That dream job you think about.
That perfect business you think of starting.
What if you couldn’t charge for it? What if you had to make your living doing something else?
Would you still want to do it?
If so, that’s a good definition of a calling in life.
Henry David Thoreau wrote:
“The woods would be silent if no bird sang but the best.”
If all of us waited around until we believed ourselves to be the best at what we did, the world would stand still.
Stop waiting to be the best—heck, stop waiting to get better—and start doing something instead.
“Better” will come with action.
Perhaps that’s what’s got you stuck… For humans are born for tension.
It’s only by overcoming strife and difficulty that we figure out who we are.
“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal…”
—Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, p. 105
The tension in our lives gives us something to pull or push against. And thereby a way to become who we’re capable of being.
Perhaps that is who we are meant to be.
As you can tell (because I keep quoting it), I’ve been reading and re-reading Seth Godin’s newest book.
Here’s the latest one that’s had my brain buzzing:
“The problem with the model of the well-rounded superhero [talking about Superman being able to solve any problem] is that there are very few well-rounded superheroes. It’s much more likely that we’ll succeed by overinvesting [emphasis added] in just one or two skills.
He continues by giving us a challenge:
“The challenge, then, is to have one superpower. All out of balance to the rest of your being. If, over time, you develop a few more, that’s fine… [But] begin with one.”
My first thought was: “I don’t know what superpower I want to invest all my time in.”
And then it came unbidden: writing.
So what about you? If you could only choose one, what superpower would you want to invest in?
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Why do we award medals and trophies to athletes who compete at Olympian levels?
Why do we build statues to great leaders and war heroes?
Is it to immortalize their achievements, or something greater than that?
The great orator Demosthenes said:
“Reflect, then, that your ancestors set up those trophies, not that you may gaze at them in wonder, but that you may also imitate the virtues of the men who set them up.”
They don’t exist for us to stare with admiration. The point isn’t so our children will say “gee, whiz, Mom, that’s really cool what you did.”
These monuments to great achievement exist to move us to even greater ones.
Don’t just admire others’ work and success—aspire to be that same kind of person. Do work that others will look upon in awe and seek to emulate or surpass 50, 100, or 1,000 years later.
Don’t erect monuments for your own glory. Instead, use them to inspire others to surpass you.
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It’s okay to feel a little stuck sometimes… Stuck not knowing what to do or how to do it to make a change in your life.
Maybe you’re dreaming of a job that you actually enjoy… A job you wake up excited about doing.
Maybe you’re dreaming of time to spend with your family instead of working all that overtime just to make ends meet.
Or maybe you’re dreaming of work that puts your skills and talents to good use doing something that really matters.
But you don’t have a clue where to start or you’re just scared of letting go of the J.O.B. you have now.
It’s okay to feel stuck.
But it’s not okay to stay stuck.
My friend Dan Miller has helped thousands of people take their dreams and develop a plan and act on them with resources like his New York Times Bestseller 48 Days To the Work (and Life) You Love and No More Dreaded Mondays.
He’s going to be hosting a FREE Masterclass that I think you should check out on Thursday, July 15th with two times to choose from — 1 PM CT and 7 PM CT.
“5 Reasons Big Dreamers Get Stuck And How To Blast Through Them To Success”
You can sign up here.
He’ll walk you through those 5 reasons. Chances are one (or some) of them are what’s holding you back from your dreams as well.
He’ll also help you with some immediate action points and some real-life examples of people who have used them so you can start blasting through those stuck points to the success you’ve been dreaming of.
So take action NOW and save your seat for this FREE masterclass.
Click here to sign up.
Some people see this and think I mean “What gets you out of bed in the morning?”
They’d be wrong. Plenty of us have very little that gets us out of bed in the morning.
Maybe we have jobs we hate. Or tough relationships that don’t fulfill us. Or life situations we can’t seem to escape.
If you don’t have that “something” yet, think about it this way:
“What would make you WANT to get out of bed in the morning?”
My “why” has everything to do with my own personal freedom.
But I also feel I have a purpose that involves helping other people find freedom, happiness, and joy in their lives. And I genuinely believe the best way to do that is to help them create and run successful businesses or freelance practices.
Why? Because it’s the best way for them to have the freedom to live life on their terms. To do what they love and help the people they want to help. To make the difference they seek to make in the world.
And I feel like I can achieve that purpose as a copywriter and marketer. That work helps people serve their customers, grow their businesses, and achieve the kind of freedom I’m talking about.
What’s your “why”? Tell me in the comments below.
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I got an email from the 48 Days Eagles (affiliate link) asking what my main business goal is for 2021. I thought I’d share it with you as well. So here goes:
“I want to help small businesses and entrepreneurs write better copy for their websites and marketing efforts so they can increase the sales of their products and services and grow their businesses.”
Why do I want to do this? Because if I can help others succeed in their business endeavors, they’ll be able to live out their hopes and dreams.
Now it’s your turn. Use this awesome layout to create your own business goal.
What’s your dream? Have you spoken it into reality yet?
And most importantly, can I help you with your dream or business?
Let me know in the comments!
If you’re hoping to begin living a fulfilled and meaningful life while still making a nice living for your family, you have to find your sweet spot.
We all have one. It’s the place where our passions and talents meet the world’s willingness to pay us.
My friend and mentor Dan Miller, author of the New York Times Bestseller 48 Days To the Work and Life You Love, is hosting a webinar on Thursday, January 14th to take you through the steps of determining your own unique sweet spot.
There are two times to choose from: 1pm CST and 7pm CST.
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*Occasionally, I’ll create posts with affiliate links. These don’t cost you a penny but can result in a small commission for me if you purchase anything.
It’s a question asked by lots of career counselors, coaches, and well-meaning advisors.
“What do you feel you were ‘born to do?'”
What if the honest answer is we aren’t born to do anything specific?
There is an entire area of philosophy dedicated to this idea that was first theorized by John Locke. (You can check out the basics here.) But I’m focusing on talents and passions today.
Was Van Gogh born to paint? Was Steve Jobs born to create the iPhone? Seth Godin would argue no. His answer to this question is simple. Here’s how I understand it:
No one is predetermined to use a certain medium for his or her art. We simply adopt the means and medium of whatever is available to us in our time.
In one of his podcast episodes, Seth says he doesn’t believe that Van Gogh would have painted with oils had he been born in the 20th century. Nor would Steve Jobs have created the iPhone had he been born in the 1700s (the resources and advancements in science were not available for that to have been possible).
And yet, each of us is genetically unique. You have never occurred before and will never occur again in this universe. Surely that means that we are born with innate talents and leanings.
Part of me thinks that’s true. And yet part of me also believes, as career coach Dan Miller says, “Passion is more developed than discovered.”
By this, he means we become passionate about things we engage with over and over again.
I find this idea incredibly liberating. Why? It means if we aren’t satisfied with what we are doing—if our passions are no longer feeding or fueling us—we can choose a new passion. We can develop it to something that feels like we were born to do it.
Maybe, in the end, it all comes down to choice and what’s available to us in our time.
What do you think? Were you born to do something? Leave a comment today!
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