is time to discover and pursue your calling. The following questions provide thoughts for reflection as you take the first steps in responding to your calling:
- What keeps you in your current job, even though you are unhappy?
- What skills and talents are unused?
- What dreams have you buried because they weren't"practical"?
- What woul a "dream job" look like to you?
- What are you willing to sacrifice in order to have a dream job?
Having reflected on those questions, you must then do the following:
Self Assessment
Begin by assing your skills and talents. Make a list of all the things you have been good at. Articulate the skills you are currently using, and the experiences you're gathering. Make sure you know the excitement or pain you are facing now.
Dream Big
Think about the dream you may have buried becuase it was not practical then. Dreams can come true, but you have to be willing to believe in them. Learn about the people who have made their dreams come true. The source of a "calling" often comes from difficult or painful experiences that we have experienced or overcome. It becomes our calling, then, to help other people with similar difficulties.
Be of Service
Focus on the principle of service. All vocational callings have a strong elements of service in them. Whom do you serve? How can you use gifts and talents to serve them? What issues in the community, in business, or in society do you care about? Have you ever wished you could make a difference? These are clues of your calling.
Do What Brings You Joy
In order to be of service to others, we first have to do what brings us joy. So do what pleases you, and you will probably find that you are acquiring knowledge and skills that will help you to be of service to others in the future. And sometimes it is enough just to know that if you do what brings you joy, even if it is not of service to anyone else, the world is a better place. The world could certainly do with a little more joy added through you.
Make It Real
Make your dream real in some concrete way. Write down a description of your dream job. Write in your journal about "calls" to you. Tell other people about your dream job. You will find that as you get more and more detailed about what you are looking fo, opportunities will "coincidentally" appear. Make sure you are paying attention to these opportunities.
Talk to Others
Don't be afraid to tell others about your calling. The more you tell others about your dreams, the more real they become, and the more likely you are to notice opportunities that will help you fulfill your dreams
Learn to Fly
Remember the rule of the bumblebee. According to the laws of mathematics and aerodynamics, it is physically impossibl for bumblebee to fly. Fortunately, no one ever explained that to a bumblebee. Keep in mind that the most successful business people were frequently told that what they wanted to do was "impossible".
Let Go
In order to follow your calling, there are always necessary sacrifices that must be made. Before you make the move to another job or to starting your own business, spend some time thinking about what are absolute necessities in your life and work. It is essential that you have high earnings, or are willing to earn less money to do work that is more meaningful? It is essential that you have a steady paycheck, or are you excited about the risk and potential in working for a small start-up organization? Is it essential that you work with people,or are content to work alone?
Look In Your Own Backyard
There is an old song that goes, "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with." This can apply to your job too. Many people cannot easily leave their current job. The challenge, then, is how to see your current work as your calling. Once again, the principle of "service" can be very helpful. If you need to stay with your current job, write yourself a brief reminder about how the work you do is of service to others, and keep it somewhere nearby.