How would you describe your true calling? Do you even believe there is such a thing?
I don’t necessarily believe that one has a true calling, however, I believe if we can find something to do that we love – in the service of something greater than ourselves – we can find balance.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
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You can visit AP2’s personal blog here at: https://clear-air-turbulence.com
Sadly, all the years (60) I wasted trying to prove my manhood, I found my true calling was building my life as a woman.
I think the fact that you found it is no small thing. I suspect many never do. Or at least many don’t have the courage to go after and admit what they know to be true in their hearts. If your calling is being true to yourself, and if it also encourages others to do the same, I believe that’s extremely commendable. Thank you Cyrsti. I wish you all the best on your continued journey 🙏
I’m certain that as soon as I answer this, I’m going to find that my response was inadequate in some way. Big questions (like this one) are always hard for me. With all that said, here goes. My true calling is trying to regularly express myself in creative ways that have value to me. I also feel a deep need to learn and try to understand as much as I can about this thing called “life.” I also feel something like an obligation which may not be the same thing as a “calling.” I feel obligated to be good and kind and as helpful as I can to as many people as I can. Thanks, AP2, for giving my brain a nice workout this morning.
That’s as good an answer as any I can think of Troy! Expressing yourself in creative ways that have value for you – I love that.
The wording is interesting I think – calling – it implies that something calls to you. That you need to trust your intuition a little bit. I tend to think there is some truth to that. We know if we’re unhappy in a certain job – if it’s not well suited – even if we don’t know what we should be doing instead of. Sometimes you have to trust that gut feeling and take a leap of faith. That said I do think we are the ones that need to make our “dreams” a reality. Even if it “calls” to us, we are the ones that have to go after it and make it happen.
I think a key part of any calling or purpose is serving something bigger than ourselves. Taking the focus off the self and helping other people. I’ve found much more enjoyment from my job since I started thinking about all the passengers and cargo I was flying, as opposed to simply flying an aeroplane.
Thank you for leaving your thoughts Troy 🙏
I think you manage that in a profound way. I know I value our continued interactions, which encourage deeper thought about the ways my interaction with the world and people around me can have impact larger than I believe is possible. “The ripples of a butterfly’s wings on the far side of the world” or something like that?
Having just read Troy’s response I am going to be very dull and ditto it….He has expressed perfectly the way I feel about my life calling. …..Thank you. Janet.
Hi Janet – I’m inclined to agree with Troy about how I feel regarding my calling as well. I suspect he answered it well enough for many of us! Thank you for leaving a comment. 🙏
Thanks for the kind words, janetweightreed10.
My calling happens moment by moment and is fluid and ever changing. This morning I was called here. What a treat! Thanks to you all for sharing. ❤️🥰❤️
I like this. I thought about the same idea. One moment my calling is to write a blog post, the next is to play with my children, then it’s to make the world’s best sandwich 😂
I think if we remain present you’re right – our calling is an ever changing moment to moment thing. I tend to think we were meant for constantly changing horizons and not a single fixed view. I find life is more interesting when you go with the flow. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 🙏
Oh yes! So many fantastic things to enjoy if we stay present and alert! So many surprises hidden in the moment! Not always an easy task when we get to use to being in our heads. When we set goals and try hard to meet them! Yuck! I prefer to visualize my goal, then let it go while I play the day away. Next thing I know, BAM 💥, I’ve met the goal in an “accidental” moment of surprise and delight ! <3
Reblogged this on Love and Love Alone.
I think we all have a calling, but we’re called to do different things at different times. We grow and evolve as we get older and gain more life experience, so I think our callings change as we do.
Absolutely. There is definitely more than one calling/purpose is life. Those callings evolve and change as we do. Well said. Thank you. 🙏
I’ve come to see that we can have more than one mission in our lifetimes!
Years ago I thought that my life mission was to be an artist. Then I started writing about life lessons I had learned and have changed my thoughts on what my mission is!
Nothing is set in stone! We are free to change our minds and our mission, free to develop new ones!
There is no failure in this, just constant change and growth!
Absolutely agree. It evolves and changes and certainly isn’t (or maybe even shouldn’t be) constrained to just one thing. Early on my calling was to fly aeroplanes and travel the world. Then it was overcoming depression and anxiety. After that starting a family. This past year trying to help/inspire others through my writing/creativity. I like that I have different missions in life and not defined by one thing. I also like constantly changing horizons. It makes life more interesting. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 🙏
My pleasure! I think many people get stressed out about the thought that if they haven’t found a large life mission which sounds very important that they’ve somehow failed.
You have pointed out some other very important life missions such as starting a family, overcoming anxiety and depression… in comparison, these may seem small to some, but in fact they are just as monumentous as the others, for they serve an incredible purpose!
I believe we can have a calling that goes beyond passion.
I left a reply to your question in my blog. https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/116545201/posts/3315469857
Thank you for that question. It was a true inspiration and although I am new to blogging, I hope that I will receive many more questions which give me room to think about them and understand myself better at the same time.
