Callings Revisited - Passion vs. Security

In an earlier blog entry, I mentioned the book Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life by Gregg Levoy. On May 4th, I had the opportunity to meet Gregg Levoy and to hear him speak on this topic. Many things he said caught my attention and resonated with me, including his discussion of why people sometimes turn away from their Callings.

A Calling can be loud and clear, or it can be as soft as a whisper or as subtle as resonating with a song playing on the radio. And sometimes, once heard, a Calling is willingly and intentionally followed. Sometimes, but not always. Levoy cited Jonah (from the biblical story of Jonah and the Whale) as the ultimate example of a man who resisted his Calling, who ignored it, hid from it, fled from it until he was cornered and had no other recourse but to take it up.

Many of us, in our own ways, flee from our Callings. We don't pay attention to the invitations. We ignore the signs. We procrastinate in our responses. We deliberate. We even identify what we want and then actively go in the opposite direction. Human nature? Yes. But why?

This behavior, Levoy posits, may be the result of an inner struggle between passion and security - the desire to follow a Calling versus the need to be physically, emotionally, or financially safe. This struggle, Levoy says, is what causes us to ignore, or sometimes actively push away, our Calling - the next step we are called to take in fulfilling our own unique destiny.

Once caught up in this struggle between passion and security, what can we do about it? If we are caught up in such a struggle, it is probably because there is some degree of risk involved - either perceived or real. And if a situation is risky, then what is required of us?

First, information. We need as much information as we can gather in order to make an informed decision. This step includes the possibility of constructing a safety net to catch us if we fall.

Second, courage. The feel-the-fear-and-do-it-anyway kind.

Third, faith and trust. Faith in ourselves and a trust that the Calling we are drawn to follow is the truest expression of our authentic self.

Fourth, willingness. A willingness to take the risk and trust that it will work out in our best interest.

Fifth, intention. The intention to commit oneself wholeheartedly to following that Calling.

What is your Calling? Can you hear it? Are you moving towards it, ignoring it, or running away from it? If you are ignoring or running away from it, at which step are you bogged down, and what might you do to get beyond it?

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