How to Find Your True Calling – In One Simple Step

Hint:  Pick up your imagination and use it as a lens to visualize your Calling. Use your Imagination like a pair of binoculars to focus your vision. It may change how you see everything. 

Have you always been curious as to whether you have a true Calling in life, a purpose so important that the word ‘calling’ is capitalized? I wanted to know my Calling too.

Let’s back up.

One day, many years ago, I found myself at a Harvard Business School event, reluctantly attending one of the mid-day classroom sessions on the program. I say reluctantly, as I mainly traveled from Atlanta to Boston to have a fun, social weekend, not to have to grow and learn. Wouldn’t you know, I ended up growing and learning anyway, thanks to Tim Butler and his visioning session on finding your Calling.

I found myself sitting in an HBS classroom, crazily doing this visioning exercise that brought me face to face with my Calling. 

The session focused on discovering your career vision or your life’s calling – by leveraging your very own brain’s most valuable asset — your imagination. This visioning exercise had such a profound effect on my life, I’m sharing my notes from Tim Butler’s session at HBS, including my version of his introductory remarks and prompts as he lead the group through a remarkable, life-impacting lecture, so that you can do it yourself.

I did find my Calling, and as I share in the story of my Calling, this discovery continues to change my life for the better every day. 

 

How to: A step-by-step guide to finding your Calling

Via your amazing imagination, this visioning exercise can help you unlock your deeply embedded life interest.

First you need to understand that our brains have several voices, each with a different focus.

• One voice is your social consciousness, the running commentary in your head, noting what is happening around you.
• Another is your directed attention, when you remove yourself from your social context and place your attention on something you choose.
• There is also your ego, the voice of the limiting factor. The No. The you couldn’t possibly. The it wouldn’t work.

One way to uncover your career vision, or calling is to involve and direct your attention to a personal brainstorming-ideas session. If you truly want to learn your calling, if you want your imagination to kick ass, Butler says to:

• Remove yourself from your social context.
• Be open to directing your attention to a picture in your imagination.
• Eliminate any thoughts from your ego. No limitations. Trust your imagination.

To start this visioning exercise, be ready for your imagination to do all the work, following the leader’s prompts through three phases. I’ve included the leader’s prompts below. You could get a partner to help you, or record yourself reading through the prompts. Think of it like a slow, guided mediation. In the first phase you will practice directing your attention and prompting your imagination. In the second phase, you will open your imagination to see your future self in your mind’s eye. In the third phase, you will take up a pen and with the help of the leader, capture your vision in writing, a distinct, clarifying vision for your eyes only. 

Phase 1:

Close your eyes.

Remove yourself from your social context.

Take a deep breath, focusing on your breath and how relaxing it feels to breathe in and then out fully.

Direct your attention to your right knee.

Can you picture your knee? What position is your knee in? How far is your right knee from your left?

See? You have the ability to create a picture in your mind.

Phase 2:

Close your eyes.
Remove yourself from your social context.
Take a deep breath, focusing on your breath.
Feel yourself relax.

Direct your attention to your mind’s eye.
Three years from now you are following your calling. Picture what you were doing three years from now. The images change; they flicker in and out.
See yourself doing your life’s work.
You are following your bliss.
Picture what you’re doing.
You’re on a track that has been there your whole life, waiting for you.
See yourself doing your life’s work.
This work is deeply satisfying.
Your following your bliss.
You are giving your unique gift to the world.
You can see yourself clearly.
Your ego is not limiting you.
As you’re doing this work, it is deeply fulfilling.
Your true significance is at work.
The images change. They flicker in and out.
Whatever you see is worthwhile. Your ego.
See your surroundings.
You can see yourself and what you are doing clearly.
Do not edit.
What you see is worthwhile.
As you are doing this work, it is deeply fulfilling.
Your true significance is at work.
No limits.
Do this. You are able.
Your attention.
What do you see?
What do you see yourself doing?
Any vision you have, anything you see is important.
No ego. No limits.
You are following your bliss.
This is the work you are uniquely qualified to do.
This is the work that inspires you.

Phase 3:

Pick up your pen.
In a minute you will begin to write about what you imagined, your impressions, your vision. This will be for your eyes only. In words, phrases, thoughts, describe what you imagined. Write freely. No limits.

In words, phrases, thoughts, describe what you imagined.
Write freely. Do not edit.
Three years from now you are following your calling.
You are doing your life’s work.
You are following your bliss.
What were you doing in your vision?
Ignore your ego. Write freely.
This is your unique gift to the world.
What were the pictures in your vision?
What were you doing?
What was your impact?
Your ego is not limiting you.
As you are doing this work, it is deeply fulfilling.
You are truly significant.
Describe your vision.
Whatever you saw is worthwhile. Ignore your ego.
See your surroundings.
You could see yourself and what you were doing clearly
Do not edit.
This image is deeply fulfilling.
Your true significance is at work.
No limits.
You can do this. You are able.
Focus your attention.
What did you see?
What did you see yourself doing?
No ego. No limits.
You are following your bliss.
This is the work you are uniquely qualified to do.
This is the work that inspires you.

Now write your answers these six questions.

• • What were you doing in your vision?
  • What was the environment?
  • Who were the people who populated your vision?
  • Who does this work?
  • At what time in your life were you the closest to this work?
  • At what time in your life were you farthest away from this work?

What did you see?