What’s Your Career Calling?

Recently, I came across a copy of an old article and notes I gleaned from a 2011 Oprah magazine that dealt with discovering your career calling.

Now, finding our true calling – isn’t that what we are all striving for?

At the end of the day, no matter how we define success or how many zeroes are at the end of our salary, there are always nagging questions –

  • Am I following my calling?
  • Is this really my life’s purpose?

When going through article again and reviewing my notes, I found that the suggested exercise showed a unique way to deeply explore your true interests, passions and talents. It asked readers to complete a number of personal statements.

So to introduce the concept to you, I thought it was only fair that I openly share my responses to the exercise; the beginning portion of each statement was provided and the parts in bold are my thoughts and contributions.

1) When I was a kid, I dreamed of being an accountant like my father – I was fascinated with his adding machine and large, leather bound ledgers.

2) I can’t pass up a book or movie about a true depiction of someone’s life – especially if that person overcame significant odds in his/her life.

3) If I played hooky from work for a week, I’d spend the time in a beach or spa retreat enjoyed healthy food, a great book and much relaxation.

4) Most people don’t know this about me, but I really enjoy cooking and anything food related – gourmet food supermarkets, cookbooks, cooking shows, cooking classes…everything. I actually have a food/cooking Instagram account:)

5) I am the go-to person when friends need help with making critical decisions about their career and certain life issues – having a listening ear is welcome in any situation.

6) If I could star in my own how-to-TV show, it would be about encouraging people to move beyond their fears, embrace their true talents, and finally experience happiness in life.

7) If I were to make a homemade gift, it would involving creating a meal for someone – no surprise there!

8) I’ve tried it only once or twice, but I really enjoy –I got stuck on this one because if I really enjoy something I tend to keep trying it more.

9) The close I come to a runner’s high is when I’m doing public presentations, either online or in-person to an energetic, engaged audience.

10) If I won the first prize for a talent show, it would be for doing pretty good imitations of people I know – a great sense of humor never hurts (smile)

The next step of the exercise would be to see if there are any patterns, consistent themes or eye-openers.

What patterns do you see for me that I may be missing?

Who is willing to try the exercise and share your results?