The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do

what is expected of us, or we listen to that voice of intuition
deep inside promising something more significant. And as
we pick up our hammers and scalpels, as we sit down in
front of our laptops or climb onboard the bus for another
tour, as we endeavor to do meaningful work in the world,
we are becoming ourselves. We are, as Viktor Frankl wrote,
looking for a reason to be happy. Fulfillment isn’t just for
the elite few who find a purpose for life; it’s for everyone.
And that potential exists in each and every one of us. You
have everything you need to be your whole self; it’s already
in you. Now you just have to become it.
A calling isn’t something new and shiny. Often it’s
something old and predictable, a familiar face that’s easily
taken for granted, an old habit or hobby that comes back
into our lives. It’s our true self, shared with the world. But
sometimes it takes a wake-up call for us to see that this work
that we’re doing is more significant than we realize.
Classroom teacher Gloria Stronks learned this lesson one
day when she took some time off. “I’ve hired a substitute
for the next two days,” the principal told her. “I want you to
visit the homes of each of your children. You need stay only
ten minutes in each home.” Then she added, “You won’t
find fathers at home because many of them are in prison. I
just want you to understand your students.”
Gloria never intended to be a teacher of small children.
Her husband was a graduate student, and she needed a job,
so she took the only position available as the head of a class
of forty-seven third graders. Her visit to the children’s