Heeding the Call

What is vocation?

Vocation is derived from the Latin verb vocare, which means "to call." The question then arises, if vocation is a calling, where does it come from?

I spent my early working life looking for my vocation externally. I thought that being a school teacher would give my life meaning and purpose, only to find it left me frustrated and unfulfilled. I tried a lot of things after that and got similar results.

It wasn't until I listened to the wee small inner voice whispering my aspiration to become a musician that I stepped into an identity that felt like it fit. Music-making and teaching also helped provide a filter for making sense of the world and myself.

Despite a long, happy, and successful career playing for a living, I found myself called away from that vocation to another. I now build identity and forge meaning through writing and coaching. My life is enhanced by helping others find and refine their calling, and it feels equally right.

So, does vocation come from the inside out or the outside in? The correct answer is for me is "Yes," based on my experience. I'm less sure that vocation is the work you're born to do and wonder instead if there's only the work you're meant to do now?

I recently collided with a Quaker maxim about vocation, "Let your life speak." I love the elegant simplicity and provocative power of this simple line.

Whether your calling comes from within or without, you will miss it if you're not paying attention, able to listen, and willing to trust yourself to try and find your way.

Your life is speaking to and through you right now. What is it telling you? What is it asking of you? Are you listening?

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

If what you just read resonated, please share it with a friend.