“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Mark Twain
You know you have found a calling when…
Today I got up before the crack of dawn to walk the dog and feed the dog and cat. This is normal most days but on Saturdays I can usually sleep in a bit. At least until 7:30 when I have to get up and walk the dog before yoga. But today, I was up at my normal weekday time of 6:00 to walk the dog and get busy. This Saturday was a bit different because I had to be downtown for the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s Disease. It was what I used to think of as “marketing”. I was sponsoring a table and talking to people about what I do. But today was not about “marketing”. It was about meeting new people, working together for a good cause and spreading the word of an opportunity that few people know about — my work as a mediator.
Last week I walked in the Bradenton walk. This week I was honored to be a sponsor for the Sarasota walk. I was also able to join hundreds of people out raising money and awareness as we walked and talked and laughed together. This evening I wanted to share the joy I felt to be out today and the joy I feel in my life. I have found my calling and it makes me happy.
So, what are some of the signs that you have found your calling? These are mine:
“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” Aristotle
Things that are usually thought of as hard work come easily. Getting up early, working late, working seven days a week and wishing there was one more day for you to work. Time flies when you are having fun. It also flies, perhaps faster, when you are driven, dedicated and committed to your path.
“Don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration I don’t think you can go wrong.” Ella Fitzgerald
Good things happen and you don’t even know how. Since closing my litigation practice and committing to peacemaking through mediation, I have been so blessed to have good things happen. I have been invited to speak at several conferences. I have two more speaking engagements coming before the end of the year. I have been inspired to write and spread my knowledge. I have been honored to be a chosen as the mediator and facilitator by many new clients. Good things happen when you are on the right path.
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Steve Jobs
When you stray from the path it is easy to find your way back. Just because you have found a calling doesn’t mean that the path is always clear. It is just as easy to stray from the path. There are obstacles and bumps in the road. But, you sense the shift in the terrain much easier and find your way back to the path, the place that feels right, so much easier when you are on the “right path”.
Things come to you as you need them. Mentors, money, opportunity… All of these have come to me more easily and in great abundance since I changed my path. Also, smiles, sleep and health. It is not magic, although sometimes it feels that way. It is the energy that we produce when we do what we love and the confidence that we exude when we know we have chosen well. This is not to say that I don’t worry. After all, who starts a new business and doesn’t loose a few nights sleep. But now when I can’t sleep it is because I have things to do and I want to do them.
“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.” Buddha
Work isn’t work. When I was a litigator I hated “marketing”, spreading the word of what I did and seeking out clients. Now, I love every opportunity to tell people what I do. I look for any chance to help people find solutions to the troubles they have in their lives and in their families. Even the mundane tasks that face every business woman are easier when it is part of a bigger picture.
My career has been very circuitous. I heard recently that a child coming of age now will have fourteen careers in their adult life. Not jobs but careers. I have had at least six. I have been an administrator, a researcher, an advocate, a diplomat, a lawyer and a mediator. Each has been appropriate for a time in my life. Each has somehow built upon the last. Each has filled a need. But the place I find myself now feels like a pinnacle. This path feels right. I finally know what I want to be when I grow up. The trip has been fun, but I am glad that I have arrived.