It’s 11 PM on a Sunday. The high of the weekend has faded, replaced by a familiar, low-grade dread for the Monday morning meeting. You’re scrolling through social media, past a friend’s startup launch, a cousin’s solo trip, and a viral dance reel. And in that quiet, blue-lit moment, a question whispers in your mind: “Is this it? Is this all I’m meant to do?”
That question, in its rawest form, is this: What is your calling?
For many, this wasn’t a question we were encouraged to ask. The path was often pre-paved with stable, respectable careers. Your calling was to secure a good job, earn a steady salary, and make your family proud. Success was the destination, and the map was drawn by society. While there is immense nobility in these professions, what happens when your heart wants to navigate different terrain?
What is a Calling, Really? (It’s Not a Lightning Bolt)
The myth we’ve been sold is that a calling arrives like a cinematic epiphany where the world stops and you suddenly know. But real life rarely works that way.
More often than not, a calling isn’t found; it’s cultivated. It’s less of a treasure hunt and more like gardening. You have to plant different seeds of curiosity, water them with effort, and patiently see what blooms.
Think of it as your personal dharma—your unique, intrinsic nature and purpose. It’s that thing you do that makes you feel most alive and most yourself. A true calling often lies at the intersection of three things:
* What you love to do.
* What you are good at.
* What the world needs from you.
Does Your Calling Have to Be Your Job?
For some, their calling and profession are one and the same. The coder who gets lost in building elegant software, the teacher whose eyes light up when a student understands a concept, or the chef who finds joy in perfecting a recipe.
But for many others, a calling lives outside the 9-to-5 grind. It doesn’t have to pay your bills, but it must enrich your soul. It’s the IT professional who runs a weekend trekking group, the bank manager who spends her evenings teaching dance to underprivileged children, or the homemaker who starts a wildly successful food blog sharing family recipes with the world.
3 Practical Steps to Discover Your Calling
If you’re feeling lost, forget grand plans and start small. Here’s how you can begin the journey of finding your purpose.
1. Conduct a ‘Curiosity Audit’
What do you read about when no one’s watching? What are the YouTube rabbit holes you fall into at 2 AM? Is it ancient history, sustainable farming, or stock market analysis? Your genuine, unguarded curiosity is the compass needle pointing toward what truly engages you.
2. Follow the Energy
Pay close attention to what activities give you energy versus what drains you. Does organising a friend’s surprise party leave you buzzing with excitement? Does helping a neighbor with a small task give you a deep sense of accomplishment? That feeling of being energized and fulfilled is a powerful clue. Follow it.
3. Experiment with ‘Small Bets’
You don’t need to quit your job to find your passion. Take small, low-risk steps to explore your interests. Want to be a writer? Start a blog. Intrigued by pottery? Take a weekend class. Thinking of social work? Volunteer for a few hours a week. These “small bets” let you test the waters without risking everything.
In a world obsessed with the hustle, daring to ask “What is my calling?” is a revolutionary act. It’s a commitment to a life of purpose over a life of mere procedure. The answer may not come tomorrow, but the journey of asking, exploring, and listening to that quiet voice inside you—that, in itself, is a calling worth answering.
