3 Articles That Have Changed my Life, Part 2

2. Jeffrey Thompson "What is Your Calling in Life?"

http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=13082&x=61&y=5

Since I'm an MBA student right now, I spend hours thinking about my future career.  I spend 8-12 hours each week researching companies, talking to people on the phone, practicing interviews with other students, filling out applications, and soul searching to figure out what I really want to do.  It's exhausting!  I am very concerned with finding a career where I'll be happy and fulfilled.  And I spend large amounts of time wondering which career is "right" for my talents, abilities, strengths, and skills.  This article applies to any "calling in life" that we're searching for.  At this point in my life, I'm relating it to finding the right career.

In this article, Jeffrey Thompson refutes 4 heresies about our "calling in life":

1. You might have a calling if you are lucky, or you might not.
2. You have to find your one true calling in order to be fulfilled.
3. When you find your calling, work will be bliss.
4. Meaningfulness in life is to be found at work.

First: we all have different talents, skills, and abilities.  We can all contribute.

Second: there's not just one, and only one, job that is perfect for us.  I'm so worried about finding the "one" right job for me.  In reality, there are probably many jobs where I could excel with my talents.  Trying to find the "one right job" is like trying to find the "one" girl you were destined to marry.  In most cases, there's not just one girl in the whole world that is the only right one for you.  It's the same with jobs.  Instead of trying to find the "one" right job, we should focus on identifying our talents and abilities, and finding a job where we can best contribute.  Also, we shouldn't be afraid of exploring a little, or even losing your job for a time.

Third: Even if you find your "dream job", there will still be hard days.  For example, zookeepers usually love their jobs, but there are still things they have to do that they don't like, such as taking care of sick animals in the middle of the night, not having a comfortable living, and relatively few opportunities for advancement.

Fourth: This is almost true, but not quite.  Work is a very important part of life, and we should seek to find work that is meaningful to us.  However, work can distract us from the weightier matters of life, such as family, religion, and service.