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I have never felt that I had a calling,I was always interested in various things,mostly the arts but never felt a strong direction toward one certain thing,unlike people who just know they want to be a violinist their whole life and pursue that,or a sports writer or something.Do you feel you have a calling? Have you pursued it?
Yes and no... I am a fairly talented artist, but my muse is fickle and I don't feel confident about producing enough art to ever make a living at it. The other thing I am good at, which I think I'd like to find a way to parlay into a living if I can... Talking/listening (some kind of counseling or networking thing maybe?) and reading/writing.
Instead, I do accounting, data audits and analysis. Which I can do...it kind of starves my soul...but it pays the bills. I am told I should really finish my accounting degree and make more money, but doing so seems (to me) like committing myself to do something I really don't like, for the rest of my life. Like giving up on my dreams. So with that feeling lodged squarely in my gut, I find it almost impossible to get into my studies and I have dropped out of college twice now.
It's too late for me, but in my early 50's I realized I loved alternative/holistic healing and for the last 25+ yrs have been working in this area for myself and sharing what I've learned. Many listen and many turn off. My calling would have been Naturopath or Integrative MD.
I pushed a lot of papers and worked at jobs that were so unhuman. Worked for a well known exercise fitness person and found that very gratifying. This was only for a couple yrs.
I love sales and sold toyota for a week...hard work and those evenings and weekends....brutal. I could only sell something I'd buy.
Good post and lots of food for thought about what we do for $$$.
No. I never understood that. I define it as basically something you really, really want to do and you're good at it.
My definition is a little more specific. I think a "calling" or a vocation is something larger than yourself that you feel you must contribute to. It could be a religious vocation or devotion to a humanitarian, political, scientific, artistic, or social cause. I have always felt very fortunate to have one even though it can be a harsh taskmaster. It has focused and directed my life and also helped me filter out the less-important emotional "noise" that can be so destructive and disabling. Always felt a little sorry for people who search endlessly for meaning in their lives but never really find one.
I think some people have a strong calling and some people do not. I once read about one of the world's greatest violinists - can't even remember now which one it was. When he was a rather small child he told his parents he wanted a violin. They bought him a toy violin, and he was furious - he wanted a real one and he knew even at that young age what his calling in life was.
I don't feel I truly have a calling. I wished I did. I am envious beyond belief of young people that find their mission in life out at a young age and go for it. Most of my decisions in life were overall pretty good, but I sorta just fell into certain things with timing and whatnot.
About the closest I can come to having a calling is that I have a knack for being funny and making others laugh. I make people laugh frequently, sometimes even not trying to, I'll just make an off the cuff comment or observation and can sometimes draw some pretty honest laughs from that.
I'll go with that being my "calling", there most certainly could be worse ones.
I don't think the older generations HAD callings, they had to work, any kind of work.
Over decades so many self help books have been written etc. and more younger people are finding early on what makes them interested and interesting.
Years back I read a book "Do What you Love And The Money Will Follow" and that book made me make huge changes in my life and I was in my 50's and jumping from job to job...did that for 40 yrs..but never out of work. One outstanding point is Simplifying and with that one thing alone I got rid of all credit cards but one and it's still that way today.
Good to write on paper what you Like To Do. I did that at a point after reading the book.
That book and the Road Less Traveled are my tops..
Not so much a calling as maybe a sadly neglected gift. I'd been told since I was a mid-teen that I had an excellent speaking voice with a knack for talking off the top of my head without notes. I ended up thru my mid-twenties working in anything but using my voice. Then I turned my attention to radio work. More as a whim that happened to be fed by a job offer, and I needed one at that time.
That whim turned into a twenty year career that worked out reasonably well until I left absolutely frustrated by the way radio in general was heading. I had other options, other paths. Still, to this day, every person I meet mentions how good my voice is and why don't I work in broadcasting?
So, a calling? No. A gift that hasn't been used to it's full potential? Most certainly.
Not so much a calling as maybe a sadly neglected gift. I'd been told since I was a mid-teen that I had an excellent speaking voice with a knack for talking off the top of my head without notes. I ended up thru my mid-twenties working in anything but using my voice. Then I turned my attention to radio work. More as a whim that happened to be fed by a job offer, and I needed one at that time.
That whim turned into a twenty year career that worked out reasonably well until I left absolutely frustrated by the way radio in general was heading. I had other options, other paths. Still, to this day, every person I meet mentions how good my voice is and why don't I work in broadcasting?
So, a calling? No. A gift that hasn't been used to it's full potential? Most certainly.
I get all my real news from talk radio and NPR and the great voices....great voices both male female.
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