5 Ways to Follow Your Calling

Researchers write that, when it comes to how people look at their work, there are three kinds of people:

1. Those who see their work as a “job,” with its main purpose being to provide a living
2. Those who see their work as a “career,” with the main purpose of advancement upward on a path.
3. Those who see their work as a “calling,” with the higher purpose of contributing to a larger good and for the intrinsic benefit and experience of the work itself. 

Which do you think is the most fulfilling and adds to happiness? Obviously, a sense of calling, where your activities have meaning and intrinsic value and bring enjoyment. When your activities create a sense of flow, the happiness factor goes even higher. Just think about how fulfilling it is to do activities that are in your areas of strength and are intrinsically and extrinsically rewarding. But all of that brings up a question: Where does this sense of calling come from?

Knowing Who You Are as a Person

First and foremost, your sense of calling comes from who you are as a person. If you are the kind of person who is motivated by transcendent values and care more about the real things in life, as opposed to the things that do not last, you are more likely to see whatever you do, vocationally or avocationally, as having value beyond its just being a “job.” It will be about service in some way, because that is who you are as a person.

Realizing Your Talents Are a Gift from God

Your sense of calling also comes from realizing that your life and your talents are gifts from God.

It comes from an understanding that he has given you gifts to enjoy and be fulfilled by, but also to use those gifts to serve humanity and God’s purposes. Here is one of the ways he says it:

He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to

join him in the work he does,

the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, 

work we had better be doing.

If you look at your abilities only in terms of what kind of paycheck they can get you or how they can advance you “up the ladder,” then not only are you not going to be fulfilled, but you are missing the essence of the story of creation. God created all of us, not just those in “ministry,” to do his work on the planet. Every time I hear people say to ministers something “doing the Lord’s work,” I cringe a bit. I totally respect people who serve in full-time ministry, and certainly they sacrifice much for what they do–and we all benefit. But the truth is: everyone should see him or herself as being “in the Lord’s work.”

God put people on the earth and gave them gifts. Gifts to build houses for his children to live in. Gifts to grow crops for us to eat, and gifts to create trucking businesses to drive those vegetables to the grocery store for us to buy. And gifts to make grocery stores function so we can have a place to go buy food. Not to mention the roads it takes to get there, the cars we have to ride in, and the trainer who taught the checkout person how to scan your purchases and receive your payment, and the banker who will handle the transaction from your credit card to pay the grocer. And don’t forget the gifts it takes to be a banker or to make the light bulbs in the banker’s office so she can keep track of all that money. What about the police who keep your money safe and keep you safe when you go to the ATM to get some of it? Certainly they are protecting God’s children. I could go on, but you get the picture. We are all on a mission to make the world work and be a place where people live, thrive, and love.

When we realize that we are working for God, every task becomes significant and meaningful. We are stewards over his gifts, and we each have a calling.

Having a View Toward the People on the Other End

Third, our sense of calling comes from understanding what we do is all about the people on the receiving end. We are all in the service business, no matter what we are doing.

During the Wall Street meltdown of 2008-09, I worked with a lot of people from several companies in banking, insurance, real estate and financial services. I felt compassion for anyone whose business it was to look out for other people’s money, as everyone’s investments were taking a beating.

I talked to thousands of people in that industry, and hearing their feedback, I heard one theme over and over. The ones who were doing well and thriving saw what they did as a mission and a service to their clients, rather than just being in the “market” or the investment industry. The ones who in the darkest days found meaning and motivation were the ones who saw themselves in the trenches with individuals and families who were worried about their retirement, their kids’ college educations, their homes, or just their ability to pay the bills next month. Beyond simply being CPAs, or investment advisors, they saw themselves as counselors and social workers. They were in it to help their clients, help them weather the downturn, and stay afloat, offering them support, hope, and courage. In that kind of work, even if their own portfolios and income were way down, they found meaning and happiness. One of them said to me, “Every day, my work has meaning. I know I am making a difference in people’s lives.” TO me, that is doing the Lord’s work. That is a calling, even if you are selling stocks or managing IRAs or investment properties.

Owning the Gifts God Has Given You

Fourth, your sense of calling has to do with seeing the world as a place where God has given everyone talents and owning the ones he gave you. If you believe–like the Bible says and like the research reveals–that every person has talents and a set of strengths, then you are careful to find out what yours are and put them to use. If you think that you have God given talents to do certain things, then life is about finding those passions and gifts and investing them in real ways to produce real fruit.

Once you find out what you are really good at, all of life changes as you come alive and get energized about using your talents and abilities.

Using Your Gifts in Service to Others

When we are talking about a calling, it is important to realize that our calling is more than what we do for a living. OUr calling has to do with using our gifts and passions to do good. That may mean as a professional, or it may mean as a volunteer. When I was in college, I discovered that my learnings were in psychology, theology, and people-helping kinds of activities. I began volunteering with youth groups and foster kids. I got no pay, but I spent my time counseling and helping kids in all sorts of situations. I remember how alive I felt, and I now know that was because I had found my calling. I was doing what I was designed to do. Not for pay, but just because it fit. Later, when I got paid for it, it helped with the bills; but the enjoyment and fulfillment was the same as doing it for free.

When people feel a calling, and sometimes more than one, they feel like there is something that they just do, and they can’t not do it. It is just who they are.

The Bible and research both say this: get inside the treasure chest of your heart, and find what you care about. No matter what it is, it will involve bettering the world in some way and using your talents to do that. If you do, you will have taken responsibility for your own fun and will be happier as you do.