Ash Phoenix
http://www.ash-phoenix.com
I believe a calling combines our passion with a greater purpose that benefits others. Good point. I’ll be sure to check out your blog soon. Thank you for leaving your thoughts. 🙏
How would you describe your true calling?
I’m curious about this question. Try new ideas and experiments every day, check if you can go long with any of these ideas.
Let’s flow with our life, it has answers of our questions.
Experimentation is a great point. We need to explore and remain curious. Doing so helps discover what we should be doing more of or less of. Ultimately it will give us a greater sense of what to do with our lives. Thank you for your comment. 🙏
Thanks for sharing your valuable thoughts.
Still haven’t figured it out- I’m leaning towards just being helpful where I can and doing jobs no one else wants to do.
I’m not sure there is anyone thing. I liken career choices to being on a scale of compatibility. There’s no such thing as a perfect job or career for one person but you can, I think, with time and effort that closely aligns with who you are/what you stand for. Thanks Jeff. Wishing you well 🙏
But I’m going to be 62 on 6/2- it not like I have my whole life ahead of me, though I do have the rest.
I wouldn’t say I have a true calling, aside from being happy and enjoying life. What more could I want?
If you’re happy with life then when search for anything else! Well put 🙏
I think we can’t really know our true calling. Only God knows why He has created us and put us in the circumstances we’re in. I also agree with Liz that our calling from our own perspective changes each and every day. We may never find out what we’re really meant to do with our life. Like, I’ve always felt called to be a writer, but other than that, my ideas of a meaningful life have changed a lot over time.
I believe that meaning is meant to be given. We’re the one who gives a job (or anything) it’s meaning or not. I believe having a clearly defined set of values can help us find a job that aligns with what we stand for. Of course this evolves and changes over time as we grow older. To put it another way, we become clearer about what our values are over time. Thanks for lending your thoughts Astrid 🙏
I like your thought that we don’t necessarily have one true calling. Insisting there is only one true calling for each person places inordinate pressure on us to make the right choice, do the right thing. But how do you know? I find as I gain life experience I’m slowly but surely getting to know myself better and better. As I do so, I think I’m more able to identify activities, jobs, purposes, whatever, that suit me (make me happy, satisfy my soul, etc.)
Completely agree. I think the hard belief that there must be a perfect job or career path out there for us immediately makes us feel like there is something very wrong with our lives. It’s not a healthy expectation. Just like any relationship you need to make sure it’s compatible. Just like any healthy relationship it requires effort/struggle to maintain. As we grow older who and what is right for us should become clearer. I think that’s a product of experience as you say more than anything else. Thank you for leaving your thoughts DS 🙏
I don’t believe we have true calling. We don’t have enough time in life to test out everything. At the end of the day, what if there was something we never tried that would have been it?
What we can do though is look for fulfillment in life. What brings us joy? Do we have the courage to step into the unknown, maybe against expectations, and go after it? The only regrets we live with are our own.
I agree – I think it’s a bit like this idea of being a perfect life partner or “the one.” I don’t believe in such a thing either. I believe there are spectrum of different careers and jobs (as there are people) and that some are more compatible and in line with our values than others. The more inline that job can be with our particular values the better. It’s about finding something compatible. That may also change as we evolve throughout our lifetime. Thank you for sharing your thoughts 🙏
I guess everyone does what they do because they find meaning in it. Significance, purpose and value are the driving forces behind one’s interpretation of personal meaning. If I don’t have a sense of meaning I would not even consider getting up from my bed every morning. Some may find meaning in chopping trees to feed their children, while others find meaning in planting trees to save the planet. Sometimes I am aware and sometimes I simply don’t care. I think, in this “true calling” that we are taking about, there is a caller and the one that is being called. I become the caller to experience the calling. I may call it true coz I found meaning in it. Just Thoughts!
I like your thoughts! I tend to think the people who struggle the most are the ones who haven’t found or, more precisely, given meaning to their lives. Thank you for sharing your wisdom 🙏
Yes, one does have a true calling.
I think in the moment we all have a calling. But I believe our bigger calling or life purpose changes and evolves as we do. Thank you for your comment 🙏
In the past three+ years, I’ve been through some things. In the worst of it, I was meeting with a therapist. More recently, I signed up with a career coach. Both are now people I’d call friends, go figure. Point is, they approached my life differently for obvious reasons but both of them asked me to identify my “why”. It is such a straightforward question but so difficult for many of us to answer. My true calling, as it turns out, is to contribute in a meaningful way to society through helping people overcome difficult issues/obstacles. I am also a problem solver – both professionally and personally. But it took a long time to not only discover that but to own it, be proud of it, and be comfortable saying I’m damn good at it. Insightful question – thank you for asking it. -L
Great answer. Thank you for providing it. I believe life experience is key. I suspect that’s why so many of us go through a major career change at some point. We realise we should be on a different path entirely. I often think it comes from taking ownership of our past demons/traumas and then helping people through the same/similar things. Wishing you well L 🙏
true calling…this is actually something which honestly no one believes….maybe there are some who fantasise abt it…knowing the stories of others…
but the real true calling not always have to be a milestone and life changing…
it can be as small as feeding the stray animals n birds…or just listening to music or maybe making one!!
according to me a true calling is simply a question…an urge to prove or do something which is good for u or for others!!..
u dont really need to believe it for experiancing it!!
