Good morning, and I hope this edition of Leadership Notes finds you well.
Preparing for a sermon for this past Sunday, I was reminded of the words of writer Frederick Beuchner, "vocation is where your hearts gladness meets the world's hunger." A lovely phrase, to be sure, and is often the case, a surface of simplicity belies the deeper complexity.
Trying to find your heart's gladness is often fruitless, because, in the words of Jungian thinker James Hollis, "our vocation finds us." To be sure, our vocation is not about what our parents wanted us to do, not about what our cultural history appears to demand. Our vocation is not to be found in the eyes or the heart of another, nor is it to be found in the size of our paycheques. It is to be found in the deepest parts of us.
Here are some questions to help you start the journey to identify your heart's gladness: where are you at your happiest on your own? What brings meaning to your life? What talent/gift do you have that you chose to put aside in your youth? The answers will bring you closer to uncovering the vocation that has found you.
May this week be a week of discovery for all of us.