finding your calling and career path checklist - …your...became a telecom engineer. i went to work...

TakeActionNowtoDiscoverWhatYouAreCalledToDo

2018Edition

How to Find Your Calling

2 AllRightsReserved©2018DaleCallahan

YourCallingWorkbook

Yourcallingiswhatyouarecalledtodo.Youcantakethisina

biblicalsenseorinaDNAsense;itdoesn’tmattertome.Butclearly,

somepeoplearewiredtodoparticularactivitiesandnotothers.Calling

mightalsobelabeledyourpassion.Whatareyoupassionateabout?

Whatdrivesyou?

Thepurposeofthecallingworkbookistogetyoufocusedonwhatyour

innercompassistellingyou.Youhavetotakethegiftsyouhavebeen

givenandactonthem.Thisworkbookwillhelpyoudefinethatcalling

andstartdownthepathtofindtheworkyoulove–andwhereyoucan

prosper.

“TheplaceGod calls you to is theplacewhere yourdeepgladness

andtheworld’sdeephungermeet.”

―FrederickBuechner



CallingWorkbookQuestions

Usethespaceprovidedoranothernotebookandanswerthefollowing

questions?Donotoverthinkthem–justanswerquicklywhatcomesto

mind.

WhatdidIwanttodowhenIwasyounger?

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WhatkindsofbooksdoIreadforfun?

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WhatdoIlovedoing?

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WhatdoIwakeupthinkingabout?

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WhatdoIgotosleepthinkingabout?

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Whatdoothersaskmetohelpthemdo?

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WhenIgotoastoreorAmazon,whatamItypicallyattractedto?

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WhatkindsofadsshowuponyourwebsearchesandFacebookpages?

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WhatwouldIpaytodo?

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MaybeabetterquestionisaskedbyAnnRea(you’llmeetherinaminute),

“WhatcanInotnotdo?”Thinkaboutthatforaminute.Whatcanyounot

notdo?

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HowtoUseThisWorkbook

Doyouknowwhatyouwouldlovetodoforaliving?Doyouknowwhatyou

arepassionateabout?Doyouknowwhomyouarecalledtoserve?

Youranswerstothesequestionstellaninterestingtale.Theywillhelpyou

defineapaththatiswhereyouaredesignedtoserve.Mostpeopledonothave

aclearsetofanswerstothesequestions.

"Oneofyourgreatestresponsibilitiesinlifeisforyoutodecideforyourself

whatyoureallylovetodo."BrianTracy

Why?

Whydosomanypeoplehavenoideaoftheircalling?Weareneverreally

askedbyourteachers,ourfamily,orevenourselvestoexploreourcalling,our

gifts,orouropportunities.Instead,weareallputinaboxbasedonourskills

andexperiences.

Formethatboxwentlikethis.Iwasgoodinmathandscience,sothereforeI

shouldbeanengineer.WhenIwenttoengineeringschool,Igotacoopjob(a

parttimejobwhileinschooltogetexperience)intelecommunications,soI

becameatelecomengineer.Iwenttoworkfulltimeintelecom,Ibecamea

specialistinanareaoftelecom,soIwasanSS7telecomengineer.Thebox

keptgettingsmallerandsmalleruntilIwasignorantinmostanythingelse.



OratleastIfeltignorantsinceIcouldonlygetajobintheonething.

Butlookingback,noonehadeverreallyaskedmewhatIlovedtodo,whatI

waspassionateabout,whoIwantedtoserve.And,Ineverreallyasked

myself.So,Iletmyselfbeputinabox.

Whataboutyou?

ThisworkbookisNOTabouttheissueofhowyougotwhereyouaretoday,or

why,butinsteaditisabouthelpingyoufindyourcallingnow.Nomatterifyou

areinhighschool,college,orhave30yearsofindustryexperience–finding

yourcallingtodaycanhelpyoudefineamoremeaningfultomorrow.Itis

aboutyoutakingactionnowtodiscoverwhatyouarecalledtodo.

Letsgetstarted!

