Chapter 22,
Discovering Our True Calling So many of us are unhappy with our jobs and spend much of our time feeling burdened,
Bored,
And unappreciated.
We tend to view our daily grind as an obstacle that must be endured until we can eventually retire and be freed from our obligations to our employers and our lives of tedious responsibilities.
Until then,
We tend to live for the weekend,
When we can relax and revel in the freedom that our hard work has brought us,
And we perhaps dream of one day retiring and purchasing a motorhome or a vacation cabin on a lake,
A place where we can lazily spend our remaining golden years in idle pursuit of our pleasures.
We look forward to the day when we will finally be able to call all the shots,
When we'll have nothing to do except that which we want,
A time when we'll have no responsibilities and no one to answer to.
Sounds nice,
I suppose,
Giving up our sense of have-to for a comfortable sense of want-to,
Finally reaching a state in our lives where all that we have to do is play and enjoy life as it was meant to be enjoyed.
Ah,
Yes,
A life of relaxation and unlimited leisure and unfulfillment.
What's that?
Are you calling my well-deserved retirement unfulfilling?
Are you insinuating that I'm unhappy?
My days are filled with tennis,
Golf,
Card games,
And shopping.
I'm very busy and extremely fulfilled and wouldn't choose to live my life any other way.
We are often quick to defend our right to our rewards and our pleasures,
And this makes perfect sense.
After all,
Aren't they what so often get us through our long days and our endless weeks?
Aren't they what provide us with the hope and comfort that offset the burden of our never-ending responsibilities at work?
Aren't they what make our lives more bearable?
And of course,
There's nothing wrong with things like socializing,
Playing,
And relaxing.
They can help us find a more joyful and balanced life.
But unfortunately,
If we're continuously resenting our time at work,
They can even further compound the inherent craving and aversion that already exists within us.
The pleasure and relief they provide can become disproportionately important to us and leave us feeling out of balance and constantly living for the future in the hopes of not having to accept the present.
But of course,
Most of us must work,
And we all want to feel as though we're worthwhile and contributing.
We like to be inspired and challenged in our lives and our efforts.
But are we?
Do we feel engaged in ways that satisfy our inner creative longings?
Or do we feel engaged to simply keep the threat of bills,
Poverty,
And shame away?
Are we pursuing activities that fulfill us,
Or are we simply valiantly working to support ourselves and our families,
To keep the wheels in motion?
Do we truly feel engaged,
Or do we feel in some way resentful and reluctantly bound to our duties?
Do we rise every day with a deep hunger to fulfill our heart's desire to walk our true creative path?
Or do we begrudgingly awaken to move one day closer to the weekend or to our retirement when we can finally get our lives back?
Are we living life,
Or are we living an obligation?
Are we doing what totally fulfills us whether we succeed or not,
Whether we become famous or wealthy or not?
Are we engaged in activities that feel pure and true to us,
Ones that express who we are deep inside,
That are authentically our own?
Are we living an inspired life,
A life where we taste an excitement born from doing rather than achieving,
A life of connection and contentment,
A life that challenges and rewards us for growing within ourselves,
A life lived,
A life fulfilled?
And if not,
How might we?
Well,
Let me see,
What else can I do,
We say?
What job will give me back that sense of confidence and excitement that I felt when I was younger?
What will make me feel happy and fulfilled?
And so we search through the wan ads,
Hoping to find our dream job.
Unfortunately,
We forget that the only way we can truly find heartfelt work is by looking inward and following our heart,
By listening to its gentle voice guiding us toward our true selves and our innermost creative gifts,
Our deepest callings.
And in order to be able to hear this voice,
We simply need to embrace our uncomfortable emotions and soothe their loud and lonely cries for attention.
But rather than doing this,
We run from them and constantly look to our outer world to make us feel good and provide us with a false sense of fulfillment.
And so,
While we wait for our perfect job to appear,
We end up looking for other ways to spice up our lives,
To make them more exciting again.
Maybe I should go on some more dates or get a new phone or binge watch that new series,
We say.
Maybe I should go on a vacation or buy a nicer car or some new clothes.
We are always looking for ways to change our outer world so that we will feel better about ourselves and our lives,
And often look for satisfaction in places that can only provide it temporarily,
Such as relationships,
Vacations,
Or clothing.
And what do we invariably find?
After a while,
We realize that our new girlfriend or boyfriend isn't quite as perfect as we thought they were,
Our high-tech devices have become outdated,
And our clothes have gone out of style.
We begin to fall out of love with ourselves and our lives.
And so we start searching again for that one thing or person that will satisfy us and make us whole,
So that we'll never have to feel bored or lonely again.
And we keep wondering when we're going to get our chance,
Our lucky break.
We envy those we know who have happened to find their dream job,
Forgetting that the path to finding it is actually not outside of us,
But within.
Within.
We have to realize that the only way we'll ever find our dream job,
Our true calling,
Not to mention inner peace and fulfillment,
Is if we stop dreaming,
If we wake up and look inward and embrace all of our uncomfortable emotions.
And it is only after we have found the courage and taken the time to sit with them,
To befriend them,
To befriend ourselves,
That we can access all of the power,
Stillness,
And creativity that is within us,
Hidden below those very parts of us that we have long run from or tried to cover up.
In many ways,
These unwanted emotions are the gatekeepers to our inner kingdom and all of its beautiful treasures.
In many ways,
They hold the keys to our freedom.
