Find Your Wings in Career and Calling
I stumbled upon this source of success in life by chance, which has served me ever since; however, it's still a tension I have to live with.
We are instinctively wired towards seeking acceptance by others and avoiding anything that would cause us to be rejected by our tribe. For thousands of years, the combination of collaboration with others and playing distinctive roles has been the secret to our success as a species. Doing your job, contributing, and playing by collective rules is still the way of humans.
Unless you don't want a "middle-of-the-road" life.
If you want to find your wings and fly, you'll need to wrestle with a primal part of you that fears failure, rejection, and success for the same core fear: not belonging.
The question is: do you long to take flight more than you fear falling?
Quick reminder: I'm hosting a free webinar on January 26th at 12 PM CST titled "Faith Fueled Success: Navigating Career and Calling with Confidence."
Special Guests:
Brandon Knicely, managing partner of Third Drive, founder of a $1B company, investor, and entrepreneur.
John Hoyt, director of operations at Charter of Cities Institute.
We'll have time for Q&A at the end. Spots are limited.
I've felt like an outsider and a minority everywhere I've been because of my eclectic origin story.
I am a Chilean Russian who grew up in Chile, Germany, Russia, and Mozambique.
When I go to Chile, I look the part until I open my mouth, revealing a mixed accent and a clear "you're not from here" vibe. In Africa, they call me white. In Russia, I sound the part but don't look it. In the US, I am Latino by appearance and name. This is just the first impression part. Add to that an eclectic cultural, faith, and educational background. I objectively, undeniably, and irreversibly don't fit in.
Ironically, I've felt most at home in the US, where being an immigrant is normal. I love America and find that many Americans don't appreciate the unique place this is. With the election year upon us, I'm being encouraged by my wife Deb to express my views on this in a book. What do you think? It's a commitment, but if it helps—I'll do it.
Back to not fitting in.
I desperately want to, so what do I do if it's not an option?
I discovered that leaning into my uniqueness can be a source of exceptional success if done with confidence, humility, and a desire to serve others.
We all share a common humanity, and you and I are unique from our DNA as the biological building blocks to our spiritual identity and mission in life.
There are three ways to look at work: the activity that occupies 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and 260 days a year for the average American.
1. **A job:** You're doing this to pay the bills and be a responsible adult.
2. **A career:** This requires more dedication, focus, and emotional labor.
3. **A calling:** This requires tremendous risk-taking, bold moves, and reaching "escape velocity" from our primal fear of rejection, failure, and success.
The third way is where you find your wings. It's a lifelong quest and will mobilize all of who you are.
I want to fit in desperately. When I do, I feel safe and more fear-free. A career can be managed more easily, but a calling drags you kicking and screaming into the unknown, a possible new future. In other words, you are to dare greatly to find your wings.
Calling is what took me from economist to pop star entertaining millions. It took me from pop star to evangelist leading thousands, from evangelist to entrepreneur starting three businesses, from entrepreneur to learning the strange world of tech investor, and from that to coach helping others find their wings at Exponential.
I’ve been in this mode for most of my adult life, and it still feels dangerous—but I love flying too much to stop.
Does this describe you?
If this post made you think deeply about calling, you'll enjoy my latest Headspace episode, where I unpack the three dimensions of developing self-confidence.
**What I'm reading:**
"Visions of Vocation" by my friend Dr. Steven Garber. I have this book all marked up with dozens of life-changing insights into calling from Steve, who speaks about this in front of audiences all over the world. [Link]
**What I recommend attending:**
Besides my free webinar "Faith Fueled Success," check out my friend Michelle Prince's paid webinar: "Goal Setting the Ziglar Way. 6-Week Journey to Achieving Your Goals." [Link]
If you loved this post, you'll love these recent episodes of Headspace:
- Four Strategies for Crushing Your Goals in 2024
- Turn Midlife Crisis into Midlife Victory - My Interview with Chip Conley (AirB'n'B)
- Questions about Sex Answered: Sexologist Dr. Joe Beam
As always, thanks for reading this, and please forward this to friends who would enjoy it.