Finding Your Calling ~ Final Chapter

Are you ready to put action into finding your calling?  This is the final overview in the series - Finding Your Calling.

This may challenge your beliefs but in actuality, finding your calling is not necessarily difficult, however, it will take a lot of persistence and determination.  Those two items do take energy and focus and maybe for some, that is hard.  But finding your purpose is a journey.  It is a process.  Not a one or two day event.

In the beginning of this series, I shared with you that it will take searching.  Remember, this is critical.  Anytime we want to achieve something, it takes an internal desire.  There needs to be a strong desire because that is what will fuel you through the highs and lows.

Keep in mind that not all of us are called to a specific industry, place or business.  In recent conversations, a gentleman told me he gets the greatest joy from helping senior citizens and is looking into moving to Arizona to serve them.  For him, it did not matter where he was, only that it involves that demographic of people. A long time friend shared that he obtains a lot of satisfaction from working on cars and trucks.  New or older, it did not matter.

Ancient scripture tells us there is a time and a place for everything under the sun.  Without even reading any further, this means each of us have and go through seasons.  Seasons are determined by our choices.  That means as we grow, as we find, and as we search, we make choices based on our thinking, what we believe and where we’re at mentally and emotionally in our life.

Regardless of what season you are going through today, you can still choose to search.  Every time we stretch our neck out and look for those things we have no answers to, we grow as a person.  We learn more about ourselves.  At the same time, we are becoming someone of higher awareness. Becoming is the essence of life.  We don't just one day turn into a business man or business woman.  We become a businessman or businesswoman.

It took me 15 years to find my purpose.  How long will it take you?  God only knows.  But I can promise you that if you will get serious about searching, you will find.  Finding your calling is not a mystery, it is a process, mostly through trial and error.  But don't count the errors as negatives; they are part of the price you must pay to find what you are looking for.

A level of peace, satisfaction and clarity awaits you when you do find it.  I can only say this because I have lived it.  There is tranquility in the finding, especially after paying the price over a lengthy time.

When you find it, you will never have to work another day in your life.  Everything you do is not work, but rather exhilarating.  It fuels you, drives you and leaves you with more energy at the end of the day than when you started.  Ask any person who has found their purpose and is now living it.  They can concur.

What are you going to do to further your search?  It's time to step up to the plate and put action into your plan.  No one else can or will do it for you.  Years from now, you will look back at today and either wished you had...or be glad you did.  It's your choice. 

Make that call to a coach or someone who can help you.  Seek out a mentor, read a book or two, counsel with those who have already found their calling.  Take your list (you did make one right?) and keep it in front of you.  Read it allowed often.  It will be a powerful tool as you search.

By reading this series, you have stepped up to the plate.  Are you going to get in the game by swinging at the ball or go back and sit on the bench?

Have a great weekend everyone, be blessed.

Finding Your Calling ~ Part 5

A relationship can hold the most value in your search for your calling, but what kind of relationship?

This week is part 5, Finding Your Calling.
 
Books, meetings, church...even your spouse, are valuable for you to find your calling.  But a relationship with the right person, at the right time is invaluable.  Ever heard the old phrase, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear?  
 
There is magic to be found in the pursuit of something.  That is, genuinely searching for answers produces the magic.  The world has a way of holding onto answers until a person is truly ready.
 
There are people everywhere who want answers.  The problem is, they are willing to do little, if anything, to get them.  This includes seeking a meaningful relationship with a person who can effectively mentor and coach them.  Why on earth would someone invest time and even pay someone whom they have never met or known very well?  Because they have invaluable information you do not have and they did not get it by luck or chance, but by pursuit.
 
The answers to what you are seeking are not mysteries.  They do however tend to be clothed in camouflage.  Answers do not appear for everyone.  I have read that answers are reserved for those who have to know, not merely want to know.  
 
Coaches and mentors have been a part of my life for many years, even back to a time when I didn't know that's what they were.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have a dad or a mom who made a good coach.  Other people stepped up to help guide me when I needed it.  In my twenties, I realized just how much of an asset they were.  John Maxwell says:  “What you learn is important but who you learn it from is even more important.”
 
