3 tips for following your vocation

Your vocation is your calling. It is what you are here to do. Your vocation remains constant in life – but you may express it through many different vehicles on the way towards doing valuable work. Let’s explore these three steps.

1) You can follow your vocation.

When do you feel you are following your vocation? When do you feel in your element – you feel at ease yet excel? When do you feel: “This is what I was meant to do”?

You can also find clues to your vocation by looking back at the most satisfying ‘projects’ in your life – then see if there is a recurring theme. The ‘red thread’ in these projects could be, for example, encouraging people, inventing products, leading pioneering teams, solving problems, creating beauty, making the world a better place or whatever. (You can find a tool for exploring your theme in the piece called 3 tips for following your successful style.)

While your theme will remain constant, the way you express it will change over the years. This brings us to the next step.

2) You can find the right vehicles.

You may employ different vehicles for expressing your vocation during different stages of your life. How to choose the right vehicle? Bear in mind two factors.

* Choose a ‘Field’ of work that you find fascinating.

How to find such a field? Focus on the deeply satisfying activities where you deliver 'As', rather than 'Bs' or 'C's. Choose one where you feel absorbed and, as the saying goes: 'You can't help but do'. You may feel ‘at home’ working with technology, business, science, sport, the arts, people management or whatever. Choose one you can see patterns and seem to know 'what will happen before it happens'. Finally, it may be an activity that you would do even if you did not get paid for it.

* Choose a ‘Form’ of work that fits you personally.

How do you work best? You may prefer to work as an individual, as a team member, as a leader or whatever.

Bearing in mind your preferred field and form, consider the possible vehicles for expressing your vocation. Then move on to the next step.

3) You can do valuable work.

How to do valuable work that is an expression of your vocation? One approach is to focus the 3 P’s: project, people and place. Try to describe what for you would be the most stimulating kind of ‘project’, with stimulating people and in a stimulating ‘place’ – culture and environment. (You can find more information about this approach in the piece called 3 tips for clarifying your perfect role.)

One person who really follows his vocation is Steve Clayton. Though he calls himself a 'Geek in disguise', which is the title of his blog, he is a generous and gifted educator. He has the ability to make complicated technical things simple – which is a rare talent. You can find out more about him and his work at:

http://blogs.msdn.com/stevecla01/default.aspx

Try tackling the exercise that invites you to do three things. First, describe your vocation. (Do not worry if you are not absolutely certain of this yet. For example, you may still be in the stage of seeing multiple themes. Choose one theme that you feel attracted to and then move onto the next step. Second, describe the vehicles you can use to express your vocation. Third, describe how you can do valuable work. Taking these steps can benefit both you and future generations.

Vocation

Looking at the recurring themes in my life
and work, I believe my vocation could be:

*

Vehicles

The different vehicles can use to express this vocation are:

*

*

*

Valuable work

Bearing in mind the kind of ‘project’, people and ‘place’ I find stimulating,
the specific piece of valuable work I would like to focus on doing is:

*

Posted on Sunday, September 5th, 2010 at 5:46 am in Strengths, The Strengths Blog   |  RSS feed |  Print This Post |  Respond  |  Trackback URL