It has been said that everyone has a calling. If that is the case, mine has been has been calling collect! I have yet to accept the charges. I wonder can you still do that? But that is another train of thought, leaving a different station. It is something that happens to me all the time, I can't seem to decide just where it is I want to go. I want to go everywhere while staying at home. It is a bit of an issue at times. This morning however I was thinking about pursuing your passions, as we are advised to do. It would be great if all we had to do was what we really like to do. There is a little problem however, making a living. But, you say, you are retired and so that shouldn't be an issue anymore. Hasn't that obstacle been surmounted? Ah, no, no it hasn't. Oh, I'm retired alright collecting my pension and living without going to work every day, no more daily grind for me, but I still can't just do whatever I like. Life, and the living of it comes with obligations. If nothing else, obligations to yourself. Even if those obligations are nothing more than distractions, they must be met.
As to this notion of a calling I am skeptical of that. If everyone has a calling just who is calling? Do you know what I mean? Just where is this call supposed to come from? Oh I know it is supposed to be an internal thing, a sort of self satisfaction in expressing yourself. It is the reason painters paint and writers write. I have noticed the ones being compensated for that are far more passionate than us amateurs. Some become prolific at what they do. Think Stephen King. How many books has he written now? According to Google at least 65. Is he answering a calling? If he is, it is the same caller every time. I think it fair to say the answer has been pretty much the same and I have read many of those books. That he is successful can't be disputed. He is a respected author and quite wealthy as a result. Was that his calling? I guess only Stephen King could answer that question. I have read where he says writing those books is hard work! It is his job. Can your job be your passion? The general consensus is, it isn't supposed to be. Well unless you get rich doing it, than its' alright.
I wonder if somehow I haven't gotten disconnected. It isn't that I have been expecting this call but I was hoping. It is akin to playing the lottery. You are fairly certain you aren't going to win but you keep playing. You really don't believe you are going to win the jackpot, but there is always the chance. Maybe it is that way in life too. I'd say it has been so for me anyway. I have been lucky. I've managed to get this far without any major issues. I've had more winners than losers. The only question is how much have I invested? Isn't that the measure we use to determine success and failure. If you get more in return than you expended, that's a success. In life we are told we must give it all! Put it all out there, as the saying goes. And what is the reward?
You have to want the reward to assume the risk. That is a simple enough concept to understand. That reward has to be of primary importance to you. If you receive the reward what will you do with it? Is the reward solely for you to enjoy? I believe in its' essence it has to be. That is where the passion stems from, it is where the call originates; within you. If you can identify that, you will answer. I have learned that the hardest person to convince is yourself. We are seldom 100% certain until we receive confirmation from outside ourselves. It is that confirmation that gives us the confidence to continue. The one thing that we shouldn't be pursuing in our quest to answer the call is money. The number one thing that confirms our success is what? Money.
That is the perception most of us have. The rich and famous have answered their calling and are rewarded. It doesn't matter if they are athletes, performers, painters or whatever. We hand over our cash to see, read or hear them. We admire them, we try to emulate them. Talented and rich they have it all and we dream of having that. There is nothing wrong with that. Those folks do serve as inspiration. They show us what is possible. We also know that not all of those folks are happy, contented folks living a dream. There is a risk associated with all of that. That is why we see substance abuse, social problems and in some cases suicide. It happens to the rich and famous and it happens to the poor and unknown. We answer to discover it is a collect call. Then we question ourselves. Was it worth the price?
As to this notion of a calling I am skeptical of that. If everyone has a calling just who is calling? Do you know what I mean? Just where is this call supposed to come from? Oh I know it is supposed to be an internal thing, a sort of self satisfaction in expressing yourself. It is the reason painters paint and writers write. I have noticed the ones being compensated for that are far more passionate than us amateurs. Some become prolific at what they do. Think Stephen King. How many books has he written now? According to Google at least 65. Is he answering a calling? If he is, it is the same caller every time. I think it fair to say the answer has been pretty much the same and I have read many of those books. That he is successful can't be disputed. He is a respected author and quite wealthy as a result. Was that his calling? I guess only Stephen King could answer that question. I have read where he says writing those books is hard work! It is his job. Can your job be your passion? The general consensus is, it isn't supposed to be. Well unless you get rich doing it, than its' alright.
I wonder if somehow I haven't gotten disconnected. It isn't that I have been expecting this call but I was hoping. It is akin to playing the lottery. You are fairly certain you aren't going to win but you keep playing. You really don't believe you are going to win the jackpot, but there is always the chance. Maybe it is that way in life too. I'd say it has been so for me anyway. I have been lucky. I've managed to get this far without any major issues. I've had more winners than losers. The only question is how much have I invested? Isn't that the measure we use to determine success and failure. If you get more in return than you expended, that's a success. In life we are told we must give it all! Put it all out there, as the saying goes. And what is the reward?
You have to want the reward to assume the risk. That is a simple enough concept to understand. That reward has to be of primary importance to you. If you receive the reward what will you do with it? Is the reward solely for you to enjoy? I believe in its' essence it has to be. That is where the passion stems from, it is where the call originates; within you. If you can identify that, you will answer. I have learned that the hardest person to convince is yourself. We are seldom 100% certain until we receive confirmation from outside ourselves. It is that confirmation that gives us the confidence to continue. The one thing that we shouldn't be pursuing in our quest to answer the call is money. The number one thing that confirms our success is what? Money.
That is the perception most of us have. The rich and famous have answered their calling and are rewarded. It doesn't matter if they are athletes, performers, painters or whatever. We hand over our cash to see, read or hear them. We admire them, we try to emulate them. Talented and rich they have it all and we dream of having that. There is nothing wrong with that. Those folks do serve as inspiration. They show us what is possible. We also know that not all of those folks are happy, contented folks living a dream. There is a risk associated with all of that. That is why we see substance abuse, social problems and in some cases suicide. It happens to the rich and famous and it happens to the poor and unknown. We answer to discover it is a collect call. Then we question ourselves. Was it worth the price?
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