Know you can be and do SO much more? Just not sure what? You have the right and potential to be everything you know you can be … but what happens if you’re not sure how that looks? Callings (to a life in which you feel fulfilled, of service, connected, vibrant and truly alive) don’t necessarily shine like guiding beacons ahead. But there are ways you can actively pursue and bring your purpose to you.
Here are my 10 ways to uncover your life’s true calling:
Notice your fleeting and random thoughts – The subconscious has ways of letting you know if you’re heading in the right direction. Pay attention to the things that happen in your life, the people you meet, the things you notice, the places you are drawn to. Upon waking, actively connect to your dreams – keep a pad by the bed to write things down, and let their symbolism work on you.
Prioritize expressing yourself in creative and joyful ways. – If you want to be fully yourself and find your path in life, creativity is not a luxury – you must carve time for it.
Think about what you used to love. – Our callings are very often things that we loved to be or do when we were very young – before we were asked to ‘fit in’. How did you play as a child? What did you love to do? What were you curious about? How did you think?
Notice what feels good. – Callings feel good. When we are doing what we are supposed to be doing, we are connected, joyful, expressive, loving and purposeful. Notice times in your daily life that you feel like this – What are you doing? Who are you with? What are you allowing?
Turn down the distractions. – Distractions, like TV, shopping and excess, serve only to keep you stuck. Turn them down in your life and allow possibility in. This will be hard at first – it’s easy to use these things to stop you facing things you don’t want to, or having to answer difficult questions – but consciously opting for stillness over diversions, or emptiness over a life chock full of ‘busy’ is choosing to open a dialogue with yourself and your path.
Pay attention to what keeps coming back. – The things that are always true for you or won’t go away are really important in discovering your calling. Are you always making up amazing stories to entertain the children in your life? Every time you feel at a loss do you find yourself in the kitchen, creating? Keep thinking about that niggle of an idea about moving to the Mediterranean? These recurrent things are giving you clues as to what will really satisfy you, pay attention to them.
If you’ve got a hunch, give it a go, try it on for size. – Finding our true path in life isn’t passive. It won’t appear in a puff of smoke. It’s only through trying out an activity that you’ll know whether it’s the thing for you.
Find a way to connect with something outside yourself daily. – Get out in nature. Practise a simple meditation. Find a community of like-minds and share. Take up yoga.
Shake up your routine. – Getting out of your routine, changing your environment, and carving some time for yourself can work wonders. Shifts in perspective, connections and realizations are more easily explored and nurtured when you give yourself the space physically and emotionally.
Be patient. – Don’t expect your calling to be delivered via express mail. Discovering and honing your path in life will be a continual part of your journey. Be compassionate to yourself, knowing that where you are right now is the best place. Treat yourself, your practices, and the world with patience.
Peace and Love, Jim
