Forget finding your calling, follow what’s surfacing

Too many of us crave a mythical calling when all we really need is to pay attention to what is emerging. And get more curious about that….

If you’re frustrated with the idea of finding your calling, follow what is surfacing.

The biggest open secret among connected creatives is not that they necessarily had an epiphany at age eight about what they wanted to do with their lives, it’s that they stepped bit by bit into activities that called to them.

There’s a difference there — a calling, a life mission, only comes to a few. But following where you’re called from where you’re at — that’s available to us all.

When I talk to creative individuals so very few have lived a straight-arrow line to their ideal way of life. Instead, being flexible enough to follow pathways that pique your interest even if you don’t know where they lead — that’s the zesty sauce for fulfillment.

Young Steve Jobs took a calligraphy class. Later this influenced the elegance and design of the Apple interface.

If only he’d also enrolled in a non-abusive communications class.

I bought a computer before anyone I knew had a computer. It had no hard drive. I had to code basic formatting we take for granted today — bold, italics, indents.

I bought it for writing — to this day still the most expensive writing tool I’ve ever invested in. Yet it opened up a wondrous world to me that remained closed for others too long.

I was intrigued by how computers could make things simpler. When I found myself moving into the graphic design world — following an interest in the department next door — I rapidly moved up the ranks because many designers at the time were daunted by computers.

Imagine that.

Today you can’t shake a designer loose from their device. Then, it took an outsider to help ease the way into the digital domain.

I write this because I speak to so many who are horrified they don’t know their calling. From their twenties to their sixties, people of all ages are frozen by this cultural notion that we must follow our calling.

Like computers at their best, it’s simple — you don’t need a calling, just put your energy into what’s surfacing in front of you.

What’s intriguing you?

That’s all you need to know.