You’ve probably heard a lot about how to find your calling.
There are scores of books.
You could listen to hundreds of speeches.
They might even talk about it at church.
Today I’m going to boil it down to one sentence.
Your calling is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. – Frederick Buechner
Let’s break it down.
Deep Gladness
Gladness is defined as “exhibiting joy and pleasure.”
It also means “very willing; pleased.”
Gladness is the fuel of greatness.
You might do good work even if you hate it. You might even be able to fake gladness. But beware – as Steve Brown says,
“It takes a lot of emotional gasoline to fake compassion.”
It doesn’t take long to figure out you can’t thrive on fumes.
What makes you glad?
What gives you joy?
What can you do for hours and lose all track of time?
Now ask yourself:
- What is fueling my gladness when I do my favorite things?
- How can I transfer that feeling to my current work?
The World’s Deep Hunger
I got an email from Chris Brogan with this subject line:
Business is all about the gaps.
That’s the secret to success in business.
Find a gap, and fill it.
I did this with my Facebook group. I saw that the other writers’ groups I belong to had few opportunities for sharing their work. So I created a space where writers and artists could share each other’s work 6 days a week.
While I haven’t made any money from this, it has opened lots of doors to make money in other ways. It has also opened doors for all the active members of the group.
For me, that’s the biggest win.
When you fill a gap, you quench people’s hunger. Do that and you’ll always be employed.
What gaps do you see that you can fill?
How can you join your deep gladness with the world’s deep hunger?
Answer that question and your calling will appear.
Do This Now
Write down what makes you glad. What feels natural? What are you doing when you’re in the zone?
How can you fill a gap? How can you satisfy the world’s deep hunger? What need do you see around you that is going unfulfilled?
Follow your calling, and the world will be better off.
So will you.
