I believe everyone has a calling or purpose for being here.
We may have multiple callings over the span of a lifetime and most of us feel restless and unfulfilled if we are not doing them. I have especially witnessed that as we reach our 40’s and 50’s it seems to become increasingly uncomfortable if we are not living our life in alignment with our deeper purpose. It is as if, on some level, we know we are running out of time to do what we came here to do.
A calling isn’t necessarily a job or career, although it may take that form. From what I can see, a calling is a deep yearning of our soul to express our gifts and talents and to be of some kind of service to others.
It is the rare person who knows at a young age that they are meant for a certain calling, yet I have heard some say, “I knew as a kid I was supposed to be a teacher, a doctor, a writer,” etc.
I am currently reading the popular book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and the author of that book describes how she was obsessed with tidying up her family’s home as a very young child. She would buy housekeeping magazines and search for the tips on organizing and decluttering as a young schoolgirl and has now created a flourishing career in Japan as the leading expert in her field.
She’s one of the lucky ones. Most of us muddle through life doing what is expected and required of us and are fortunate if we end up expressing our true talents and gifts. Our school system, socialization and parents, as well meaning as they may be, often steer us away from what lies in our hearts and teach us to listen to rational thinking and logic which rarely lead us to our true calling.
The answers to life’s biggest questions do not come from our rational minds.
I have been a participant this year in a program called Your Year of Miracles led by NY Times best-selling author Marci Shimoff and success expert Debra Poneman. The program has had some of the most notable inspirational teachers, thought leaders and authors as weekly guest speakers and we have been taught some of the best tools available for making life changes.