Recently,inatalkIwasgiving,Isharedthevariousrolesthatcompanieshave

andIaskedthegroupwhattheir“CompanyofOne”wasmissing.Onelady

quicklyspokeupandsaid,“Idonothaveavisionorastrategy.”Shecould

speakformostofus!Weallneedavisionandastrategy.Weneedtohave

somegoalsthatdriveus.Weneedtobeworkingatsomethingwecareabout

andarepassionateabout.Thatiswhatmakesworkenjoyable.

Drive

InDanielPink’sbook,Drive(http://amzn.to/2DeFLHa),heexplainstheway

peopletodayarereallymotivated.Whileheistalkingaboutmotivating

employeesinhisbook,itcantellusalotaboutmotivatingourselves.Having

coachedhundredsofpeopledirectlyandthousandsindirectly,Icanassure

youthisiswhatalmosteveryonewants.



First,wewantautonomy.Weallwanttheabilitytocontrolourowndestinies.

Weallwanttheabilitytoseewhatneedstobedoneandtodoit.Inshort,we

hatemicromanagers.Insteadwewantleaderswhowillcastavision,inspire

ustofollowthem,thengetoutofourwaytoletusworkourmagic.

Second,wewanttobecomeexpertsinwhatwedo.Wewanttheabilityto

continuallylearnsoourCompanyofOnewillhaveaclearbrand:whatwe

uniquelydoandwhatweareveryskilledatdoing.Whetherweareasoftware

developer,asurgeon,oragreeter,wewanttobethebestandbeknownfor

beingthebest!

Third,wewanttobepartofsomethingthatismeaningful.Nothingismore

defeatingtothehumanspiritthantobedoingsomethingwebelievehasno

truepurposeormeaning.Weallwanttomakeadifferenceandweallwantto

leavealegacy.

OfRacehorsesAndMen

Butbeyondthemotivationfactor,isreallyhelpsifwearedoingtheright

thing—thethingsweareuniquelycreatedtodo.InGrowingSpirituallyat

Work,RickWarrensaysthatover60%ofAmericansworkinthewrongcareer

field.Idonotknowwherehegetshisnumbers,butmyownexperiencetells

methatthisreallyishowmostpeoplefeelabouttheirwork.Andifthisistrue,

itspells‘trouble.’

Everdealwithaspiritedracehorse?Theyarefulloftensionandquickto

spook.Theyhavebeenbredforaction,toplayintherace,andmake

somethinghappen.Theycannotwaitforthegatetoopensotheycanburst



forward.Nowcanyouimagineallthatenergytiedupgivingponyridesto

kids?Thehorsewouldbeabundleofnerves,andsinceitisplacedinthe

wrongjob,itwouldbedangerous.Yet,thatishowmanyofusleadour

lives—likeracehorsesgivingponyrides!

ActionPlan

So,howdoyougetoutofthistrap,findoutwhatyoureallywanttodo,and

startmakingamovetodoit?Inotherwords,howdoyoustartbeingareal

CEOtoyourCompanyofOne?

(http://www.dalecallahan.com/companyofone/)

HowAboutYou?

Ok,Istartedyouoffwithworkandquestions.Ifyouhavenotansweredthem

yet–dothemnow.Iusedtotellpeopletodothisdifferently.Itoldthemtoget

inacomfortableplaceandrelax.Thengetacleanpadofpaperandapenand

spendanhourworkingonthis.Theproblemis,whenIwouldmeetwiththem

weekslater,theywouldnothavestartedtoanswerthesequestionsbecause

theyhadnotfelttheyhadthetime.Sojustdoitnowanddosomething!

CAUTION:Mostpeoplewillnotwritedownthingsbecausejustasit

comesintotheirmindtheywillsaytothemselves,“Icannotdothat”or

“youcannotmakealivingdoingthat”,etc.Don’tdothis!Thisisa

brainstormingexercise.Therearenowrongor‘bad’answers,sowriteit

alldown.Youdonothavetosharethiswithanyone.Donotchallenge



youranswers(youarenotwritingacontract;you’rejustrecording

thoughts).Donotletyourownthoughtsfrightenyou!Writethem

down.Youneverknowwhenacrazythoughtmightleadyouto

somethingexciting.

