Short Term Survival Trumps Searching For Our Calling, But Only in the Short Term

ShortTermVsLongTerm

I had he pleasure of having a wonderful dinner with my life long best friend Benjamin and his lovely lady Melanie (their son Jordan is my godson, my fondest hope is that someday he will come to read and enjoy some of my posts).  As we chatted and caught up during dinner at Tofu, a charming Japanese restaurant with a twist, it dawned on me how much of our conscious thoughts are consumed with basic day to day survival.

How can we find time to discover our calling?

Between juggling one or more jobs, school, taking care of children, and the rare social outing with friends, there’s never enough time (or energy) for pursuing our own interests.  Your calling or greatest work could manifest from your hobbies, or by simply reading about something interesting.  Without having the idle time for leisure, there’s simply no way to uncover our love of something new.  Even for topics we are already highly interested in, it is perceived as being selfish when we grab a few moments to read up on the latest trends in our favorite field.

Pushing off our dreams may work in the short term.  But when put in perspective we see that our lives only achieve a local optima of happiness.  We need to take a longer term view of our lives.  Even a minor amount of selfishness over a year, or completely taking off from our regular work responsibilities for a few months can have a drastic impact on how much we can accomplish towards finding and developing our passion.  Think about how much satisfaction you’ll receive, and joy you can share from working on tasks that engage you fully.

There’s no greater time than now to begin squeezing in some time to develop your interests and let them blossom into unimagined ventures.  Whether it be:

  • a new career in a field you never thought you could work in
  • starting a business based on a hobby project or
  • connecting with people on a profound artistic level

We have an obligation to ourselves, our loved ones, and everyone we touch to pursue a path that draws our best with each and every breath.

  • http://foliovision.com/ Alec

    Hi Mark,

    I am not sure that once one makes the commitment to a relationship or a family that one doesn't give up the right to egotistic freedom you espouse here.

  • http://www.victusspiritus.com/ Mark Essel

    On the contrary, I am suggesting the long term happiness of one’s
    family is directly tied to the satisfaction achieved by their daily
    efforts.

    I ask you this Alec. Is it more important to share a life of
    enthusiasm with a companion and children or to be focus on a career
    unaligned to one’s passions?

    My message is that any man or woman can make their passion their
    business and achieve both happiness and great financial success.
    Finding the path to realizing this life is a challenge for each of us.

    My soapbox
    Http://www.victusspiritus.com/

  • http://www.victusspiritus.com/ Mark Essel

    On the contrary, I am suggesting the long term happiness of one's
    family is directly tied to the satisfaction achieved by their daily
    efforts.

    I ask you this Alec. Is it more important to share a life of
    enthusiasm with a companion and children or to focus on a career
    unaligned to one's passions?

    My message is that any man or woman can make their passion their
    business and achieve both happiness and great financial success.
    Finding the path to realizing this life is a challenge for each of us.

    My soapbox
    Http://www.victusspiritus.com/

  • http://www.victusspiritus.com/ Mark Essel

    On the contrary, I am suggesting the long term happiness of one's
    family is directly tied to the satisfaction achieved by their daily
    efforts.

    I ask you this Alec. Is it more important to share a life of
    enthusiasm with a companion and children or to focus on a career
    unaligned to one's passions?

    My message is that any man or woman can make their passion their
    business and achieve both happiness and great financial success.
    Finding the path to realizing this life is a challenge for each of us.

    My soapbox
    Http://www.victusspiritus.com/

  • Pingback: Investors to Support Passionate Work

  • Pingback: take a moment to clear your mind | Victus Spiritus