Comments on: The Myth of Discovering Your One True Calling

By: Tony

Tony — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:47:42 +0000

Oh boy, where to start. I think you do make some valid points, and I also align to a certain extent with the comments made by Tom Volkar. There seems to be these two camps: one where you need to work at what you love, and the other which asserts that you can learn to love pretty much any kind of work (you just need to develop yourself). I am mostly in the first camp, but have a foot in the second. Let me explain. First, I have seen many people miserable in certain careers, but when they switched to something they enjoyed a lot more it completely changed them and their lives for the better. I could give you a list of hundreds that I know off, but there are probably 100s of thousands, if not millions, of people who have successfully pulled this off. Michelle Paver, a stressed out lawyer, now a successful author. Turning to her love of writing saved her from a nervous breakdown. Barry Eisler, former lawyer and CIA agent, now a hugely successful author with one film and many books to his name, Tim Brownson, life coach, former sales executive who was so burnt out from stress that he sought out a stress management course and ended up a successful life coach who loves his new life. I could go on and on and on. It is possible to find a happier life, by finding work you love, your true calling if you will, although there might be many of them that would potentially suit. However, I still have a foot in the other camp because I know from experience that finding that “true calling”, or work you love, is not an easy road, and as Tom points out, most decent coaches never claim it’s an easy thing to pull off, it ain’t. Maybe the answer is to work on both approaches, and see which one delivers happiness for you.

By: Morton

Morton — Thu, 27 May 2010 00:58:51 +0000

I absolutely agree that in order to be happy in your work or your current job,you need to be really clear about your core self and how that’s expressed at work–or whether you can even express it at work. It isn’t just about what you’re good at or what makes your heart sing, it also means being crystal clear about your values and the kind of environment and structure that works best for you, etc. I’m increasingly beginning to think that a major key to feeling that you are doing meaningful work is to make sure that there is a good fit between your values and temperament or work style and those of your employer.
+1

By: Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy

Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:47:32 +0000

Hi Laura Lee, Sounds like a great book. We think we should be in a different place in our lives, until our current state is changed. Then we realize how good we had it. We need to be aware of how good we have it on a daily basis. There are many ways to enjoy our careers and if we aren’t aware of this we are blind many facets of our happiness.

By: Laura Lee

Laura Lee — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:09:01 +0000

You should read Alain de Botton’s The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. He interviewed a career counselor who observed “the most common and unhelpful illusion plaguing those who came to see him was the idea that they ought somehow, in the normal course of events, to have intuited– long before they had finished their degrees, started families, bought houses and risen to the top of law firms– what they should properly be doing with their lives. They were informed by a residual notion of having through some error or stupidity on their part missed out on their true ‘calling.’”

By: Karl Staib - CZO (Chief Zen Officer)

Karl Staib - CZO (Chief Zen Officer) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:22:47 +0000

Hi Evelyn, Planning then testing these plans is key to creating work that we love. I think fear plays a big role, people are afraid to be judged. We need to let go of this fear and allow our natural expressions to lead our actions.

By: Karl Staib - CZO (Chief Zen Officer)

Karl Staib - CZO (Chief Zen Officer) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:20:39 +0000

Hi Nadia, We have so many gifts. There is no reason to get too caught up in that one thing. We need to “flow like water” I think that’s a Zen Proverb. When we stop being a big bully to ourselves, we can naturally do work that makes us feel good as well as deliver value that knocks people’s socks off.

I also agree with you. We need to do work that connects with our values. When we do work that we love to do we are playing, not just working.

By: Evelyn Lim

Evelyn Lim — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 06:25:46 +0000

I enjoyed this post very much. You have brought up a number of great points. I would certainly find life boring if I am only doing one thing alone. In creating the work I do now, I realize that each part is an expression of who I am.

I also think that it works both ways – finding peace and happiness in the jobs we are already in; and also, creating work that we love (which means that we may have to quit something that no longer fulfills us). There is a need to distinguish what are the root issues that are causing unhappiness.

Like you, I don’t believe in being irresponsible. There are bills to pay. But we should start planning or taking small steps towards building a life of our own design.

By: Nadia - Happy Lotus

Nadia - Happy Lotus — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:18:12 +0000

Hi Karl,

How in the world do people think that there is one true calling? I ask this in seriousness because it is fascinating to me that people think that their calling is one thing. It is like saying you can only like one type of food. So if you could explain to me why people think it is one thing, I would really appreciate it.

Your point about how our perception of the work affects the work is true. However, I have to tell you, I am a big believer in having a career that you love. And if you feel that the job does not fulfill you, then it is time to leave. In my case, I grew up in a house where one parent lived their passion and so I have seen it in action. I am now living it too. It took years to get to this point but it was worth it.

So yes, our perceptions do matter and sometimes we need to expand our wings and find something that speaks to us on a deeper level. You get out of life as much as you put into it.

By: Karl Staib - CZO (Chief Zen Officer)

Karl Staib - CZO (Chief Zen Officer) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:58:00 +0000

Hi Lance, That’s the beauty of a diverse career. The directions are limitless. It’s these experiences that will feed our soul and increase our motivation.

By: Karl Staib - CZO (Chief Zen Officer)

Karl Staib - CZO (Chief Zen Officer) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:56:28 +0000

Hi Evita, Thank you, I’m glad you liked it so much. I started smiling after your first sentence and it only got bigger as I read the rest. This is the core of how I think and you are right, it should go in the best of WHN.