Personal Calling
Dear Daisy,
The Alchemist, one of my all time favourite books. The story is amazing but what I loved most was the first few pages of the author's note. For those who have already read it , this might be a repetition but for those who are new to this, I'm sure you'll find it pretty interesting. I am going to quote a part of the note here."What is a personal calling? It is God's blessing, it is the path that God chose for you here on earth. Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend. However, we don't all have the courage to confront our own dream. Why?" - The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
So, when I first read this, I fell in love with the idea of personal calling and following your passion. Not just this book; there are a lot of inspirational quotes that people keep on citing regarding the same. For instance:
But sadly, I had a hard time figuring out my true passion (I'm still trying to). There are a few privileged ones who swear that they are following their hearts and are so, so happy doing what they love. In fact it has become a norm that people quit their boring jobs to follow their passion or probably even quit their schools or colleges to become entrepreneurs. But there is still a majority of us who fall into one of the 2 categories given below:
1. Those who are so bound with responsibilities that they seriously cannot quit what they are doing,
2. And then secondly, there are some like me who have yet to figure out what their true personal calling is.
Talking about category one - these kinda people are not born rich. They work hard to earn their living and support their families. For example: Let's just say that there's this person X who works in a bank, is married and has 2 kids going to school. So he needs the money to pay the bills and school fees, etc. But he is not happy with his job. And one fine day, he realises his personal calling is photography. You might say that photography can also be a well paid job if done professionally. But with three people depending on you, is it advisable to change your career without any training and experience? Would that not be the most foolish thing to do? This is not about courage, rather, it is about being responsible. Well maybe there is a way where you work extra hard to follow your dream while still doing your job. But let's be honest - people in this category hardly get time for themselves.
Now, the people falling in the second category are the confused ones. The real reason behind their confusion though, is that there are a number of different things that bring joy to them. For example: I enjoy while painting and writing. I also love designing and decorating a space. Then there is crochet which is so therapeutic for me as well. I am just listing the stuff out of which a career could be made of, coz the rest are just hobbies (Yes, there are more). I have never been consistent. As you can see my profile, I've already changed my career once. But the saddest thing about this second category is that they fall into peer pressure and still believe that realising their true calling will solve every problem - and I'm so guilty of that.
What I have noticed is that this whole notion of turning your passion to a profit sometimes takes the fun away. Coz when you are doing a job you have to abide by some rules. Timelines and deadlines, kill the creativity and ultimately the true joy. And probably you'll end up having a different interest.
OR MAYBE, that's just me.
But sadly, I had a hard time figuring out my true passion (I'm still trying to). There are a few privileged ones who swear that they are following their hearts and are so, so happy doing what they love. In fact it has become a norm that people quit their boring jobs to follow their passion or probably even quit their schools or colleges to become entrepreneurs. But there is still a majority of us who fall into one of the 2 categories given below:
1. Those who are so bound with responsibilities that they seriously cannot quit what they are doing,
2. And then secondly, there are some like me who have yet to figure out what their true personal calling is.
Talking about category one - these kinda people are not born rich. They work hard to earn their living and support their families. For example: Let's just say that there's this person X who works in a bank, is married and has 2 kids going to school. So he needs the money to pay the bills and school fees, etc. But he is not happy with his job. And one fine day, he realises his personal calling is photography. You might say that photography can also be a well paid job if done professionally. But with three people depending on you, is it advisable to change your career without any training and experience? Would that not be the most foolish thing to do? This is not about courage, rather, it is about being responsible. Well maybe there is a way where you work extra hard to follow your dream while still doing your job. But let's be honest - people in this category hardly get time for themselves.
Now, the people falling in the second category are the confused ones. The real reason behind their confusion though, is that there are a number of different things that bring joy to them. For example: I enjoy while painting and writing. I also love designing and decorating a space. Then there is crochet which is so therapeutic for me as well. I am just listing the stuff out of which a career could be made of, coz the rest are just hobbies (Yes, there are more). I have never been consistent. As you can see my profile, I've already changed my career once. But the saddest thing about this second category is that they fall into peer pressure and still believe that realising their true calling will solve every problem - and I'm so guilty of that.
What I have noticed is that this whole notion of turning your passion to a profit sometimes takes the fun away. Coz when you are doing a job you have to abide by some rules. Timelines and deadlines, kill the creativity and ultimately the true joy. And probably you'll end up having a different interest.
OR MAYBE, that's just me.
Bang on. Most of us are not happy with what we are doing in our day to day life. Atleast I am not happy with what I am doing. However, I don't see myself fit into either of the 2 categories. I believe the most important thing needed here is the self belief. When I look back and regret having not had a chance to do what I would love to 2 simple questions give me the reality check.
ReplyDeleteFirst, did I have the self belief of taking up what I love the most and pursuing it? Second, was I able to convince others that I would be able to pursue what I love the most. All I hear in my ears is a big NO. The reason being this lack of self belief is nothing but the FEAR OF FAILURE, which held me back. What if I fail? With self belief one can definitely answer the personal calling and get rid of the frustration " I wish I could "
Actually my point here was you don't necessarily have to blindly follow your passion without the consideration of other things. Moreover it's also not necessary to bang your head if you can't figure out one.
DeleteWhat you are talking is a different category, where you know what you want to do, you do not have any constraints and yet you are not pursuing it because of lack of self-confidence. I might write about that one.
Very recently, my friend and I were having a discussion about this. Hobbies, passion and what makes us tick. Am sure she would love to read this piece.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to both the categories to a great extent. Let's just hope, we keep the love and joy for our passions alive and burning, so much so, that the mundane pressures of deadlines and stuff don't really kill the joy we get.
I just love the way you start your blogs keeps people hooked. Sweetheart you are awesome at almost everything you pointed out as your hobbies. I love you... Keep writing might be being a blogger is your true calling. Keep exploring things....
ReplyDeleteLots of love...
Thanks darling... :)
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