AnnRea

ConsiderthestoryofAnnRea.(Itoldyouthatyouwouldmeether.)She

paintsforaliving.Weallknowwhatthatmeans:starvingartist.Thatisvery

trueformanyartists—theystarve.Soifyouweretowritedown,“Iwouldlove

todoart,”yourfirstinclinationmaybetodiscountthisideaasagreatwayto

starveyourselfandyourfamily.Inyourheadyouwouldhearthosevoices

saying,“youcan’tmakealivingdoingthat.”Yet,Anndoes—andagreatliving

atthat.

Annfoundawaytomakepaintingconnectwiththerightcustomersandhas

builtathrivingbusiness.Checkoutherstoryonannrea.com

(https://annrea.com/).FormorestorieslikeAnn’s,checkoutJonathanField’s

book,CareerRenegade(http://amzn.to/2mfwgjR).Youmustgetpastthe

desiretoshootdownallyourideasbecauseofwhatwecall

“conventionalwisdom.”Conventionalwisdommeans“belikeeveryone

else.”But,youwerenotcreatedlikeeveryoneelse–youhavetobeyou.

Youneedtounderstandthatthereisabusinesssidetoallofthis.Youhaveto

figureouthowtoaddvaluetoothersbydoingwhatyoulove,butthefirstkey

istofindoutwhatyoulovetodoorwouldlovedoingbydevelopingalistof



yourpersonal“assets.”Youcandecidelaterifyouwanttoturnthispassionof

yoursintoprofit.

WatchYourLanguage-Callingvs.Careervs.Job

Yourcareerishowyoumakemoneyfromyourcalling,but,itisnotajob.

Forinstance,ifIloveworkingoutsideandkeepingyardslookingwonderful,I

mightfindacareerinyardworkorlandscaping.Ididnotsayajob,buta

career.

ThejobishowIammakingmoneytodayfromthecareer.Soinmy

landscapingcareer,ImighthaveajobwithA&BLandscapestoday.OrifIhave

goneintobusinessformyself,ImighthaveajobworkingforMr.Smithtoday.

Infact,ifIaminbusinessformyselfIwilllikelyhavemultiplejobsperday!I

mayloseonejob,butthatdoesnotmeanIamchangingcareers.

DanMiller,authorofthebook48DaystotheWorkYouLove,

(http://amzn.to/2CWExnU)toldmethathiscoachinghasrevealedthatpeople

dothisbackwards.Theytakeajob,andafterawhileitdefinesthem.Theydo

notloveit-itisjustajob.Thenwhensomethinghappenstothatjob,they

questiontheircareerandtheircalling.Hehasspentyearscoachingpeople

caughtinthiscrisis.Thereasonthereisacrisisisbecausetheydiditall

backwards.

Isyourcurrent“career”(ortheoneyouareplanningtodo)onethatcame

fromactuallyplanningtodowhatyoulove?Or,areyoulikeIwas:takingthe

jobthatwasofferedandthenmovingontothenextoffer?Itookajobright

outofcollegebecausesomeoneofferedmemoney.Then,yearslater,Idefined



myselfastelecommunicationsengineer.ButIcouldn’treallycarelessabout

thatindustry.Iwasstuck–orsoIthought.

DoYouThinkYouCannotMakeaLivingDoingwhatYouLove?

Thinkabouthowyoucangetpaiddoingwhatyoulove,nothowyoucangeta

job.Forgetaboutjobsandjobtitlesandcompanies;whocares?Youare

brainstormingthingsthatpeoplewillpayyoutodo.Again,donotquestion

yourself—justwritedownyourideas,eveniftheysoundstupid.

Alotofmoneyhasbeenmadeon“stupid”things.MyfriendPatrickCashmade

over$100,000fromsellingbuildingplansforacatscratchingpost.Simple?

Perhaps.Stupid?Ifyousayso.Patrickwillgladlyaccepteitherdefinition.He

madesixfiguresonthat‘stupid’idea.So,goaheadandbestupid.

Thetroublewiththecorporateworldandmoderneducationisthatithas

causedmanyofustokillourcreativity.Patrick,insteadofbeingsimpleand

stupid,wasfillinganeed.Hedeliveredtopeopleasolutiontothevery

problemhehimselfhadencountered—overpricedcattrees.

