Some of you reading this blog are preparing for a transition. Maybe you or someone you know is getting ready to graduate from college or high school in the next several months. Remember those questions we ask graduates? “What are your plans?” “What are you going to do with the rest of your life?” I remember when I was 18 and people asked, “Glen, tell me how you are going to spend the next 50 or 60 years of your life. We know you just finished high school, but what is your plan?”
After high school, I wanted to be a comedian and open a restaurant. I am not doing either one of those things, but I am still holding out hope. Seriously, figuring out our path in life can be challenging. That is why I laid out the IDEAL framework, to help uncertain folks, who like me who need a little bit of help understanding their divine call. Consider this definition of Call: A summons to a particular course of action, influenced by the divine.
Much of our identity is related to what we do in life. For many of us, this means our chosen career, but this is not always the case. Our calling can be quite distinct from where we work or how we make a living. Some of us find work to be a means to an end, a necessary inconvenience that funds our true passions. Others, like me, have been blessed to have a job and calling linked closely together. My calling has paid the bills. I left the military to pursue ministry, a higher calling for me. I took a $30,000 a year pay cut, and I haven’t looked back. Yes, maybe I missed out on that military retirement check, but I gained so much more. Instead of asking those in transition what they are going to do with their lives, ask them about their passions.
This holiday season I am sharing 12 short holiday posts to help you and yours get through this season with a little bit of joy and happiness intact. Many find the holiday season warm and inviting, but others get caught up in the hype of the season and even fall into the envy trap of comparing our lives to the lives of others. I would encourage you to create your own traditions and norms this time of the year. Don’t worry if the activities of your family or friends don’t match those of others. Be happy and define what works for you and yours.
Want more? Order a copy of my book on Amazon. It makes a great stocking stuffer, and it may just help someone you love or care for start living their IDEAL life.