Have you ever wondered what you were supposed to do with your life? Or felt like you were somehow missing out on “something more?” Turns out, that's not such a unique feeling.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that 87% of the global workforce is not engaged with work. In other words, employees are either not motivated or just plain unhappy about their jobs.
To me, that sounds like a problem.
For years, I felt just okay about my job. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. And I struggled to figure out what to do with my life. Did I have a calling? Was I meant to do something? Or was I just not one of the special ones?
Then I had a conversation with a friend where I told him I didn't have a dream. He didn't believe me. In fact, he insisted that my dream was to write. And as soon as he said it, I agreed. I wanted to be a writer.
“But Jeff,” my friend Paul said. “You don't have to want to be a writer. You are a writer. You just need to write.”
Two years later, I quit my job and pursued my dream. And in doing so, I learned a crucial lesson: activity follows identity. Before you can do something with your life, you have to discover who you are.
In writing The Art of Work, I interviewed hundreds of people who were doing meaningful work. They all seemed to say the same thing: “I didn't know what I was supposed to do. It took time to figure it out who I was.” That was a message I could relate to.
These people taught me three lessons about work:
- Everything is practice. What often feels like a setback or failure is really preparation for what's to come. Don't neglect the chance to learn where you are.
- Discovery is a process, not a moment. Don't wait until you're ready. Act, anyway. Clarity comes with action.
- A calling is not just a job. It spans your whole life. You're not done until you're dead.
This began as a book about how I became a full-time writer, but as I started diving deeper into the material and stories it became so much more than that. This is a guide that will help you:
- Make sense of your life.
- Understand your place in the world.
- Take the next step in finding your calling.
If you order the book now, you'll get $250 in bonuses, including a free online course, downloadable workbook, and access to me.
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Do you struggle with trying to figure out what you were meant to do? Share in the comments.