The key is to find one who you trust and feel in-sync with.  My friend Tammi Brannan created the Instinctive Life several years ago.  Her site, http://www.instinctivelife.com/  is dedicated to help people see their natural instinctive abilities, traits, thoughts and likes, then set them on a course in that direction.
 
Author Lori Chance coaches those who want to write their first book.  http://www.authorshipforexperts.com/home/.  There can be many landmines and pitfalls in writing your first book and taking on the task alone could prove to be overwhelming.  Irregardless, both of these ladies have a tremendous amount of value to offer when it comes to finding some of life’s answers.  The insight, wisdom and knowledge of having a coach is a great way to find the answers you are searching for.
 
I once heard Dr. Mike Murdock share that everything you are wanting is only a relationship away. The right person in the right season of your life can help advance you further than you could ever dream possible.  I can say this because I have experienced it.
 
Next week, we will do an overview on the topic of finding your calling.  Until then, write down what actions you are going to take to move forward with finding your calling.  We will touch base on those then.
 
Have a great Memorial Weekend everyone, be blessed.    
 

Finding Your Calling ~ Part 4

People come in and out of your life for certain reasons.  Do you know why?

This week is part 4, Finding Your Calling.

It has been said that coincidences are when God wants to remain anonymous.  In my own life, many people have come and gone over the years.  At the time it was a mystery as to why this would happen.  Looking back it is pretty clear. 

Each person who came into my life brought with them (besides their kindness, love and friendship) a uniqueness and qualities I needed.  Your life is the same way. If you’re open to see it, you will.  If you can't, it could mean you've never looked at it that way. 
 

When people come into your life, they bring with them answers.  Those answers are found through the relationship you have with them.  Looking even deeper, all that you seek can be found through relationships with the right people.  Answers are not found in things, they are found in people.

Yes, you can learn a lot through books, on line courses and audio / video tutorials, I sure did.  But relationships were at the core of every corner turned and ah ha moment I ever had. 
 
Who is in your life today that could have answers to what you’re looking for?  Maybe it is a co-worker, a boss, a new friend whom you met recently.  Wealth, health, influence, mentors and knowledge are not far away, they are more then likely a relationship away.
 
Like attracts like.  That's the way our world works.  Those who like to go fishing, hang out with other fisherman.  Those who like to give back, invest time with others who also give.  When we go into search mode, we also tend to attract others who are searching. 

This means we can learn from those relationships.  Both can bring value to the other.  Even if it is learning what we don’t want in a relationship, there is value in that.
 
Right now, there is someone or maybe even a few someone's who can help you find the answers to what you are seeking.  You don't necessarily need to go looking.  Chances are, they are in or around your life right now, you just don't know it.
 
Today, observe who is in your life that you may be able to sit with and question.  Our society is filled with people who don't care to listen, but only want to talk.  Imagine what clues you could hear if you focused on listening more and talking less.  What keys might your friends tell you that previously, you had not known?
 
Lastly, start asking questions.  Then listen with expectation.  Not for what you want to hear, but what is really being said.  There are clues all around you to what you’re passionate about.  Ask first, listen second. 

Next week, we will take a deeper look into resources you may not be aware of that can help you find your calling.
 
Have a great weekend everybody, be blessed.

Finding Your Calling ~ Part 3

What is it that makes you become angry or keeps you awake at night?  Maybe this is what you were meant to fix or cure.

This is week three: Finding Your Calling.

Oftentimes, the reason we can't seem to find our purpose or passion is because we are not at a high enough level of awareness.  That is, do you pay attention to what you think about when your mind drifts, do you notice how certain things make you feel?

Increasing your awareness is as easy as recognizing how you feel after eating or drinking. Paying attention to you as opposed to just going through life is awareness and it is a great tool in helping you realize what your calling is.

