It was like being in a maze and not knowing which way to turn. There I was deeply in love again while I was holding my first child. I knew giving up this passion would mean that I would be setting a good example for her. I would be comfortable calling myself unselfish and a heck of a great mom. But this was the thing that I loved doing. I loved gogoing. I have been a gogo dancer for years. Is this really my true calling that I am giving up or is it just a stepping stone on my journey that’s leading me to where I really should be?

Your true calling makes up your behavioral patterns within your everyday life. It’s your motivation to keep working towards goals and particular life directions. It is something that is meaningful and promotes highly productive engagement within it’s set of goals. It’s no wonder why it has a connection to our happiness. Your true calling consists of your innate gifts, your passions and your interests all mashed into one. Without it, many people may feel lost, sad and confused. It may even lead them to sink into deep depression. Findings show that how we experience ourselves in the larger world (which is how we perceive our purpose) can affect our likelihood of developing anxiety or depression. 

Here are a few things to do when trying to discover your true calling. 

1. Think about the things that you enjoyed as a child and what you used to love

As a child, we were not weighed down by the typical robot-like days that adults have. Children are inquisitive, fun, and creative. As children, we always felt like we were not limited to what we could do. We were invincible and that mindset still needs to be with us today. Go above and beyond as if you had no barriers. Think about how nothing is holding you back. Think about all the creative things that you had fun with while in elementary school. Try to remember what your favorite activity was, where your favorite place was and write down all of that information to reflect on later. 

2. Imagine your ideal life

This somewhat ties into the previous tip. If you had no limits and no time restraints, what would you do with all of your time? Idealizing your perfect life could really be key to finding your true passion. What would be going on during your everyday activities? Would you be coming up with a new painting? Would you be helping someone feel better? Think about it as if you were able to do this very thing every single day of your life’s journey. 

3. Focus on what makes you come alive and excited

Everyday life, especially during times of COVID, can make us feel like we are not really attuned. We get too busy wrapped up in the bad news and it’s proven. One study found that people tend to pay more attention to negative news than to positive news. Take the time out of your day and just stop. Become aware of your surroundings. How do you feel at the current moment? What is going on around you? What do you smell, taste, and hear? Do your senses coincide with feelings of happiness and excitement? Another key trick to finding out what makes you really excited is to think about what makes you forget to do the basic necessities. What gets you so hyped up that you push away sleeping or eating? That is one of the biggest signs that you are engaging in your true passion.

4. Try new hobbies regularly 

In order to find your true calling, it’s important to try new things to see if it calls to you. If you are trying out new a hobby & it really seems to catch your interest, explore it more. Trying new hobbies gives you better insight on your skills and abilities if you don’t have that insight already. It may help you discover new interests, new potential professions, and new places that might be a part of your true calling. You can consider taking new classes or trying new DIYs from online materials. But whatever the case may be, it may be best to try one new hobby each month instead of trying multiple. This will keep you from getting overwhelmed and this will give you a chance to get a better sense of how you feel about each one without giving up too quickly. 

5. Look at your strengths

When we know our strengths, we know what makes us feel like we are engaged in something meaningful. We are more productive, more engaged, and more joyful at the same time. Sometimes our strengths are really clear and sometimes they may go unnoticed. To really look at your strengths, it may be helpful to ask at least three of the closest people to you and ask them to tell you what you are good at. This will give you more insight. If this gets a little challenging, you can also try listing three different ways that you stand out from others. 

6. Pay attention to things that you keep coming back to

Think about the key things that always seem to come your way through dreams, messages, and people. Do people often come to you for advice? Do messages of becoming a teacher often catch your attention? Do you often see a nurse in your dreams? Staying aware of little details like that can be so helpful to finding your true calling. 

7. Reflect on your favorite big causes

Are you a supporter of PETA? Are you a supporter of climate change? Whichever cause that shouts out your name every time you hear someone talking about the subject, write that down because that may be a key stone to what your true calling is and how your purpose ties into the world as a whole. This would be the problem that you help solve and that gives you a sense of intention. 

8. Ask yourself how you want to be remembered

If someone were to write the best speech about the person you want to be in the future, what would they say? What type of accomplishments would they mention? What type of journeys would they say you go on? Write this down to reflect on. 

9. Keep an open-mind

Surrounding yourself in other cultures can help you see things in a different perspective and it can also give you practice for training your mind to be open-minded. By being open-minded, you make a guarantee that you will not shut down reasonable experiences too soon without trying them first (by reasonable I mean, except for highly dangerous ones, of course). My saying for most things is that you don’t really know unless you try it. Being open-minded is also great for gaining a deeper sense of yourself. You will learn more about your belief systems and which alternate belief systems you may reconsider. 

Keep in mind too that not everyone has just one and only one true calling. I do believe that it is possible to have more than one. The sweet number is usually 1 to 3. By utilizing the quick tips above, you can notice each one that may be calling to you. 

So here are the key practical takeaways.

  • Write down all the details of happy memories from your childhood days.
  • Write down everything that you want in your most perfect life.
  • Practice becoming aware of your surroundings by using guided meditations. 
  • Sign up for a new hobby this month. 
  • Find your strengths by asking at least three of the closest people to tell you what you are good at OR list three different ways that you stand out from others.
  • Write down anything that catches your sight in a consistent manner.
  • Write down your top 3 favorite causes. 
  • Write down a speech someone would make that is about your future self. 
  • Compare everything written down and see which parts are similar.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cherish Angel is a mental health coach and a crisis counselor. As the owner of the entrepreneur blog, Soul of Purpose, she provides all the scientifically proven methods of increasing confidence, improving mental health, and boosting productivity skills for women. Her absolute favorite subject is all things psychology.