It's too late — Five lies that keep us from our calling
THE FIVE LIES
There are five lies that we tuck into on a regular basis which keep us from recognising and following our calling. Let’s pick them apart and, in the process, discover how the truth is much better than we imagine.
It’s too late—Five lies that keep us from our calling
This is number three in the Five Lies That Keep Us From Our Calling series.
THE LIE: IT’S TOO LATE
I was watching an interview with the Theologian N.T.Wright, when he said something that caught me off guard.
He mentioned that he didn’t begin writing books until he was approaching his 50th birthday. Now, you might not think that this is a big deal, until you realise that he is the author of over 70 books. 70! That is 70 books in about 17 years.
Yeah. Right. Honestly. He describes it as an “explosion of creativity” coming from years of germinating underground. Now, although his story is amazing, it’s not actually that unusual. People often achieve the most amazing things later in life, in ways that we would never predict.
But what is it that makes them different? What can we learn from them for those times when we feel that it’s too late for us and we are tempted to dismiss our passions?
YOUR CALLING IS NOT A DESTINATION
To see things like they do, first, we need to see that our calling is not about completion. It’s about enjoying the process of working on something worthwhile. This is a lesson that artists seem to intuit best: the prize is in the process. It’s in the doing that we find the fulfilment that we’re looking for.
Take the artist Henri Rousseau. He only began to paint in his fourties with no formal training. You can read something of his journey in this thread from the School of Life. During his life, Rousseau’s work was ridiculed by critics, but that didn’t stop him. Why? Well, it’s hard to know for sure, but I suspect that after forty years, he’d finally found an outlet for an aspect of his imagination that was so fulfilling in and of itself that it didn’t matter what others thought about it.
When it comes to our calling, we can be like Rousseau. We don’t have to postpone our happiness until it’s finished or we reach some end goal. It is good enough for the soul just to head in the right direction even if it’s not ourselves who will get there.
Or, to put it another way, your calling is not a destination, it’s about a way of being in the world which is fulfilling because we give ourselves to it wholeheartedly.
YOUR CALLING IS NOT RIGID
The second thing, is that they are adaptable. They don’t believe in a fixed destiny, which they can somehow miss out on.
We know that there are circumstances in life which are beyond our control which can cut us off from opportunities which we want to pursue. This is a fact of life. In the event of a terrible accident for example, or a disease that leaves us paralysed; we may have to hang up the dream of winning the olympic gold in gymnastics. But, the idea that you must give up on pursuing a life of meaning and purpose altogether is nonsense.
Our calling is a dynamic thing. When circumstances change, so too do our options. And there are a million ways to craft a life of purpose, which seeks the fullest expression of your passions, powers and potential.
But, of course, there is more. There is a reason why there are so many of these stories.
There’s a reason Charles Darwin wrote On The Origin Of Species at age 50.
There’s a reason Nelson Mandela was 76 when he became the first president of post-apartheid South Africa.
There’s a reason Johnny Cash experienced a career revival in his late 60s.
It’s because, later in life, we’ve had a chance to pick up experience and skills which actually open doors rather than closing them. When you think about it that way, it’s actually pretty awesome.
So, don’t write yourself off because the truth is, it’s never too late to pursue your calling.
Godspeed,
T Mo
LATE BLOOMERS
Here are some stories for you. From big achievements in business and politics to more everyday personal stories about people finding what they love. Stories like these can inspire us, but they also show that it’s not just common to make meaningful achievements and personal discoveries later in life, it’s actually the norm.
Lastly, I’d recommend Ken Robinson’s book Finding Your Element for more great stories like these. And stay tuned for a book review soon.