One of the topics I'm really interested in is the relationship between work and a calling. The idea of a calling has traditionally been understood in purely religious terms, as in somebody being called to serve a higher power or a higher purpose. (This article from today's Gazette.Net reflects this interpretation.)
But we are all called to do something in our lives. To the extent that we are spiritual beings, we are all called to accomplish something in this life that goes beyond the needs and requirements of our ego and our personality. And in that sense, while the way in which we express our calling doesn't at all have to be religious, there is no denying that following one's calling is part and parcel of our spiritual evolution.
Carolyn Myss, the well-known energy intuitive, mystic, and one of the leading contemporary thinkers on spirituality, says in her Advanced Energy Anatomy that when we find ourselves searching persistently for that job that we were "meant to do," we are not actually searching for a job or a career. We are, rather, searching for a vocation - for a way to express our spirit through our work. She says:
"You begin by the need to work, then you develop a thirst for a career, then you develop a need for a vocation. You want a career because it pays more than work (work at the base level) - you want a vocation because it's fulfilling. ...You develop a thirst for a career, and a passion for a vocation. And it will happen to everybody."
The trick here, and it's something that all "life purpose gurus" tend to agree on, is that we are not called to do a particular job. We have to look at the idea of a calling or a vocation in much broader terms. A job may or may not enable us to fulfill our calling, but the particular job is only incidental to our pursuit of a deeper understanding of what it is that we were meant to do with our lives. If we were to leave that job - or if that job disappeared, was outsourced, or we were simply laid off - does that mean the end of our calling? Of course not. A calling or a vocation is something that is part of who we are no matter where we are, and it can be expressed in many different ways and many different settings.
I'm sure I'll be returning to this subject in later posts. For one thing, Myss's assertion that this evolution from a job to a career to a vocation happens to everybody is extremely intriguing to me. I can't yet confirm or dispute its truth based on my personal experience, but, judging from the number of posts on Monster's Career Changers' boards on the subject of wanting - indeed, thirsting for a career that feels more meangful and authentic, she's on to something. (A recent thread titled "Seeking new life path" attracted 6660 viewings in about ten days - by far the largest among the hundreds of others and second only to a thread titled "Job-hunting while still employed.")
I'm also interested in the question of vocation and financial abundance. The conventional wisdom - perpetuated, by the way, also by the above article - is that following one's calling means to resign oneself to a life of poverty. While I do believe that, once you find your calling, you may realize that your pay level becomes less important to you as a driving force because what you are doing feels so important and feeds you in so many other ways, I also believe that financial abundance is as much a part of a spiritually-aligned life as anything else.
More on this later. In the meantime - what are your thoughts on the idea of work as a calling? What has been your experience in searching for your calling or finding one? If you've heard the call, how have you responded? Post your comments and share your thoughts.
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