I think if we’re present we can see what we’re meant to do in a given moment, but I don’t believe in a single true calling for life. I believe we have many different callings as you say. Sometimes that calling is to simply sit and be still. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 🙏
My true calling is to become a cognitive behavioral therapist. I love helping people see joy in everyday life! 😁
I’ve undergone CBT myself. I’m a big fan. It made a big difference. I’m glad to hear you’ve found a purpose you love. 🙏
That’s so amazing, Maggie! I wish you all the best with that. It’s Very beautiful to help others find joy. We need more of that these days 🙂
Thanks for the good question! And I love the different replies here! I believe, we have a calling or purpose in life, however, it is changing during our lives. We turn a different corner and find something new we love doing, so why not engage in it? I don’t restrict myself in that regard. Getting older has it’s advantages, definitely, as we learn more and things fall into place. On the way to my purpose I got in balance with myself the first time:-)
I only found true peace within myself ate in life by becoming a mental health/substance abuse peer advocate, helping others, before I was an insular artist chasing ghosts.
I believe there’s a correlation between ones calling and the difficulties one has been through in life. I believe, if I’m not mistaken, that the 12th and final step in the AA program is to help a recovering addict. It’s considered to be one of the most important. Those who skip this last step – helping someone else as they have been – are much more likely to relapse. Often embracing our demons is the best way to deal with them. Thank you for sharing your thoughts Thomas. I’m pleased to hear you’ve found peace. Not everyone does. Wishing you well 🙏
I am laughing about this question of yours. Not that it is ridiculous, I am laughing while deciding to respond or not to respond. Here´s why:
In the past year or two (time lost its grasp and meaning to me in many aspects 😉 ) I find myself few times a week “waving with my arms and doing silly walks” in the local park or on the beach. And then I look around and see that there are other people doing exactly the same… so, I am not completely “nuts”…
The group is doing the Tai Chi practice, and I do not have an explanation how I got to be there teaching the class. I know I have a smile and feel good, and then we have a cup of tea. Yep, there must be something that called to me to do this 🙂
I haven’t found mine. but am okay with that . I kinda agree with you on this one. If you find something that you are happy doing and it is of service to others and bring you a sense of fulfillment, that’s good enough isn’t it ?
More than good enough. I think that’s the trick. We find peace serving something greater than ourselves. If you happen to love it as well that’s a bonus. I think the idea that we should have one true calling might serve to make people think there’s something wrong with their lives when there isn’t. There is no perfect job in my experience. Just like there is no perfect life partner. However I do believe we can find jobs/partners who are much more compatible than others and that if we aren’t happy, we shouldn’t settle. We should keep looking. Thank you for sharing your thoughts 🙏
True calling is our intuition.. but many a times listening to it goes wrong.. so what do you think shall we follow that true calling?
I agree with you. Often our intuition knows something our rational mind can’t understand and we simply have to have faith. If we’re brave enough to do so, perhaps that’s what it takes to find our true calling in any given moment. Thank you 🙏
There are times I felt intuitions are bubbles, liked your opinion too..
I believe as you get older and have experienced a life in which you have paid attention, you get to a point where you start making decisions that get you closer to your true nature and possibly your calling. I think it’s a very deliberate and conscious decision one has to make though.
I love writing, particularly stories of fiction. Non-fiction stories, and ones based on real life events are great, like many of my little anecdotes on my blog, but mostly my mind leans into thinking up fantastical adventures.
When I write these stories, I wonder if I will ever get around to sharing them in the grand way I want to in my heart: to have these published as books for keen readers to join in the adventure.
Then I realise, I share little snippets and tidbits with people along the way, sometimes in my blog, sometimes in writing groups, sometimes with friends over a cup of coffee, sometimes in comments on other blogs. And I know I am moving in the direction I want to. Slowly but surely I’m getting there.
Thank you for the question, and the encouragement to share, my friend. 🙏
Thanks Hamish. You’re a brilliant writer. Keep at it. I’m sure it will lead you where you want to go – perhaps even somewhere completely unexpected. Keep on keeping on buddy 🙏
To make the world a little more pleasant wherever I go. To ease the suffering of those around me by listening and supporting however I can.
That’s a noble calling indeed. 🙏
I believe that my true calling involves helping other people to live a life filled with love. I believe that God blessed me with the ability to guide others to heal through my caring nature. This is something I have found out recently and I am still trying to make sense of it. I also know that creativity is a gift that I have been given and I am trying to gain confidence to use it. For now, my blog is my main creative outlet! Please feel free to check it out! I post lifestyle and wellness content 🙂 vitamincgreentea.com
In my personal opinion I think there is a true calling for people. I’m just not sure that everyone is in tune with this and has the means to make it happen. Knowing what you’re supposed to be doing and actually doing it are two completely different things.
For an example, I am certain that working an 8-4 mediocre job that I don’t even love is not my calling. But, in today’s society a lot of people don’t have the means to live out to their “calling.” Most people just go through the necessary motions to get by.