All of us are created with God-given abilities and purpose, but it’s up to us to nurture those abilities and seek out the callings God has prepared for us. When was the last time you considered your calling?
What’s your calling?
Don’t let the word intimidate you. We fulfill multiple callings in life, such as the calling to be a parent, teacher, or pianist. No doubt you are currently living out several callings in your career and family life. But our current responsibilities and busy lifestyle might be drowning out an as-yet-ignored calling that is whispering for you to stop and pay attention.
So, every now and then it’s worthwhile to pause and consider what dreams or callings we may be inadvertently ignoring. And here’s a simple question that can help you discover hidden callings:
What would you do if you could do ANYTHING your heart desired?
Would you hike the Appalachian Trail? Travel the world? Spend all day with your grandkids? Enroll in a watercolor course like you’ve always thought about?
What’s your answer? Blurt out whatever pops into your head, without judging how impractical or silly it might be. Jot your answer down, but don’t stop there.
Let’s dig a little deeper into callings.
Let me rephrase the question: If income, health benefits, time, and practicality were not an issue—what would you jump at the chance to do?
- Is there a skill, or hobby you would love to pursue, like learning to ice skate or play the guitar?
- Do you dream of enjoying a certain experience, like seeing ancient temples in Cambodia or exploring cloud forests in Costa Rica?
- Is there a goal or achievement you’d love to reach, like opening a bakery or becoming a department manager?
Your idea may seem ridiculous, impossible, or a frivolous waste of time and money. Maybe you don’t see why it would benefit anyone. Maybe it would take too long, or you’re sure your friends or relatives won’t understand or approve.
Don’t let those negative whispers discount your inner calling dreams so quickly!
Does the crazy dream matter to you? Does it excite you? Would it give you a reason to get out of bed? If so, dare to believe it might be worth trying. Maybe it’s not as infeasible as you think. Maybe what seems to you like a selfish hobby is part of God’s calling on you to further his kingdom. How will you know if you don’t at least try?
Think about it this way: When you’re on your deathbed and you look back over your life, what are you going to regret not doing? Will you immediately think about that calling you ignored, that thing you always wished you could do but never had the courage to start?
Don’t die with regrets. Take action!
Are you going to keep ignoring those interests that tug at your heart, that skill you’ve never gotten around to nurturing, that passion you keep stuffing back inside? Or is it time to take action?
Step One – Clarify your Why
Before you spend time and money on a crazy whim, ponder your Why. Why does the idea make your heart sing? Try to pinpoint the specific reasons you think you want to try it. For example, do you want to learn the guitar because you have a secret dream to be a rock star, or because you’ve always wished you could plan an instrument?
Now ask why again. Why do you want to be a rock star? Keep asking why until you understand the root issue at work. Maybe you discover becoming a musician isn’t what you’re after at all. Maybe the rock star dream is really about being on stage and hearing people cheer.
And while the chances of you becoming a rock star are pretty small, getting yourself on stage in front of an audience is definitely within the realm of possibility.
Step Two – Give yourself permission to dream
Once you’ve clarified the essence of what excites you about the idea, tell yourself that the dream is both VALID and POSSIBLE. Believe the idea is a seed planted in your being by God, and if you trust him to lead, he will help it come to be.
Step Three – Apply WOOP.
WOOP is a simple tool to help people move from dreams to reality. I’ll use our rock star example to show you how it works.
- WISH – The big dream / fantasy / wish we started with. In this example: becoming a rock star.
- OUTCOME – turn the wish into a specific, possible outcome. For example, the rock star dream might turn into appearing on stage and enjoying audience applause. (Notice how this outcome was informed by drilling into the whys to get to the core of the dream.)
- OBSTACLE – Identify a specific obstacle that must be overcome to get to the outcome. For example, a need to develop public speaking skills.
- PLAN – Create a plan to overcome the obstacle. In this case the plan could be to join Toastmasters or take a public speaking course.
When you have first distilled your crazy idea into a specific and doable outcome, the WOOP method will help you determine a plan of action. Note this plan will not enable you to totally achieve your public stage goal, but it’s a good step in the right direction.
Step Four – Do the next step.
The way to accomplish big, impossible goals is to take one small step. And then another. So, break the plan above into smaller steps and take one step today. (Like googling Toastmasters and finding the nearest chapter.)
Take one step, no matter how small or insignificant it feels. Who knows what doors of opportunity God will guide us to if we simply do what we can, consistently and with faith.
