The Vocabulary of Vocation
It is not more vacation we need - it is more vocation.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Over the last few months, I’ve been investing a lot of time and energy reflecting on what I would call my “vocation”.
Vocation is a word that comes from the Christian tradition and it means something like your life’s purpose or passion. Built into it is the understanding that we don’t just share in the wider purpose of all mankind, but that each of us has a unique DNA — a unique design — that we are destined for. There are certain things that suit us just right which make us come alive and feel fulfilled.
Of course, we can ignore this vocation if we wish but the idea is that we each have what Robert Greene calls our “life’s task” which will make us come alive as we increasingly live into it.
What a privilege it is to live at this time in history! Never before have people had so much choice and freedom to pursue the specific task that really brings them alive. But there is a dark side to all of that choice. We can get overwhelmed with so many options available to us that we fall into a kind of analysis paralysis. With all of the noise and pressures and distractions of modern life it can seem impossible to find our way toward a true vocation.
It requires a kind of dedication to leave the noise and expectations of others aside and attend to the quiet voice of our own specific lives. And it’s not a click-your-fingers type job either. I think maybe it’s more like learning the piano — have you ever heard someone say ‘I’ve finally finished learning the piano’?
Even though it can be daunting to start this journey, I think it’s worth it.
Because there is only one you, and there are some things that only you can bring to the world. Once you’re gone, those opportunities are also lost along with you.
So I think it’s worth it, but the question is, do you?
If you do, then hopefully the reflections in this space will help you on your way. Stay tuned for questions about how we can find our vocation, how we can find resources for knowing ourselves better and learn to live life to the full. I’ll be drawing on everything we have at our disposal in wisdom both old and new; all the way from scripture to sociology to stoicism.
And I’d love to do it together. I’d love to hear what you think, so please reply with your thoughts, reflections, questions and ideas here. I want to hear what is helping you too on this journey to find a fulfilling life in your work, your family, your community.