Is it true that most people know their “calling?”
Peter Drucker spent most of the last 10 years of his life working with non-profits, much of that with mega church leaders.
In the new book Drucker & Me, here’s what he told his friend Bob Bufford about “calling.”
“I am convinced that many, if not most, serious believers at some level understand what their calling is, but that understanding may be buried under years of busyness and distraction. Yet, that suppressed sense of calling stays with them for years.”
As a life coach I’ve have talked to lots of you who want your lives to count but are afraid that acting on your calling would mean being irresponsible as a provider for your family. I have spent most of the last 20 years as a coach encouraging people to act on that gentle nudge toward doing what seems “impossible.” I have seen that simple encouragement unleash positive energy, lift discouraged spirits, and uncover resources that make the challenging seem possible after all.
Here is the essence of my “calling” and my business Value Proposition:
I help high potential individuals
Understand and apply their unique and most powerful talents and passions
So they can make a larger impact, leave a legacy and thrive financially.
Have you had a pretty clear sense all along about your calling? Is that calling blocked behind feeling trapped in the realities of life? Are you doing what you were put on earth to accomplish? What would it take to release you to fully live in that calling?
Here’s my 48-minute audio on “Is Your Job Your Calling?”
Calling is nuanced and can feel soft … yet it’s a powerful current in our lives which won’t be denied. I think everyone can relate to Drucker’s perspective of a sense of calling being suppressed and buried. Sad. And painful. My sense of calling has been progressively understood over time, and I’m sure it will continue. Acting on our sense of calling is probably the most powerful thing we can do. I’m sure I need to paint with some bolder strokes! Thanks for the encouragement.
Gary Barkalow:
“Perhaps the increased understanding we desire about our life and calling can only be found in it’s offering (“activities”). Perhaps we are stuck, not for a lack of understanding, but for lack of initiated movement. Perhaps instruction will come as we create motion, as with a CD of beautiful music that cannot be heard or perceived until it begins to spin.”
Brian — I love your first sentence – so true. Thanks for your insights and comments.
Dan — You stated that you “help high potential individuals”
which I am not ( yet or at this time ). I am, as our search consultant, Philip Thompson points out, in the middle mngt. or subordinate staff (i.e., “non-elite” ) category and who he states rarely “can succinctly articulate their primary motivational driver(s).” (???). Do you agree with this? or do you feel it is possible to help people from all levels and all walks of life with their “calling”. If you say yes, great and maybe your products and programs hold something for me.
If you say, “no” – Well then, I would have to seriously question why I continue to receive your newsletters or visit your site.
If that is true then that means if I listen hard enough, long enough, and work to be authentic then I have a chance to understand my calling. But I find it extremely difficult to understand what it is. I love your wording of your calling, it’s so powerful and inspiring for self and others.
I think the comment from Drucker is true related to high potential – high impact leaders. Likely the awareness of their “calling” is a significant reason they have been able to focus their life and become high achievers. I don’t think the statement is as true for middle management or subordinate staff.
As a search consultant trained in the utilization of motivational assessment (SIMA) it is rare to encounter mid level (or below) leaders who can succinctly articulate their primary motivational driver(s).
I don’t think I’d agree that *most* people know their calling. I’d say that SOME people know it, and a small percentage of them find a way to achieve it. The rest of those who DO know it may have suppressed it to concentrate on providing for their family as they feel necessary. Unfortunately, the majority of us have NO idea what their calling might be, and simply plod along doing whatever makes enough money to pay the bills. Jeez, I’m 51, and I still don’t know what I want to be ‘when I grow up’… I’m a musician(bass player who also can play guitar, keys, and drums), so my thoughts keep drifting back to that. But music is a tough business to make a living in. I would appreciate ANY insight on how to resolve that dichotomy.
It breaks my heart to see the realities of life numb people to their true calling. I think it requires us to peel back the layers of “life happens” to rediscover what’s been there all along. We are quick to assume that what we are called to do will not create the income we need to provide for our families – but I believe that if we are creative we can find solutions that most people miss. David Foster said he wasn’t quite good enough to be a professional musician so he starting helping those who were good be great. That slight redirection has worked pretty well for him.
Dan, you gave me permission to listen to my heart and pursue my calling! And I am forever thankful.
Debbie – what an affirming thing for me to hear today. Thanks so much. And I’ve loved watching you listen to your heart these last couple of years.