Chapter 1: The Journey to Discovering Your Calling

I consider myself a late bloomer, having taken over seventy years to uncover my true calling. You might think, "That took quite a while," and you would be correct. My life felt aimless for many years.

To borrow a phrase from Yogi Berra, while I was lost, I was certainly making good time.

A calling is a profound connection to a purpose greater than oneself. It becomes an integral part of your identity and what you wish to contribute to the world. While similar to a life purpose, I prefer the term "calling" for its ambiguity.

You don’t start with a blank slate and then systematically plot a course to your calling with specific goals. It’s not that logical. Instead, a calling emerges when you are fully engaged with life and listening to your intuition. It’s possible to be living out your calling without even realizing it.

It’s important to differentiate between a career and a calling. A career revolves around personal ambitions, while a calling transcends individual desires.

For instance, Nelson Mandela initially pursued law as a career, but it evolved into a calling as he led the fight against apartheid in South Africa. His journey resulted in 27 years of imprisonment, a powerful testament to the essence of a calling, far beyond the realm of a mere career.

“A calling connects you with a greater purpose, typically outside yourself.”

My own journey unfolded in a much smaller context. It began with my commitment to daily meditation, which significantly enhanced my life but did not reveal my calling. However, meditation paved the way for my writing, which eventually led me to my calling when I focused on mindful aging.

I stumbled upon my calling quite unexpectedly. As I read the enthusiastic reactions to my articles on aging, I discovered a community of older readers, much like myself, eager for insights and inspiration on navigating the later stages of life. It became clear that we could explore this topic together, and therein lies my calling.

Now, I see my calling as using my writing to empower others to embrace a positive perspective on aging, enabling them to flourish well into their 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond. At the heart of my message is mindfulness, which resonates with individuals of all ages.

I aim to assist others by sharing my own experiences. It’s a humble calling, yet one that is greatly needed in the world.

Old age is a significant life phase that everyone will eventually encounter, and it can be challenging. As the Buddha might suggest, aiding older individuals toward a better quality of life aligns with a “right livelihood.”

Here are four insights that guided me in uncovering my calling during my seventies.

Insight 1: Embrace Your Passion

This phrase, popularized by Joseph Campbell in 1988, encourages you to pursue what genuinely excites you rather than succumbing to societal pressures and playing it safe. It involves trusting that everything will eventually fall into place, even if circumstances are not ideal.

Consider the scenario of a young person expressing a desire to become a poet to their parents. The likely response would be to suggest a more lucrative career in finance.

By the time I reached my seventies, my parents had long since passed, and I finally awoke from the slumber induced by societal expectations. I resolved to pursue my passion for meditation and writing.

Perhaps my age made me less concerned about others' opinions, or I had become more attuned to my intuition. Regardless, I took the leap, and for that, I am immensely thankful.

Joseph Campbell advised his students, “Follow your bliss. The bliss is the message of God to yourself. That’s where your life is.”

Insight 2: Cultivate Mental Stillness

Filmmaker David Lynch likens consciousness to a golf ball. He states that a limited awareness produces limited understanding.

If your awareness is the size of a golf ball when you read, your comprehension will be equally constrained. However, if you expand that consciousness, your understanding, awareness, and wakefulness will grow.

After practicing meditation, I noticed a significant reduction in my anger. The realization dawned that my anger was a collection of fleeting thoughts and not a fundamental truth; I could choose to release them.

I didn’t conquer my thoughts; instead, I learned to withhold my attention from them, allowing me to be more present. With a quieter mind, I became more aware of the ocean of consciousness that resides within us all.

A consistent meditation practice serves as a framework for not taking thoughts too seriously in daily life. You don’t have to accept every thought as true.

Meditation empowers you to discern which thoughts warrant your attention and which can be dismissed. It offers clarity and prevents you from being overwhelmed by your mental chatter, leading you closer to that vast ocean of consciousness, where your calling may become clearer.

Insight 3: Let Go of Preset Plans

We all possess a blueprint—a set of beliefs shaped by friends, family, and societal norms. While these blueprints may reflect common sense, they often originate from others’ experiences rather than our own.

To truly follow your bliss, you must build your life on your internal blueprint—your intuition. The quieter your mind, the clearer your intuition will become.

Intuition acts as an internal compass, guiding you in making important decisions.

When you embrace your passion, cultivate mental stillness, and listen to your intuition, you will begin to uncover your calling. You might be surprised, just as I was when I found myself writing here on Medium. Five years ago, I never envisioned this path, nor did I foresee writing about aging. I was too preoccupied with my blueprints.

Insight 4: Stay Prepared for Opportunities

Your calling may have already presented itself multiple times, but you might have been too entangled in your preconceived notions to recognize it.

If you release your rigid concepts, quiet your mind, and remain open, you will likely catch glimpses of your calling. By trusting your intuition, you can follow its guidance, leading you closer to your purpose. You may not discover your calling; rather, you may awaken one day to realize you’ve been living it all along.

My journey from a 25-year exploration of Zen to a commitment to daily meditation, eventually culminating in writing about mindful aging, illustrates this process. Finding my calling was never the goal; it simply unfolded naturally.

The only thread connecting those four phases of my life is that I genuinely enjoyed what I was doing throughout. I hope you consider these four insights for discovering your calling—there’s no specific order to follow.

Remember: “Where meditation flows, intuition grows.”

Gary

May 2024

In this insightful video, discover how to find your calling by tapping into your passions and intuition.

This video offers valuable guidance on how to uncover your calling, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness and self-awareness.