A Career vs. A Calling

 

30x30x30 Blogathon Post #3:  June 3rd  - Srinivas Rao

We are cruising into Day 3 of the Blogathon and Srinivas Rao is here to educate us on the things we should have learned in school but never did. Make sure to check out his blog called The Skool of Life. Srinivas is an insightful writer and I have learned a SH*T load from his blog posts including the one he has contributed below.

Enjoy his post!

 

The 30x30x30 Blogathon is happening every day in June! Click here to add to your feed, and you won’t miss a day!

 

When You Can’t Imagine Doing Anything Else

A few days ago my sister graduated from medical school. When you consider the decade of schooling that goes into it, our family is obviously very proud of what she’s accomplished. During happy hour after her graduation, I asked her “when did you know that this was what you wanted to do?” Although she had the desire to become a doctor since junior high school, she said there came a point in college when she realized she couldn’t imagine herself doing anything else. Her desire to become a doctor went from being a career choice to a calling.

So many of us ignore our calling, neglecting the most important factor in finding work we love. We confuse survival with success and get caught up in the ego driven pursuit of a life that looks good on paper. Fear, self doubt, risk aversion and the hidden dangers of other people’s expectations keep us from taking a leap of faith.

The Difference Between What’s Good for You and What’s Best for You

What’s good for you is safety, security, and comfort. Play it safe, drive through life with the emergency break on, and don’t get too close to the edge. This is how many people approach life. When we operate from this place, we become the victim of self imposed limitations. Doing what’s best for you is hard. You’ll be judged, criticized, and questioned for your choices. The parental sign off or seal of approval is something that we all strive for. There will even be moments when it feels like you’re not doing what’s best for you.  But if you don’t trust your gut instead of popular opinion, it always comes back to bite you in the ass.

You must resist the temptation to quit. When you get to the point of no return it’s inevitable that you’ll exceed your own expectations.

Dreams and Ambitions Come in Different Shapes, Colors and Sizes

Some of us are lucky enough to have our calling and our careers blend, while others have to embrace the sex and cash theory.  And there’s nothing wrong with that.  But many people paint their masterpiece in black and white.  They become victims of social programming and see the world through lenses that they didn’t even choose.

Your crazy wild eyed dreams don’t have to make sense. They don’t need to be justified to anybody. Tweet This!

If you want to visit every country in the world,  become fluent in 3 months, or ride 60 foot waves then by all means pursue that goal. Tribes of people doing supposedly impossible things are emerging every single day.

What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up? 

It’s a question we’re asked over and over as children? Even though there are no wrong answers to this question, we act as though there are and dreams deflate because of it. “Not everybody can be… you can’t,  it’s not possible”…fill in the blank and  “you should, it’s best if” and the cycle of of self doubt begins.

There are probably waves I’ll never surf. But a few days ago, I was toying around with another mission, surf every coastline in in the world where there are waves before I turn 40. Why? Because, to live any other way would be completely insane.

 

 

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