What is your calling?

I'd love to hear from our members an answer to this question: what is your calling? How did you discover it? Here's my general calling: Encourage, empower and inspire others. That translates into writing, speaking and coaching for me.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lynne Watts on May 20, 2012 at 8:15pm

Kim, Thanks for sharing those resources. I'll have to check them out! Anyone else have some books or podcasts to recommend on this topic?

Permalink Reply by Kim Anstaett on July 10, 2012 at 11:00pm

I found this article the other day....

it is very interesting and talks all about Calling!

Attachments:

GettingCaughtbyYourCallingbyDanAllender.pdf, 673 KB

Permalink Reply by Susan James on June 22, 2012 at 10:02am

I don't know what my calling is. I am new to this site and new to the internet as a social medium. I mean, I have had a facebook account for a couple of years and have reconnected with old friends and such, but I am just discovering blogs and the wonderful wealth of information that they impart. I have become so inspired by some of the blogs that I have been discovering and reading that I would really like to write one of my own. Most of the blogs I have been drawn to have been centered around Christian ladies who have an incredible knack for design and decorating, cooking, organization and generalized life issues. I, myself have never considered myself to be super crafty, so I am not sure if that is the way I want to go, but they just inspire me so much that I know I want to use their insights somehow. What I KNOW I love to do is write poetry. I am particularly good at writing specific customized type poems. I even recently asked my coworker to be my guinea pig and let me write a poem about her "Granny." She is always raving about her and I just thought it would be a wonderful tribute to her as well. She agreed very excitedly and was extra eager for me to write it because she was planning a trip home to see her in the near future. Also, what I didn't know, was that her Granny had recently had an illness claim some of her memory and it had affected their relationship some. My friend still loves her Granny dearly and was thrilled to be able to share her feelings of love for her in the poem that I wrote. I gave her an application to fill out and wrote it from that. It came out exactly how we both imagined and she and her whole family loved it. I have considered creating a website writing custom poetry, but upon searching for similar sites on the internet, I have found there is great competition and am a bit overwhelmed. I am also not familiar with the ins and outs of starting an online business and know that there are rules, regulations and taxes to consider, so the task of learning those rules, etc. is also a bit daunting. As you can see, I don't know what my calling is at this point. I know I want to write and that I want what I write to be an inspiration to others and to provide people with a gift of words that pull their thoughts into a collected cohesive poem. I am currently working as a title officer at a local title company and I have done this job for literally my whole adult life. It has been and is a wonderful job, but I don't feel I am using my talents to their fullest doing it. I am ashamed to admit that I am scared to try something new having done what I do for 19 years now. Any thoughts or words of advice for a newbie looking to find her calling and make a career out of it?

Permalink Reply by Kathy on June 22, 2012 at 10:33am

Hi Susan, and welcome to a wonderful group of ladies. Many of us have been or are still at your place wondering just what we might be meant to do. If you know you love to write poetry...keep writing you never know where it will lead. I have a friend who wrote poems ALL the time mostly for occasions like birthdays and anniversaries and then something on her day job caused her to realize a need and her poems led to her new passion. Her story is in my latest book and her name is Jill Starishevsky

Join Kent Julian's group here, Write it Forward, if you haven't already done so or several blogging groups on this site can help direct you and I am a member of SheWrites which is a very good site for women writers.

Also, my colleagues and I give a conference yearly about passion and we will let you know more about that later. Come join us on Facebook.

Permalink Reply by Lynne Watts on June 23, 2012 at 7:30pm

Susan, thanks for sharing your journey! I think passion is an evolving process. I have been on my job for 18 years and it has also been a wonderful experience. However, about 3 years ago I decided I wanted to stretch myself and do more which involved writing as well. I started with some children's stories that I had written before and have just gradually developed a speaking and writing business on the side. It is definitely overwhelming to research most any alternative career on the internet but don't let it discourage you. Just start where you are! If you like writing poems and other people enjoy them, go for it! I'm still learning and growing myself.

