Connecting the Dots...

Moving from job (working for a wage) to career (work takes on greater significance) to calling (doing work that's part of a greater purpose) is, I would argue, a process of aligning the following:

Talents: what am I naturally good at? This is a paradox because I could want to be a guitarist yet not be particularly good at playing the guitar. I might not even be that interested in playing the guitar. However, if I have the motivation to put in the deliberate practice of mastering the guitar (10 000 hours) then I could assume that I'm relatively talented at playing the guitar.

Interests: what do I enjoy doing? This too is not defined by any one particular set of attributes. Ask most students in college what they're interested in and you could get a whole range of remarks from hockey to basketball, reading to music. This is not the point. The point is, pick an interest that you feel most drawn to and begin to mold and craft that interest into a rare and valuable skill. Rather than becoming obsessed with one particular passion, this affords greater room, maneuverability and scope for growth.

Vision: how do I see myself in relation to my work, family, relationships in 10 years time?  Connecting with your vision is however much larger than merely projecting how you see yourself in the future. It requires digging into identity and asking yourself those challenging, often uncomfortable questions such as, who am I? What's important to me? Why am I here?

Direction: where am I now in relation to my vision? This relates to internal as well as external context. I cannot begin to shape and mold my vision if I do not first understand who I am and how I relate to external context so that I can begin working, through deliberate practice, to get to where I want to go. And this is not to say that where you want to go will be the same a couple years down the line. However, we use this as a frame of reference for beginning on the path to mastery.

Where are you positioned in relation to these qualities, how have they shaped you thus far and how can you use them to build the life you desire?