he knew was that we wanted to be that vague important sounding word: [be an] “Entrepreneur.”
The writer quotes Jeff Goins, blogger and author of The Art of Work as a source of advice on finding purpose and passion whereby, 3 tactics can be used to identify your calling:
- Listen to your life.
To chart your future, look into your past.
“One of my favorite quotes is from Parker Palmer when he says, ‘Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I need to listen to my life to tell me who I am,” said Goins.
“I don’t believe your past necessarily dictates your future but it should inform it,” said Goins.
- Accidental apprenticeships.
Help and inspiration are always lurking even when we don’t see it.
“Every story of success is a story of community. Some people will help you willingly, while others may contribute to your education on accident. If you are wise, you can use it all,” said Goins. “Even though each of us has a unique journey, it’s full of teachers who can help along the way. Your job is not to seek them out necessarily, but to recognize them when they appear, because oftentimes they’re closer than you think.”
I thoroughly believe this to be true. And at the end/conclusion of my own book-First Things First: Discovering Your Karma Mission and Purpose in Life, I wrote about chance/meeting along the way that inadvertently were instrumental in my purpose finding me (as an example of this tip, here are the scans of the books conclusion-to show you how this works and is true!–click here, here, and here).
Prep for painful practice.
There’s a myth that once you know what it is that you’re supposed to pursue, achieving that purpose will be easy because it plays to your strengths and passion. That’s not the case.
“The paradox is it’s difficult to achieve the level excellence that your calling should merit, but that struggle for mastery is also invigorating and fulfilling. It’s tough and not everybody realizes that until they’re in it,” said Goins.
Just as with professional athletes, musicians or artisans, expect to intentionally hone your craft to the point of exhaustion. Otherwise, mastery will elude you.
“Grinding it out is not fun. Painful practice is not fun, but it’s necessary to both clarify your purpose and achieve it,” said Goins.
The key is finding where your abilities and personal drive intersect the needs of others. According to Goins you can find that juncture by answering the following three questions:
What do I love?
What am I good at?
What does the world need?
Once that sweet spot is identified you won’t have a job or even a career. You’ll have a life purpose.
