Answering Your Call: A Guide for Living Your Deepest Purpose

by John P. Schuster

This spiritual how-to book helps readers discern what they are called to do, find the courage to respond to that call, and stay on course to make that vision a reality. Author John P. Schuster first explains what it means to be called to something larger than ourselves -- to find the life that best fits us because it uses our talents to the fullest and adds the most lasting value to the world. He then shows how we can respond to that call in any area of life from career to family to community. Answering Your Call includes exercises, models, and guidelines for creating a life of meaning, illustrated with concrete and practical real-world examples.

Genres: Self Help

170 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Carolyn Kost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schuster was in business for decades and became an executive coach, speaker and author. He has written this wonderfully inspirational book for anyone who is trying to find their calling, vocation, path and purpose in life or helping others to find theirs.

There are three parts to this book. The first responds to common questions about calls, "how to respond to the real thing and how to combine them in harmonious ways to make a life of meaning" (31). "Believing in your calling is the only insurance that you'll have one." How do you know you have one? If you're alive, you do. Kierkegaard wrote 'we all come to life with sealed orders'; we just have to try to find the envelope. From whence does a call come? Schuster posits theological, psychological, biological and sociological sources.
“I believe everyone has a calling and that it is our individual responsibility to seek it out. That means introspection, self-criticism, objective self-evaluation, and having the courage to follow whatever that direction may be. The lucky ones may end up exactly where we are meant to be. But I think that there is a broader call that exists for us too. It is this: wherever we may find ourselves, we have a call to make a difference, to create a positive impact on others, to make the world (our little corner of it) somehow better. . . . No matter what one’s occupation or circumstances. Where the two ‘callings’ meet, and feed each other, true inspiration and magic can occur” (Steve Sheppard of Foldcraft, 138).

Calls are somewhere on a continuum drawing more deeply upon head or the heart, internal or external. Common calls, described with their ego pitfalls, include Family, Marketplace, Leadership, Scholarship, Spiritual Service, Higher Moral Order and Justice, Routine, Professions, Community, Nature, Beauty, Public Service. Life is a long and winding road. "Roles combine and have equal weight," say, parenting and public service and business, concurrently or successively. "Building a portfolio of calls is the means to be conscious and do well in multiple life roles." Schuster states that "External calls are more common than internal calls because most people are called to do something that is outwardly visible that takes an already-existing form, like a profession" (35).

The second part is about saboteurs, who undermine the calling, but "Fighting off saboteurs strengthens your response to a calling." and evocateurs, who can call out potential and affirm it. "Evoking the possibilities of the moment is fundamental." Then there are the provocateurs, like Mother Jones or Dr. King, who "challenge the injustice of a system, provoking its members to abandon the current design" because it destroys human possibilities (100). "All callings are about head and heart and guts. This one is strong on the guts part...courage..fortitude..stamina.... The provocateur becomes a magnet for anger...motives and intentions are questioned." I know it well; the call to be a provocateur and challenge the status quo is definitely one of my callings, just see some of my other reviews. It's lonely and often unpleasant, but it's what I have to do.

The third part is about the realities of living a called life. Schuster guides the reader to discern the drives of the ego from the call of the self, "the transcendent part of you connected to others and the universe that drives you to authenticity and adding value in the world. It is the seat of your highest aspirations, your soul" (112). It's helpful to have the ego and self play together well and elevate everyday life to meaning, the function religion has traditionally had, with prayers upon rising, eating, sleeping, etc. to render the ordinary sacred and turn our thoughts to God.

How do we all build a better collective future? “What people see in the now is a ‘psychic millimeter’ from what they can imagine.” Some people, Gene Roddenberry comes to mind, can traverse those millimeters and effectively work the veil “to help people leave the constraints of this dimension, get out of normal mind to more creative mental space, in order to see where they may go next” (130). Any job can be meaningful depending on perception, execution and the sense of purpose. "Demand of yourself that you live on the other side of the veil to experience the essence of life. Practices like looking past behavior to intention, assuming the yearning even in those who have forgotten why they are here, framing your actions and those of others in meaningful terms--all help the humdrum aspects of life take on deeper significance" (140).

Answering Your Call offers leading questions, profound quotations of the "WHOA! Give me a minute to take that in and write it down" variety, and an exercise or two for reflection. It's less a workbook than a reflection guide. This book can be a great boon to all who embark on a quest for the meaning in their lives. I wonder if it is more relevant to those in mid life than young adults in their 20s and 30 or even younger, say teenager with limited life experience. As a high school college counselor, I intend to use Chapter 2 and find out.

[Natasha Orslene · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are often pulled by the pressure to find our “calling”, like there is just one thing that we will be passionate about and want to engage with for the rest of our lives. In Answering Your Call, John Schuster reframes this concept in a way that is empowering and actionable, with the understanding and compassion that comes with how we change and evolve throughout our lives.

