Vocation means to be called to something with an intensity that rules out mere chance. You realize, “I’ve found the perfect job for me!” You may know your vocation at the age of three or you may not discover it until you are in the autumn of your life. It follows no particular time frame and, once it becomes known, seldom can be ignored. Steven Spielberg was making home movies at a very early age. It has become his vocation and life’s passion.

Reverend Billy Graham’s daughter didn’t recognize she shared her father’s calling for many years because she was largely outshone by her father and brother. Not until the frustrations of daily life as a busy wife and mother led her to seriously examine it, did she come to realize she too wanted to share the gospel. Then she told her a friend of hers, “I found the perfect job for me.” 

You may recognize your vocation as a result of an activity you enjoy or it may take you by surprise. Inevitably, you must have time to daydream, time to explore new ideas for a vocation to make itself known. If your current work encompasses the majority of your time, you have no time or energy left to devote to unseen opportunities. That work pulls you down its path and takes you away from the potential you might discover elsewhere. The security of doing what is familiar outweighs the risk of trying something new.

Answering your calling can be compared to channeling. You are listening to an inner voice that pulls you toward a new opportunity. When you take time to explore it, do you lose track of time? Have several hours passed by in a period you envisioned was only a few minutes? The joy and intensity you found fully captivated your thoughts and imagination. Honoring this inner calling gives you a sense of calm and a sense of fulfillment. It is what you were meant to do.

Imagine a life in which each day was lived to the fullest, filled with the activity you love. You can get there, one step at a time by honoring that quiet voice within you, by giving yourself the time to cultivate new skills and talents.

When your subconscious tells you to call or visit a friend, answer it. Allow that inner voice an opportunity to be heard. Regularly give yourself time to consider what your calling might be. The people you speak with and the activities you encounter may eventually lead you to that which fills you with true joy.