What's Calling You?

Do you have a picture or card that you've carried around with you for years because of the meaning it carries for you? You may have taped or pinned it up in different locations even though it's creased or stained with coffee.

I got rid of a heckuva lot of possessions before moving across the United States, but I kept this:

Some people call it vocation, others your life's purpose. Whatever it's called, a thread runs through your career -- in both the positive experiences and the challenging ones. Where are you called to contribute your best skills and talents? Here are some things I've noticed about exploring our calling:

• Over the course of our careers we choose different vehicles to express our calling. Our calling needs to align with the purpose or mission of the organization where we work or it's not a good fit for us.
• Our calling does not follow a straight path. I recently was talking to a new client who was airline pilot before now being a financial planner. Previous experiences may seem unrelated, but they're tied together through that calling. Maybe you've heard that an airplanes are off course 90% of the time, but they arrive at their destination. There is a theme, a purpose, pulling you forward. For this client the theme was independence: controlling your own outcomes. To an outsider, it might look like a career path is all over the map, but generally that's not the case. It's all course correction, minute by minute. 
• Our most painful experiences develop our life's purpose just as much as positive ones. They develop compassion, humility, commitment and character. My worst boss taught me how not be a boss. A former client told me that even though her parents taught her how not to be parents, that experience will help her be a better mother.
• Experiential learning is the hardest. The good news is you'll never forget it. It will help you stay strong when you may want to choose the easier path. You'll be aware of the consequences or the impact on yourself or others in a way that will help you stay committed to who you say you are.
• Our life's purpose is constantly unfolding. We never get there. It's a question that pulls you forward, not a destination. 

No matter where you are or what challenges are in front of you, consider this inquiry into your life's purpose. It's a question that never gets old, and a quote that can never have too many pin holes or coffee stains on it.

If you'd like to talk with me about your calling and your fulfillment in your career, please schedule some time here.

To your success,

Kerry