Have You Found Your Calling in Life?

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One of the questions I tend to get asked frequently by people who start reading my blog is “How do I find my passion?” or some variation of that question. It’s a tough question to answer because there’s no real formula for it. It’s not “if you do A, you’ll find B.” It’s a question that requires you to look within and usually it’s the start of a lengthy, but very fulfilling journey.

While I haven’t quite figured out if there really is a formula for finding your passion, I am starting to get a sense for how you know you’ve found it.

Time Ceases to Exist or Just Flies
The other day I was out in front of my parents house skateboarding. I usually listen to music while I skateboard and before I knew it 40 minutes had gone by and my playlist was finished. I had entered a state of “flow” and the idea for this post actually came to me in that exact moment. I was so caught up in what I was doing that my sense of time had become distorted. Look for when and where this happens in your life and make note of it.

You no longer distinguish between work and play
It’s said that if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. When I ran the the travel blog I was working on, with the exception of meetings I had to attend every few weeks, I rarely saw it as work. It was more of an opportunity for creative expression.

My friend David might as well be labeled the Picasso of of Powerpoint when you look at things like the Anti-Resume. But talk to him about the process of putting this stuff together and he doesn’t see it a work. When you look at your work and you feel like a kid in candy store or a five year old in a tub of legos, you’ve probably found your calling.

You look forward to to every single day
I think that the 8 hour work day doesn’t make any sense. This structure of work has caused far too many people to live for the weekends. That means you only look forward to 2/7th of your life. I don’t know about you, but I want more out of life than a fraction of what’s available. When you look forward to every single day, it’s a sign that you’ve found your calling.

You’re addicted to whatever it is you love
I’m an addict. It’s just the way I’m built. When I love something I want it to be part of my life as much as possible. The pursuit of waves has just amplified that addiction. Every wave, and every turn is like the stroke of a paintbrush allowing me to paint my life into a work of art that I’ll look back on and think “ this belongs in a museum.” Look for your addictions (as long as they’re not the kind that kill you)

You’re inexplicably happy
You don’t need a reason to pursue a passion. I can’t tell you why I want to surf the world. I just do. It sounds like an amazing journey and something tells me I’ll find some answers along the way.

Keep your fingers on the pulse of the moments in your life that make you feel like this. Those are the signals that will let you know you’ve found your calling in life. Class dismissed.

Written on 2/10/2012 by Srinivas Rao. Srinivas is the author of the Skool of Life, where he writes about surfing, personal development, and things you never learned in school but should have. If you’re ready to to become a student, check out his FREE course on the 7 most valuable lessons they never taught in school. You can follow him on twitter @skooloflife.

Photo Credit: postscapes