To find a calling is to find something that drives you. It’s something that you’re captivated by and something that motivates you. Unfortunately, there’s an ideology in the Western world that to have found your purpose in life means you’re always happy, raking in money, and changing the world. Not! Another idea that exists is everyone has some true purpose in life that they must find to work at it all their life. That’s simply untrue.
You can find your calling in just about anything in life. It doesn’t have to make you loads of money, and it definitely won’t make all your dreams come true. However, it will bring you immense joy, and you’ll be rewarded with a life of passion. As a co-creator, that is part of this life experience. You get to create and experience and find what speaks to your soul if that is your intention. The following five indicators can help you know if you’ve found your calling.
You’re Hungry for More
When you’re passionate about something, you want to learn all you can about it. Whether you’re playing a new sport, learning a language, or a new job, you’ll dive into it if you have a true passion for it. You’ll be ready for hard work and challenges because you’re in love with it. You wake up and think about it, and you go to sleep thinking about it.
If you think you’ve found your calling, ask yourself if you always want more of it. Are you using your free time to learn more about it? Do you look for opportunities for more exposure? If you answer yes to these questions, I think you’ve found a winner!
And if it lights the fire of pursuit up within you, then follow it. Don’t let anyone talk you out of something because they can’t understand it or wonder why you enjoy it or believe it’s a bad business idea to pursue. Do what feels right for you.
You Always Want to Talk About It
There’s a theme that sticks with one’s calling—borderline obsession. You’ll know that you’ve found your calling when it’s always on your mind. Whether this calling is your full-time job or a hobby, you’ll have it stuck in your head after you’re done doing whatever it is.
When you eat dinner with your family, friends, or partner, you’ll want to talk about your calling. You’ll begin to meet friends who are also involved in the same calling, and you’ll always be talking about it. It’s something that never gets old to you.
Failure Doesn’t Distract You
Life is full of challenges and failures. As humans, we’re used to overcoming challenges. That doesn’t mean that failure can’t put us off. However, when you’re really passionate about something or obsessed with it, failures aren’t discouraging. Instead, failures will motivate you.
You take failure as an opportunity for growth and learning. When you fail, you know that you can do something different the next time and succeed. If you’re involved in something you experience failures in, but you persevere out of sheer desire, you have likely found your calling.
You’re Happier (PAY ATTENTION TO THIS!!)
If you’ve found something that brings meaning to your life, you may have found your calling. It doesn’t have to be a career to chase—although it may turn into it—nor does it need to be something glamorous. Trust me, I know this from personal experience.
You could have found your calling working in a machine shop, volunteering in an inner-city school, building your sustainable farm, or writing poetry from your bedroom. A calling is something that you’re proud of. You derive immense pleasure from, no matter the circumstances.
You don’t find happiness from other people’s perception of your calling, but rather, you’re happy when you’re involved in it. When you’ve found your true calling, you’ll be happier each day as you wake up knowing you have something you love waiting for you.
Things Seem to Fall into Place
If you’re deeply involved in your calling, things often seem to fall into place. This can happen in all sorts of ways. Maybe you meet a publisher who wants to help you publish your latest novel, or you find a great deal on a solar panel system for your sustainable living setup.
When you stick with something for long enough, you meet people who are also associated with your calling. Similarly, you find yourself in the right places where opportunities are likelier to arise. Or shall I say, you begin to attract and manifest what is aligned with you, your needs, and desires.
While this may seem mystical and a sign from the stars, these beneficial events are caused because you’ve found your calling—because you’ve spent time with your passion, fostering your skills, growing your network, and learning more about your calling. The other aspect of this is the positive energy that is culminated from you simply doing what you love.
It’s important to know that every person is unique. One person may find their calling in journalism and another in chemistry. Alternatively, another person may find their calling in construction. Your calling doesn’t need to be some gift from the heavens that you turn into a six-figure paying career.
If you’ve found your calling, you’re happy simply by being with it and doing whatever that is. It’s not your calling just because it can make you money.