NextActions-Whattodonext?

Gettingtoyourcallingisnotaneasyprocess!Solet’stakethepressureoff.Do

notexpectperfectanswersatfirst!Justkeepatitandbewillingtoexperiment

andplaywithideas.

Herearesometricks!

1. Becommittedtoit.Yougetnothingifyoupuntafterafewtries.



2. Setagoaltodefineyourcallingandschedulesometimetowork

oniteachday.Forexample,youmightsetagoaltogeneratefiveideas

bythenextmonth(putadeadlineonit)inwriting.Also,togettimeto

dothis,trysettingatleast15minutesinthestartofthedayto

brainstorm,read,think,anddream.Seemyblogat

www.dalecallahan.com/your-next-action-to-accomplish-a-goal/for

helponthis.(Seepage13aboutHowtoGoDeeper)

3. Keepyourlistwithyou.Onceyougetstartedbrainstorming,your

mindwillbeatworkandyouwillbetunedintoideas.Capturethem

whentheycome!IliketoolslikeEvernote(http://evernote.com/)thatI

canhaveonmyiPhone,iPad,andMAC,sonomatterwhereIamIcan

editandreviewmylist.

4. Readstuffthatinspiresyou.Ifyoudonothaveagoodreadinglist,

trythebookslistedinResumesareWorthless.Alsocheckoutthebooks

atmywebsite.www.dalecallahan.com/reading-list-for-the-entrepreneur-

of-tomorrow

5. Shareyourideasandaskforfeedback.SharewithmeonFacebook

atmypageunderwww.facebook.com/dalecallahanorbytwitterat

www.twitter.com/DaleCallahan

Donotgiveup!Keepatit–andaskforhelpifyouneed!Thisisajourney–

andthetripshouldbebothfunandprofitable.



WanttoGoDeeper

Congratulations,youhavetakenthefirststeps.Maybenowyougetitandare

readytogo.But,havingworkedwithmanypeopleovertheyears,Iknowthis

isaprocess.Ifyouarereadytogodeeperandlearnhowtodevelopadetailed

actionplan,Ihavetwogreatoptionsforyou.

OPTION 1 - CollegeandCareerPlanningOnlineVideoCourse

Findtheworkyouloveandwillyouwillprosper.Whereyouarecalledto

serve.

Thisisforyouif:

- Youareplanningtoheadtocollegeandspendmoneyonpreparing

foracareer.

- Youarelookingforacareerchange.

- Youfeelburnedoutinwhatyouaredoingandyouwanttoexplore

options.

- Youarere-enteringtheworkforceandwanttofindgreatoptions.

Findatwww.askdrcallahan.com/ccp



OPTION 2 - BuildingYourOwnBusinessOnlineCourse

Ifentrepreneurshipisinyourplan,thendon’twasteyourtimeandmoney

gettingstarted.Thiscoursewillhelpyougetclarityonabusinessideaandget

torevenuequickly.

Thisisforyouif:

- Youwanttostartahome-basedbusiness.

- Youareinhighschoolorcollegeandwanttocreateabusinessyou

candonow.

- Youarelookingforawaytogetbackhomeandleavethecorporate

world.

- Youwantsomethingwhereyoucanimpactthelivesofothers

throughamissionmindedbusiness.

Someoftheentrepreneurswhohavedonethiscourse:

Ø Stevestartedaventurecapitalbackedtechnologyfirmandlefthis

corporatejob.

Ø Brianstartedacorporateconsultingfirm–leavinghisdayjoband

creatingalifestyleheloves.

Ø DebrastartedaResumeWritingcompanywhereshecanworkfrom

home.Sheleftthecorporateworld.

Ø HelenstartedherownPRfirmthatallowedhertocombineherlovefor

white-waterraftingandPR.



Ø Jonathanleftcollegeanddecidedtoskipthecorporateworldandmove

intoaschoolteachingmusic.

Findoutmoreatwww.dalecallahan.com/byob/

finding your calling and career path checklist - …your...became a telecom engineer. i went to work...

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