The Difference Between a Career and a Calling

“Some wake up to an alarm. Some wake up to a calling.” -Unknown

John C. Maxwell, Leader Shift

I just finished John Maxwell’s audiobook Leader Shift and felt compelled to share the insights that I gained, specifically from the last chapter where he explains the difference between a career and a calling and the shift that leaders can make to get closer to their purpose.

To be frank, none of this was new to me. For years, I’ve been on a personal quest to figure out my calling and am not ashamed to admit that I’m still scratching my head trying to get some answers (hence why I’m devouring any and all information that can give me clues). However, there was something about listening to John Maxwell describe the difference between a career and calling that resonated with me on a deeper level.

Perhaps I was in the “right place at the right time” but along with the simplicity and conciseness of the points below, I felt a new surge of hope and excitement travel through my body and out my mouth in the form of an “ohhhhh shit”. My way of expressing that I had come across real nuggets of wisdom here.

“Finding your calling is like finding your WHY – the reason you exist, your purpose for living. When you do, it changes everything.”

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AMEN.

And even though it may seem like getting to my WHY has been an expedition full of wrong turns (at least in the story I tell myself), it’s starting to feel like I am on the right path … and I owe it all to John Maxwell, who’s been in my ear for the last 6 months, preaching about developing the leader within (ironically, the title of another one of his books I’m reading).