“You Can Do Anything” and Other Myths

~ Walt Disney

If only you work hard enough, you can accomplish anything. Such a positive sentiment. So independent, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps, 100% American.

And so misleading.

I can dream about becoming a Rock diva, or an Olympic athlete, or a marketing genius, but I will never achieve those dreams. I simply don’t have what it takes.

Does this mean I’m a failure?

Destined to live a boring life, lacking the fulfillment of those who reach for the stars?

No.

It means I understand that true calling is more than a dream. No amount of hard work can make up for talents we don’t possess, but with hard work we can fulfill our calling, because calling comes out of who we are, not who we wish we could be.

Six myths about calling

1. I’m not called. Maybe calling is just for those special few who were born to be great. Don’t believe it! Each of us has a unique package of passions, talents and experiences that point to and enable our calling. We all have the potential to fulfill our calling, but not everyone does the hard work to reach for it.
2. I don’t have the talent to do what I think my calling requires. This is where Disney’s quote has it right. We are not born with Talent, we acquire it through hard work. So, in a sense, we can achieve what we dream of—but only if we also have the drive within us to work hard enough. And even then, we may never be as good as the next guy. But we don’t have to be the best in the world to fulfill our calling, we just have to be good enough to succeed where we are called to serve. In other words, I may never be good enough to be a rock star, but I could learn to sing and play well enough to be part of a worship team or a local theater group. And that may be exactly what I was destined to do.
3. Calling is that one thing I was meant to do. Calling isn’t a single activity, it’s a way of life surrendered to God and his leading. Following our calling may lead us one place at twenty and another place at forty. And sometimes calling means using different skills in different areas at the same time (like being a Mom and a teacher.)
4. Someday I’ll “just know.” It would be nice if we woke up one day and “just knew” what we were meant to do with our lives, but that rarely happens. Some people seem to know from birth that they were called to be a nurse or a missionary or a dancer, but the rest of us have to go through trial and error to figure it out. And that’s OK. What’s not OK is being afraid to try anything because you’re not completely sure it’s the right direction. Waiting for clarity will most likely end in a life of missed opportunities.
5. Calling means fulfillment, not doubts or trials. It would be nice if we embarked on our calling and enjoyed smooth sailing, but life isn’t like that. Pursuing our calling means taking risks, making mistakes, and overcoming setbacks. Athletes understand that reaching their potential means gritting their teeth and pushing through hard, boring and often painful workouts. So it is with calling. In fact, having the gumption to stick through the tough times is a sign that you are truly called to what you’re trying to do.
6. If I fail then it must not be my calling. We cannot expect to learn a new skill without some failures along the way. We don’t quit being parents when we screw up, do we? Neither should we let mistakes or failure stop us from pursuing our calling. Repeated failure may mean we need to readjust our direction, but we should not expect to pursue anything worth pursuing without setbacks along the way.

Have these myths kept you from pursuing something that might turn out to be your calling in life? If so, maybe it’s time to get moving.

More thoughts about myths and finding our calling:

3 Big Myths, from Relevant Magazine

Myths that get in the way of your calling, from Today’s Christian Woman

7 Myths about finding your calling, from Psychology Today