Work vs. Vocation: Are You Making a Living or Making a Life?

---EllaeenahJadefire

In the noise of modern life, we are often asked, “What do you do for work?” I don’t remember anyone asking me “What is your vocation?” We live in a world that praises productivity, rewards performance, and often measures a person’s worth by their job title. But behind the deadlines, and “living the dream” slogans, many people feel  a sense of misalignment, and growing fatigue. They ask themselves “Is this what I’m meant to do?” 

There’s a reason for that.

We haven’t been built to grind endlessly at something that feels meaningless. We were made to contribute in a way that makes us feel alive — doing something that is deeply satisfying.

“What is your vocation?” Buried in this question lies a profound  truth. Work is what you do for a living. Vocation is what you do for a life.

And that’s the difference between work and vocation.

Not many of us were taught to listen to our inner calling. Our parents and families were practical, and we were taught to be the same. Security, economic stability, family duties – all of these came before passion. So we chose careers instead of callings. We followed the system. Sometimes it was easier or safer to just go along, sometimes the duties were too overwhelming to give us space to breathe, sometimes you took the job that ‘made sense’, and sometimes we were just too scared to ask 'if not this, then what?'

That deep exhaustion after a workday, even when it wasn’t hard…that’s your clue that you are not following your vocation. That lack of enthusiasm to meet the new day… that’s your clue that you are not following your vocation.

What makes you think and feel “I wish I could do this”, “I wish I had the time for that”? What is that one thing that others turn to you for, ask you for help with? What activity absorbs you so completely that you lose track of time? These provide the vital clues of the nature of your vocation. Could it be writing stories that inspire, guiding people, counselling youngsters, creating new or different social systems, tending to others through healing, creating beauty through art or music or dance…

As a child what fired your imagination, what excited you, what made you feel happy when you were sad, what pulled you out of boredom? Therein lies a clue to your vocation.

If you are misaligned with your current work (even if it looks successful on paper), if you sense that your gifts and talents are not being fully utilised,  if there are certain repeated signs pulling you towards a new path, then you are being urged to make a shift towards your vocation. Ask yourself “If I didn’t have to care about money or fear, what would I choose to do every day?”

You can begin this shift while you’re still employed in your current job! You don’t have to immediately quit your job to follow your “passion.”  It can begin as a seed — a blog, a weekend class, a side project that you consistently work on. Let it grow in the wings until it’s strong enough to hold you. And provide you with livelihood.

There are those who think that vocation is a luxury that only a few can enjoy – that it’s for artists and activists and those who are idealistic and not practical. That’s so not true! Vocation is about following the path that makes you appreciate your value, makes you feel alive even when you have worked your hardest, gives you the impetus to wake up eager and enthusiastic each morning.

People don’t fail because of lack of talent. They fail because of self-doubt. And lack of faith. You may not know how it will all work out. But the “how” lives in the hands of a divine power that is beyond our fathom. You can be good at your work, and still feel hollow. You can be successful on paper, and still feel off-course. That’s not failure. That’s your inner compass trying to point you towards a more authentic direction.

The path from work to vocation is the journey from working for survival to contributing to living. And when you begin to live, with faith, something miraculous happens: your passion changes the scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset, and prosperity naturally follows.

If this blog has struck a chord in you, take one small step this week towards your vocation. Start small, and see what sticks. Don’t give up. Don’t stop taking small, consistent steps.

It’s not too late to reimagine your path.  You can begin even in the middle of everyday life with all its bills, kids, responsibilities, and doubts. You don’t need to have it all figured out to take the next step. You just need to begin. And continue.

No matter how old you are!