I had the honor of presenting to a group of incredible pre-health undergraduates at University of Colorado at Boulder last month. I love educating in general, but the undergraduate group is my favorite. A huge part of that is how it re-centers my own passion and drive. Do you remember a time when you wished and yearned desperately for something you now have? We grow accustomed to our blessings as humans. We acclimate. Its our genetic disposition to do so. But that dampens our gratitude. This is a way to refresh that feeling for me, and give back at the same time.
I stood in front of a room filled with bright minds and passionate dreamers. They were so hungry for answers, for the magic key that would unlock the future that was bursting at the seams to be let in. They wanted the crystal ball, the one that told them their success was inevitable. And they were all stressed… stressed at not knowing what their future holds. They were grappling with one of the biggest decisions of their life: what should I devote my career to?
I remember being in their shoes. I remember feeling like I was crumbling under that stress. But what I wish so desperately someone had told me is that that stress was a moot point. People who are driven and smart typically succeed, no matter which field they choose. So, they should choose based on their passions and their values. If only I could hop in a time machine and trade that stress for gratitude, for the recognition of that potential which would never fully be there again in that magnitude.
When you are an undergraduate student, you are like a ball at the very top of a hill- all potential energy. And every step you take, every open door you walk through, you convert that potential energy into kinetic energy. That is what is valued by society- actions, accomplishments, getting things done. But, at the bottom of the hill, you look up and sometimes, you miss the unlimited, completely unencumbered potential. Ah the feeling of being young and limitless, of knowing the sky is the limit and you can be literally anything you put your mind to. I feel the absence of that like a missing limb. I never noticed how much it meant until it vanished.
So how do you choose the path you will take? Because eventually, every ball needs to roll. You can’t sit there forever trying to choose a path. How do you know which one is right?
That decision is the biggest difference between having a job and having a calling. I have ached for a calling, a place that I feel belongs as I work day in and day out. This is a challenge many new graduates face… they graduate with the degree they thought would bring their calling and struggle.
MD, DDS and many professional students go into their program with a career in mind, a career society has defined for them. But with the changing market, the career they dream of and the jobs they find on the other side are two different things. When expectations do not meet up with reality, that is where disappointment is born. So young doctors and other professionals are struggling with this disappointment despite having “succeeded” on paper terms – you have the degree, you have the job with the stable pay and the great hours. Why are you still dissatisfied?
I have thought a lot about why so many people I know are okay with jobs. I felt ungrateful and not at peace with myself as I had a job that most of these people would envy and still sat stewing in my immediate need for something greater, a calling.
The crux of this difference stems from one thing: the desire to lead a mission driven life. If you are a person who wants their life to impact a change in the world, a job will never satisfy you, no matter how great it is on paper. Whatever finds you your fulfillment is your truth. It should be no other way. If you have a natural inclination to yearn for purpose, then you find yourself wondering, what is the difference between a job and a calling, and how can I find my fulfillment?
DIFFERENCE #1 – The point.
When you have a job, the paycheck is the point. It comes first, it trumps all else and it is all important. When you have a calling, the purpose is the point. The paycheck is secondary. You show up to work to do something, to strive for something, to create something. The money is bonus but your primary remuneration for your job is the work itself. You may even be inclined do the work for free; the money is what keeps you from starving while doing it.
DIFFERENCE #2 – The reward.
In a job, the reward is immediate- the paycheck (see point #1). But in a calling, the reward is two-fold: first, the immediate reward of doing fulfilling work on a daily basis (the absence of the Monday blues) and second, the reward of looking back on a life served with purpose. At your retirement party, looking back and seeing the results which your life created is the true purpose.
DIFFERENCE #3- Intentionality
In a job, you get through the day. In a calling, you invest in each and every day. The Find Your Calling Blog says “What is the difference between a job and a calling? What is the difference between a shoe that fits and one that doesn’t? It’s the difference between hoping to switch to something else and investing deeply every day because what you’re doing is WHO you are. It’s the difference between working to live and living to work.” Choosing a calling requires introspection, identifying your skills and your passions and building a choice around those things.
