Based on my 2012 plan, some of you have asked me for details. What am I going to do? And how? I do not know for sure. But since I am always telling people to find what they love and then find a way to make money doing it, it is only fair that I share with you where I think this is heading for me.
How to find your calling
While there is no magic formula, I have found answering the following questions (and other related questions you come up with) give you real insight.
- What do you love to do?
- What do you read?
- What do friends and family ask you for advice or help with?
- Helping people to take control of the careers
- Helping people with money issues
- Helping other get projects under control
- Teaching about technology
- Public speaking
- Exploring the future of technology
- Helping people find their passions
- Mindless tasks to take my mind off things for a while
- Fixing up homes
- Looking at real estate
- Investing
- Planning new ventures
- Marketing
- Thinking on my own
- Brainstorming with motivated and inspiring people
- Business – especially entrepreneurs (I hate big business process stuff – leave that for the MBAs)
- Success
- Psychology of success
- Mind/body relationships
- Apologetics
- Investing
- Motivational material
- People who have turned a passion into a business or career
- Money
- Getting out of debt
- Getting control of their money
- Investing
- How to get a job
- Careers
- How to start a company
- How to get investment for their company or idea
- Job relationship issues (conflicts)
- Public or mass transportation – I just do not feel like being treated like cattle
- Dealing with people who have their brains closed
- Dealing with people who can only argue what they have been told to argue
- Arrogant people
- Talking to people who speak corporate speak (lots of words and nothing said – see arrogant)
- Big company politics
- Middle management (see arrogant)
- People who think their big titles have meaning to me (Again – arrogant)
- TV drug commercials
- Soap operas
- Music from soap operas
- The audio from soap operas
- Hanging out with negative people
- Crowds
- Travel when not on my terms
- Being controlled in any way – I do not even like to be the passenger in a car
- Repeating myself
- Dealing with people who require me to repeat myself
Now I have a list. Incomplete, I am sure – but yet a list. Notice two things about the list. First, it has nothing to do with money. Second, there is little connection from one thing to another. This is all off the top of my head. Most people who know me well could have written this list for me. I will get into what it means (or at least what I think it means) later. But be sure, the list you make will be like shining a light into the dark cave where you have hidden your calling. More work to go, but at least you can see a glimmer of hope.
Your List?
More important is YOUR LIST. My list should only provide an example for you – otherwise my list does you little good. Do you have a list?
If so – share it with me! Add it as a comment, email it to me, or send it by Pony Express. I love to see people finding their passions. Just look at my list and you can tell that.
Remember – you have choices in life. You can lead a life of your making, serving people you want to serve, or instead you can lead a life following a plan someone else has written. It is a choice, and you are making it as you read this!
Make that list!
![204: Are You the Burger Flipper or the Boss [Podcast]](https://dalecallahan.com/wp-content/uploads/question-mark-2492009_1280.jpg)
![201: Moving from Tech Expert to Leader [Podcast]](https://dalecallahan.com/wp-content/uploads/clouds-2709663_1280.jpg)
I like it! The titles for these lists also take out the corporate jargon that so many people have tried to put into self-improvement such as mission, vision, values, SWOT, and so forth. When you know what you like, and what you don’t like, and pay attention to it, then you can spend more of your time in your zone.
Agreed. These corporate titles do mean something – I just think that 1) people often do not understand WHAT they mean and 2) they have been abused so often by poor leadership that we hate them!
It came home to me a few months ago when this guy was explained to me what his new company did. While I knew all the buzzwords he was saying, I still found myself saying “What?” Jargon = poor communication! I think this is why people like Dave Ramsey – straight talk.
1) I love to go outside and walk or run. I love stargazing at night and the way the sun looks on the trees at daybreak and sunset. I love journaling and putting my thoughts and feelings into words. I love helping others by listening to their rants to validate them. I love being creative and being around creative people. I like cooking and listening to lectures on tape and a good conversation and belly-laughing.
2) I love to read philosophical novels and essays, mindbending things. I love historical novels and well-written history texts, I especially love musing about prehistoric roots and religion. I also just plain love weird/out there creative stuff: my favorite novel is a romance drama told by the perspective of a Utahraptor in the early Cretaceous called “Raptor Red” by Robert T Bakker. I really like self-improvement books too.
3) This one is daunting. While I often am a person people talk about their problems too, nobody asks me for advice. I like listening to people’s problems just to listen.
The truth is, I am starting my first post-college career search now. I am feeling extremely nervous about it because when I started college I knew who I was and what I wanted out of life and now I honestly have no idea. I am already starting Dave Ramsey’s plan to get out of debt, but having a “real” job will help me to do that much faster than working graveyards at IHOP. I keep being told that I need a much less general objective on my resume, I need concrete career goals and plans. The problem with that is that I DON’T have concrete goals and plans. I just want a job that will help me pay off my college debt so I can teach English as a foreign language abroad, travel the world, maybe get a teaching certification and teach something here in the states. All that: I don’t know what or how, but I do know when: when I’m out of debt and can afford additional schooling.
Kristen,
I would agree that you do need a specific plan. No one wants to hire someone who just wants money. Would you hire a doctor you saw who said “I can help you with any health problem – I just need money?”
But you seem to have some specifics here. You want to teach English and travel. How can you get NEAR these doing work that pays NOW? While getting a teaching job in a school may require a certificate, could you teach English to people who are here and have enough money to pay- such as the families of corp execs from other countries? This is just one example of getting money CLOSER to what you like. You should follow your heart as close as you can get to where it leads you. Perhaps you need to go back to your dreams BEFORE college – sounds like you have let yourself be talked out of your dreams – perhaps by well-meaning faculty. Go back to the dream and find a way to make it work. Why take a job until you find it – find a job as close as you can get to your dream.
dale
Hey there Dale, enjoyed talking to you today! Here’s a link to my list:
http://www.edhart.me/2012/03/1403/.
Took your idea for a “list of things I don’t like” too!