How to Find Your Calling in Life

Bosses & Orchards

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By Althea DeBrule
eHow Community Member

Article Rating:

(12 Ratings)

Everyone has a life’s calling. Each person’s calling is unique and distinctive and in alliance with personality traits and talents. Throughout your life, your calling surfaces over and over again, sometimes in obscure ways or in areas that you have ignored. Your calling may not be the most lucrative thing you had in mind and this is oftentimes one of the reasons why it is overlooked. When you operate in your calling, you will have a deep sense of peace and an overwhelming feeling of personal satisfaction. You will find that you are just one piece of a larger puzzle, and that your impact will felt by more than just you. Use the following steps to discover your life’s calling.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A Comfortable Place, free of distraction where you can concentrate and focus
Journal or Notebook and Pen

Step 1

Hopes and Dreams

List your lifelong hopes and dreams. Don’t limit them by your current circumstances. Your heart’s desires and longings are important keys in identifying your calling. Each day you should think about and imagine your dreams, visions, desires, and longings as though they have come true in the best possible ways.
Step 2

Calling Clues

As you look back over your life and evaluate where you are now, determine the clues you’ve been given to help you understand your calling. Consider the things, people, causes or situations that have brought you joy and satisfaction, and have provided personal significance and meaning to you.
Step 3

Make a Difference

Identify the area(s) where you would like to see your life make a difference, and for what you would like to be remembered. Ask yourself what you care about so much that you could willingly give your life for it.
Step 4

Memorable Moments

List the memorable moments that have thus far shaped your life. Is there a pattern of opportunities that have arisen?
Step 5

Time Flies

When you are fulfilling your calling, time can easily slip away because you become so focused on what you care about most. What might that be?
Step 6

Brainstorm

Brainstorm what you would do if you had the time, money, effort, energy, and passion to do whatever you want. Let your imagination run wild.
Step 7

Write and Record

Write three sentences that capture the times when you were moved to tears over a cause, person or situation and decided to take action or reach out to help.
Step 8

Interview

Interview a family member and a close friend. Ask them what subjects they notice that you bring up most often and are passionate about. Now compare their responses to the list you made in the previous step. Are there any similarities?
Step 9

Assess Talents

Assess your natural talents, skills and strengths for evidence of your calling. Are there any patterns, indicators or themes?
Step 10

Personality Assessment

Take a personality assessment to determine how best to fulfill your calling. This information will be quite valuable as you share with others.
Step 11

Identify Others

Identify other people who seem to be operating in a calling that is similar to yours. Research the steps they took to fulfill their calling.
Step 12

Stakeholders

List the names of people you believe may have a stake in your calling, and what you will do to solicit their support.