 Chances are, at sometime during your life, you have been through a life-changing event.  It may have been substantial or it may have been only minor. But looking back, it weighs on your heart.

It made you feel a certain way which you have never been able to explain.  You just knew that you knew.  It triggered something inside that you've never forgotten.  This is likely a clue to your calling.

What have you seen happen that got under your skin and you couldn’t stop thinking about it?  Is there a person associated with this?  Anytime you are called to something, for a purpose, there will be some sort of adversary you must face.  

Doctor’s battle sickness, mechanics fix broken cars, attorneys fight for their clients legally.  Even Superman had enemies.  Without rivalries, there would be no need for someone to step up to the plate.  This has been happening before man even came on the scene!

But not everyone is called to a life of facing their adversaries.  Does that mean their life is any less important?  Absolutely not.  In our society, we need technicians, craftsman, laborers and those with outstanding people skills.  Without them, our cities, malls and roads would be nothing.  Can you imagine what our infrastructure would look like without these skilled folks?  They are critical to our society!

What I have found, is that people go on a search for something greater because they are neither satisfied nor fulfilled where they're at.  Some currently love what they do. It does not matter what it is, it only matters that it is.  God has given you strengths, abilities and gifts which He has not bestowed on others.  They are meant for you to use.  Not using them is to waste what you have been given.

I want you to make a list.  On the left side of your paper, list your strengths.  On the right side, list those activities you enjoy.  At the bottom of the page, list the things that are difficult for you to tolerate.  Things that get under your skin, maybe even make you mad!

If you find it difficult to make out this list, take some extra time and put some thought into it. These three columns hold within them valuable keys to helping you find you’re calling.  Like any list, being written holds power in it.  Do not think a mental list is good enough, it's not!

Next week, we will look into the who it is that can help you find your calling.

Have a great week everyone, be blessed.

Finding Your Calling ~ Part 2

If you search, you will find.  This is what ancient scriptures tell us.  If you want to find your purpose in life, it will take commitment and persistence.  Are you willing to do what it takes?  This week is part 2 Finding Your Calling.

There are many keys which can help guide us in looking for our purpose.  They are not often mentioned, many don't even realize there are hidden keys all around us.  More important is the mindset you hold when understanding these keys.

 Your mind is like a parachute, it works best when it is open.  Is yours open?  I can give you clues to assist you in finding what you want to do with your life but unless you’re open to examining yourself and getting out of your comfort zone, what is shared with you will fall on deaf ears.  So for a moment, set aside your preconceived notions, and take in the following ideas:

 Ask these questions:  What do you spend a lot of your free time thinking about?  Is it a person, a place, is it an idea?  When this comes to mind, how does it make you feel?  Do you feel happy, excited, sad or does it promote fear within you?  Most people are not aware of what they randomly think about.  If this is you, pay attention to your thoughts and where they go.

 As a general rule, the very thing you were created for is also something that ignites a fire inside you.  That fire could be anger, happiness or even compassion.  Chances are, you will feel passionate about it on several different levels.  As an example, when I hear about a dysfunctional family where there is verbally / emotional abuse or neglect, a fire stirs up inside me.  This is because my calling is to help people live with healthy attitudes, thoughts and beliefs.  I know from experience dysfunctional families do not hold the same traits that I value.

Whose tears affect you the most?  When you see someone in pain, or someone mourning, does grief stir you?  Many times I have heard that people often start a business or offer a service simply because they had a bad experience in that particular area.  Use your past experiences, both good and bad, to help guide you in what you are passionate about.

 Lastly:  Chances are, your calling will include a person or a group of people.  Your service and passion is needed to some, yet not everyone.  Even Microsoft does not have a PC in every home.  You cannot be all things to all people, nor should you try.  But to some, you will mean a great deal.  Who are those folks for whom you have a great deal of compassion?

 As you answer these questions, I encourage you to write them down.  Then study them.  Invest time thinking about your answers.  Next week we will cover several more hidden keys to help you find your purpose.

Have a great weekend everyone, be blessed.