sense of purposelessness? They needed to find their flow,
understanding that the challenge wasn’t in producing
something for some far-off cause. It was in the work itself.
Here’s how Csikszentmihalyi described that feeling you
get when you are in a state of flow: “You know that what
you need to do is possible to do, even though difficult, and
sense of time disappears. You forget yourself. You feel part
of something larger.”^11 If the work we do is only about our
own personal success or recognition, then we will
eventually lose interest or become overwhelmed with
anxiety. But if it’s about a greater good, if we are here to
serve the work and not the other way around, then we get
up every day with a new challenge, a purpose. Which
sounds a lot like a calling.
We are caretakers of our vocations, stewards entrusted
with a vision that is bigger than us. Our responsibility is not
to hoard our gifts but to use them in challenging ways so
that others can benefit. In short, your calling is a gift, one
that is intended to be given away. Calling is a conduit for
life, allowing us to bring our skills and passions together in
a satisfying, meaningful way.
The Road to Mastery
After receiving a promotion that forced him and his family
to relocate, Jody Maberry moved away from Spokane to