Some people wake up one day with a fire in their belly, and they instantly know what they want to do with their life (half their luck!).
It wasn’t like that for me; it was a much more gradual process. But in hindsight, the clues to my calling were always there – and yours will be too!
So put on your detective’s hat, and get ready to track down your own missing destiny, with these five clues to your calling.
1 – Childhood clues
Think back to when you were a child. What did you want to be when you grew up? My dreams included becoming a fashion designer, librarian or writer … and here I am today, making my living as a Virtual Assistant specialising in writing and editing services!
Children believe anything is possible! They haven’t yet had somebody squash their dreams with comments like, “Don’t be a writer. You’ll never make any money, it’s too hard to hit the big time.”
I found my first penpal (of dozens!) at 10. I submitted my first story to a magazine at 12. The clues were there from an early age!
Closely related to your childhood clues is (excuse the pun!):
2 – Your family
Reflecting on various members of your family or family history may also reveal some important clues. Are there any abilities or talents that run clearly throughout the family line?
My mother enjoyed writing. My Dad loves yachting and boats. My grandmother enjoyed sewing, crocheting, knitting and making things. Needless to say, I took after my mother ;-).
3 – Your personality profile
The third clue to your calling is to discover your personality type. Of course we are all made unique, so nobody will ever slot exactly into a particular “box” or “category”. But these tools are still useful in helping us to understand our thoughts, feelings, motivations, reactions and relationships with others.
There are several psychological or personality tests that can help you in analysing your strengths and weaknesses. A quick scout of the internet will turn up various tests or quizzes, such as the one by Myers-Briggs, or Hershey Blanchard.
If you are an introvert, for example, you will probably prefer working behind the scenes: think artists, musicians, carpenters; while extroverts enjoy working with people and are often in people oriented positions – like a nurse, teacher, or salesperson.
4 – Your passions are pointers
What would you do for love alone? For me, it’s writing. I’ve been writing without pay for years. It’s only now that I’ve been able to turn it into a fulltime job!
Often, your passions are borne out of your life experiences – and may even grow out of your deepest hurt. Turn your misery into your ministry – your pain into your passion – your mess into your message!
5 – Be guided by your gifts and talents
Your gifts and talents will help you to express your passion. Let’s say you really want to help out homeless people or the needy. That’s your passion. You just happen to be great at knitting, so you then use that gift to make and donate blankets or toys to a charity for the homeless.
So what gifts and skills do you have? Everybody is good at something!
It took me 30 years to realise I had a gift for writing. It came so easily to me – that I didn’t realise it was a GIFT! What comes easily to you?!
The great thing is, once you’ve found your purpose in life, it can continually develop and grow into something new and surprising! I certainly never dreamed that I would be running the blog (and the business!) that I am today …
Do you have any idea what your calling might be?
Linking up with Essentially Jess because I Blog On Tuesdays (all the best bloggers do!)