So the next question is, how do you find your calling? How do you make a career choice targeting at achieving this calling instead of just a stable job? Stay tuned next week for my two cents on this noble pursuit.
I stood in front of a room filled with bright minds and passionate dreamers. They were so hungry for answers, for the magic key that would unlock the future that was bursting at the seams to be let in. They wanted the crystal ball, the one that told them their success was inevitable. And they were all stressed… stressed at not knowing what their future holds. They were grappling with one of the biggest decisions of their life: what should I devote my career to?
I remember being in their shoes. I remember feeling like I was crumbling under that stress. But what I wish so desperately someone had told me is that that stress was a moot point. People who are driven and smart typically succeed, no matter which field they choose. So, they should choose based on their passions and their values. If only I could hop in a time machine and trade that stress for gratitude, for the recognition of that potential which would never fully be there again in that magnitude.
When you are an undergraduate student, you are like a ball at the very top of a hill- all potential energy. And every step you take, every open door you walk through, you convert that potential energy into kinetic energy. That is what is valued by society- actions, accomplishments, getting things done. But, at the bottom of the hill, you look up and sometimes, you miss the unlimited, completely unencumbered potential. Ah the feeling of being young and limitless, of knowing the sky is the limit and you can be literally anything you put your mind to. I feel the absence of that like a missing limb. I never noticed how much it meant until it vanished.
So how do you choose the path you will take? Because eventually, every ball needs to roll. You can’t sit there forever trying to choose a path. How do you know which one is right?
That decision is the biggest difference between having a job and having a calling. I have ached for a calling, a place that I feel belongs as I work day in and day out. This is a challenge many new graduates face… they graduate with the degree they thought would bring their calling and struggle.
MD, DDS and many professional students go into their program with a career in mind, a career society has defined for them. But with the changing market, the career they dream of and the jobs they find on the other side are two different things. When expectations do not meet up with reality, that is where disappointment is born. So young doctors and other professionals are struggling with this disappointment despite having “succeeded” on paper terms – you have the degree, you have the job with the stable pay and the great hours. Why are you still dissatisfied?
I have thought a lot about why so many people I know are okay with jobs. I felt ungrateful and not at peace with myself as I had a job that most of these people would envy and still sat stewing in my immediate need for something greater, a calling.
The crux of this difference stems from one thing: the desire to lead a mission driven life. If you are a person who wants their life to impact a change in the world, a job will never satisfy you, no matter how great it is on paper. Whatever finds you your fulfillment is your truth. It should be no other way. If you have a natural inclination to yearn for purpose, then you find yourself wondering, what is the difference between a job and a calling, and how can I find my fulfillment?
DIFFERENCE #1 – The point.
When you have a job, the paycheck is the point. It comes first, it trumps all else and it is all important. When you have a calling, the purpose is the point. The paycheck is secondary. You show up to work to do something, to strive for something, to create something. The money is bonus but your primary remuneration for your job is the work itself. You may even be inclined do the work for free; the money is what keeps you from starving while doing it.
DIFFERENCE #2 – The reward.
In a job, the reward is immediate- the paycheck (see point #1). But in a calling, the reward is two-fold: first, the immediate reward of doing fulfilling work on a daily basis (the absence of the Monday blues) and second, the reward of looking back on a life served with purpose. At your retirement party, looking back and seeing the results which your life created is the true purpose.
DIFFERENCE #3- Intentionality
In a job, you get through the day. In a calling, you invest in each and every day. The Find Your Calling Blog says “What is the difference between a job and a calling? What is the difference between a shoe that fits and one that doesn’t? It’s the difference between hoping to switch to something else and investing deeply every day because what you’re doing is WHO you are. It’s the difference between working to live and living to work.” Choosing a calling requires introspection, identifying your skills and your passions and building a choice around those things.
So the next question is, how do you find your calling? How do you make a career choice targeting at achieving this calling instead of just a stable job? Stay tuned next week for my two cents on this noble pursuit.