John describes the pressure that we experience as being a part of our frontal lobe, but we can thoughtfully and mindfully consider how we are called to be and what we are called to do in this world. He gives us the framework of the quadrant of calling, with head at the top, heart at the bottom, internal to the left, and external to the right. Then, he describes different types of calls, such as call to family or call to marketplace. This portion expresses the importance of understanding different types of calls, but also the very likely possibility that you have multiple calls, and they ebb and flow throughout your personal and professional life.

There are a lot of tools presented throughout the book, from working through a propensity to fib and how to work with your ego when it flares up and tries to drive the ship to how we sabotage ourselves on teams.

There were many portions of this book that I enjoyed, and the overall message of not only how to realistically and reasonably find your calling, but also how to really step into it and embrace it without it taking over your entire life and edging out all your other callings.
I love how John Schuster writes because while it is very academic theory, he has a poetic nature and way of painting a visual with his words that make his work very easy to engage with and enjoy. There are experiences and stories intermixed throughout the book, making the content relatable and providing further insight and perspective.

[Lenore Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will say it is making me delve deeper into a book I have been reading. "Answering Your Call" by John P. Schuster has been one of my latest books. It is to help you focus and learn how to live for your deepest purpose. And I thought I was on that path too. I was following what I was learning. How to find the courage to respond to this new change. To stay on track for it even when I was worried on how it would all work out. And not letting others sabotage what I was called to do. No I do not think this book has anything to do with the changes that have happened. I saw it as another aid to help me in the changes. I like that John Schuster who is a coach, trainer and speaker was able to put into words the feelings I was dealing with. And I also loved that it continued to guide me toward prayer to know what our purpose is. But now I am having to read and seek out ways to accept that the change is not going to happen. And continue to find my purpose. But I will say, currently I am exhausted.

How do you deal with major changes? How do you deal with the stones that get in your path? And how do you know when your purpose is being fulfilled? I do wish thank Berrett-Koehler Publishers for sending me "Answering Your Call". And I would like to tell you it is a good book for guidance. You might be interested in it yourself. I am hoping it will continue to guide me as I keep on with my new journey, what ever it may be.

[Jay French · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter just started college. For the past three years, she has told people the story about growing up knowing her cousin had muscular dystrophy, and at some point when she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she stopped saying a teacher, or a musician, and instead she said she wanted to help find a cure, and she said she would be a nurse to help those with MD. She stuck with this story for the past three or four years. When asked by nursing faculty in an introductory meeting before college started she repeated this, and you can see the nursing instructors there nodding knowingly. They had a student with a calling.

It was quite a thing to see. Especially since I don’t believe I’ve felt a calling myself. My interest in this book was to understand what a call was, really. I found the descriptions of a call, the personal stories of the author and others, and the discussion of how to handle a call and the people that can help or hinder your progress to be very interesting. The author wrote this in a very engaging and personal way, with some stabs at humor that worked for me. While one can take the concept of a call as religious, the author wrote with a more open mind, suggesting other possible sources beyond the divine. I didn’t have high expectations for this book when I started – it’s not really the kind of book I usually read, but by the end I felt that it did an excellent job and was written well.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we think of a calling, we tend to think about people like Mother Theresa. A person endowed with a special gift who dedicated their entire life to a single cause. Someone who was chosen by God to make the world a better place.

Because of these preconceived notions, we often don’t recognize our own callings. We may feel the pull of something at the edges of our consciousness but be afraid to label it a calling because it seems mundane compared to Mother Theresa. We feel unworthy or worry what others might say so we simply ignore the call or calls.

I’ve never read a book like Answering Your Call. This enlightening book takes the reader through the process of figuring out if they do indeed have a calling, or callings. Then, the book provides insight into the harsh realities of callings: coping with self doubts, staying motivated, completely mundane tasks, the balancing act between life and the calling, and dealing with saboteurs.

Doing what is in your heart is not always as simply and easy as it might seem. Sometimes, it’s downright difficult. After reading Answering Your Call, you will realize that all callings, no matter how insignificant, are important. Yes, there are pitfalls along the way but there is also a great deal of joy.

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Calls are invitations from life to serve, to activate your will toward a cause worthy of you and the human family." The book is a result of the author's Proverbs-like pithy wisdom precepts combined with the choice results of an interview with folks that are living out their life purposes for the long haul. Many memorable nuggets and questions to ask and seek to answer in each chapter. There is some unique stuff here about surrounding ourselves with those that will inspire and help our callings come to fruition as well as how to deal with those saboteurs (including ourselves sometimes) that undermine them.

[Paleenconsulting · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have a purpose - perhaps many. Embrace the artistry of life and work....embrace your callings.