I once heard a saying that went something like this, “In order to have a calling, one must know the caller.” In my experience, the most influential entrepreneurs have a laser-like focus on their calling. Their calling is their True North, their plumb line in life.
You may be reading this but not knowing your calling; or you might even think you don’t have one. My hope is that today’s reading will help you to discover your calling and challenge you in your approach to it.
Focusing on your calling requires you to have the discipline to first ascertain what it is and then chase after it … relentlessly. Let me share some practical steps you can take to discover and pursue your calling over your lifetime…
Whether you believe in God or not, I would love for you to hear what I’ve learned and what my journey has been like in regard to calling. For many, this will be your first exposure to these truths.
First, I believe your calling is so unique that it will not be lived or completed by anyone before you or after you. God designed you specifically, “on purpose.” You aren’t just a natural byproduct of your parents or an accident. You are God’s workmanship created to do amazing things. He prepared these things in advance before you were born.
Second, like Superman, I believe that you’ve been sent here on a mission. You have an assignment that has been wired into you. The fun part is that you get to discover what your assignment is. One of the ways you can discern your calling is by aligning your unique talents, abilities, and the influence you have on others with what? These three areas make up the DNA of your calling.
Third, you will discover that you are living in your calling when it feels natural, you would do it for free, and you feel like it’s second nature. Another example of living your calling is that it feels like you’re working the least amount while producing the greatest value and doing what you love.
I am convinced and believe with all my heart, after thirty years of walking with God, that He looks at each one of us and says, “I’ve put you here on assignment. That assignment is for you and Me to fall in love. I want you to take these gifts of grace and love to others and bring people into to me and eternity.”
Jesus had a specific calling on His life. The day I realized what it was, my calling became clear. If I am going to follow His example and leadership, then it’s more than likely my calling will mirror His.
So, how does that apply to you and me in terms of our gifts and creativity? I’ll make it simple. We are all called to love God, love people, and make disciples. “How” we do that is up to us. God gave each person the beautiful gift of choice to navigate and choose how to live and what to do. All He cares about is that we do it together, help bring people to His love, and populate heaven. And best of all, He wants us to have a blast while doing it!
Listen, people ask me all the time why I am doing so many initiatives and how I get so many ideas for paintings and creative ideas. Here’s my answer: When you partner with the Creator of this universe, you get supernatural results. God is the owner of my life, my wife, kids, and my companies as well as all of my relationships. They are on loan to me, and every breath I take is a gift of His grace. That said, when you know your calling, who your Caller is, and why you’re doing what you’re doing, the “how” becomes easy and peaceful.
The most influential entrepreneurs I know navigate their time on this earth by living with the end in mind and ordering their days accordingly.
Here are a few questions that will help you diagnose if you’ve found your calling:
- Is what you do on a daily basis what you would do for free if you had all the money you need?
- When you look back on each of the days you live do you feel they minutes are an investment or a waste?
- Does your current life season giving you life or taking your life?
- Do your efforts ultimately bring people into a larger discovery of who God is and how his love can change/save their life?
- Does your career allow you to live in your genius?
Note: It can be a massive mistake to assume that if you are “doing what you love” that you are living your calling. Can you say with certainty that you know His calling for your life? Do you know your assignment?
“Your calling is so unique to you that it will not be replaced anyone before you or after you”- Bob Shank
Love God, love people, make disciples, and use your creativity and products to do it.
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”
Proverbs 19:21 NIV
“The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 NASB
This blog post is an excerpt from my latest book, 31 Disciplines of Highly Successful Creatives. Click here to get your copy!
If this post has struck a chord, I want you to know I have a solution to help you grow deeper in discovering your calling. If you’re looking for a mentorship based in biblical principles, click here to watch my free video series, “4 Keys to Unlock 100x Results in Your Career, Family, and Calling”.
Interested in learning how to build a creative business from the ground up? Click here.
Have a great day!
Recent comments
Matt 3 years ago
Hi Noah,
Merry Christmas.
More serious? Hahah, oh yea, knowing your “purpose” can be downright incendiary with a lot of Christians because many believe only God is allowed this knowledge, I know because I have seen many folks faces change when we talk about a calling or purpose, so you’re really going for a finishing-move when you bring-up this delicate topic.
I know my super-power, it’s not glorious or grand, but it is what I do, it’s fixing things. And I spend a lot of my time being “in service” fixing things.
Now this is where things get complicated because I felt that my purpose or duty was fixing things because that’s what I am good at, I’m an engineer, but maybe that’s not right because everything seems to be very situational.
But I think one thing does tend to stand-out and that is how do you “serve”.
Self-service is always going to be empty and shallow because it is materialistic and self-centered, it only serves the Ego. And you can find folks who think they are serving God by spending all day in church, worshiping, tithing, and doing everything they are told to do, but in reality they may be serving the pastor, the church, or just themselves, which is unfortunate, but a lot of times true, but it’s not our place to criticize, their hearts are in the right place, so we let them serve in their way.
Some service must be done delicately, by giving folks their space, letting them have their voice, their individuality, or even serve them by doing nothing at all and letting them find their way as they were meant to, so that is another wrinkle.
And others still can be served directly, these folks we interact with, mentor, and commune with as we develop relationships over time. This kind of service is fulfilling so long as it is reciprocal and genuine, so there is a law there that the recipient must be humble and have an open heart to truly receive this gift, because it is a gift, it is given wholeheartedly and unreservedly.
So I’m sorta pointing out here that I serve by being in service to others, which is sorta how I see the world, and how I can use my talents to help others.
As a servant we must be careful of the undeserving, they are out there and they are parasitic, just waiting for someone with an open heart to take advantage of. My best friend of 20 years was someone whom I served, mentored, inspired, and I even got his life on track for his goals, and I never saw the warning signs that he was a malevolent middle-range covert narcissist.
No matter how much I helped, destruction always ensued, and he is still hell-bent on destroying me,
I think this was a lesson to me because I was trying to save him from himself, so he could be a better person, and I couldn’t do it, all he did was bring me down to his level, so we parted ways, and now I am more careful about who I serve and where I am willing to spend my energy.
Purpose, I always felt my purpose was fixing things, (and I learned not to fix people), but maybe that is wrong. I have always been pushed into leadership roles and being an introvert, I really hate that. I’ve always been extremely shy, and although leading is a breeze (at least I feel that way) I’d rather step out of the spotlight and let someone else take charge. I like to work from behind-the-scenes and be subtle about it, not to cause attention to my agenda.
But purpose is nothing without service, they are meshed consequently, and work together to what we see as the final product.
Purpose is inexorably connected to ones confidence as well, and we see many people with the genius and the desire to serve, but paralyzed by a lack of confidence. So it all comes down to a mixture of all sorts of character traits and flaws that points us in our particular direction in life.
Overall, I think the first step is to figure out what your super-power is. There are so many people that are lost at step 1 that we need to get this handled and out of the way first before moving forward with perspective, purpose, and service.
I knew from early on, but most people either do not know or do not have the resources to grow their talent, or even if they have a talent, so how do we find our calling if we can’t figure out what we can do?
Noah Elias 3 years ago
Matt, you have some great words and insight. Thanks for being here and sharing your journey. I recorded a free set of videos speaking into purpose and calling. Hoping you can watch. Blessings to you. http://Www.masters.life/success