Permalink Reply by Margie Latch on July 12, 2012 at 4:39pm

My calling. I'd have to say that it is to minister -through writing. I have a little bit of testimony in a lot of different areas and putting the "map and flashlight" for the road out, in writing, seems to be what I do best. I've started to put some of it out in a blog... http://anextraordinaryeverydayordinary.blogspot.com/. I also write about my entertaining dog out on www.thecarmiechronicles.com, but I'm not so sure that fits under the category of calling :)

My most favorite thing in the world is to have a young lady in my life that needs an adult to translate for her. The first post I did, out on AEEO is a perfect example. That, to me, is the center of my calling. To help children understand the world around them...especially the adults around them. I'm sure my testimony can help grown women as well, but my ultimate passion is for the kids.

Writing...well, I guess you could say it's part o my calling, though I tend to think of it as the gift through which the largest part of my calling will operate. I love to write!

Permalink Reply by Kathy on July 30, 2012 at 8:49pm

Margie,

I have seen both of your blogs. They are both great. I just adopted a second dog so I enjoy the doggie stories.

I also feel I minister through writing. Even if no one reads my blog, I often feed it very therapeutic to write a post.

Someone once told me that anyone can write but only some people can write something others want to read, so if you are discovering a niche for readers, you are well on your way. Good to have you here!

Permalink Reply by Amy J.Bonar on July 31, 2012 at 3:54pm

Margie,

I visited and tagged your blogspot. I love it! Simple and clean - and uplifting. Look forward to more postings and dialoguing.

~Amy

Permalink Reply by Mary E Thompson on July 12, 2012 at 7:20pm

My calling is to help people, but specifically working moms. My journey is still being written, but I went to college to get a degree in chemical engineering. I got a good job, but something always felt a little off for me. I loved my first boss (a female), but since then have never worked for anyone I felt wanted to help me.

I looked into other opportunities, but always felt something pulling me to writing. When I started to look into writing some more, I realized I didn't really know what I wanted to write, but felt pulled to do so. I've always been an avid reader and figured I would write the sort of books I read (chic lit). As I began writing a few fiction books, I found Brendan Burchard. His message about helping people and doing multiple things in different ways really spoke to me. I had started a website designed to help working moms a few years ago, but felt like I was floundering. After Brendan, I felt focused.

I shifted gears in my site and started writing a blog about helping working moms find balance (yes, I really do believe it's possible, but I define balance a little differently than most). Now, I'm writing my first book, looking into publishing an e-zine, publishing my blog, and hopefully going to get into teaching classes for new working moms (at local hospitals), webinars, and one day group coaching and possibly seminars. I have high hopes, but I really feel working moms are left in the dust in many situations and we need some help. I want to help others get through the struggles easier than I did!

Side note: I have never been a stay at home mom. I don't know that life, but I have the utmost respect for moms who can stay home with their kids. It would be very tough for me to do that (personally), and I focus on helping working moms because that is the life I know. I would assume stay at home moms could benefit from my message as well, but since I don't know what they go through, I am not intending to market to them. I'm not trying to start an argument for either side here, I truly believe both sides have great points and we all need to do exactly what works for our family, not what someone else thinks we should do!

Permalink Reply by Kathy on July 30, 2012 at 8:46pm

Mary,

Hi...glad you joined A Called Woman. You seem to have identified a great niche and one you truly identify with. I think many mothers feel "out of balance" for years as they are raising their families. I know I surely did. Please post the link to your blog so we can check it out,.

Permalink Reply by Lynne Watts on July 15, 2012 at 11:56am

Mary, thanks for sharing your journey! I think that you have definitely found an important niche and you have such a great message to share from your own experience. Blessings to you along the way.

Permalink Reply by Lynne Watts on July 15, 2012 at 12:02pm

Margie, Welcome and thanks for sharing. I love your blog by the way!