Find Your Calling: A Mythbusting Guide By Shinebright
- Shannon Philip
- Mar 5
- 7 min read
You’ve probably heard people talk about a ‘calling’, something that feels like they’re simply ‘meant to do with their life’. You may feel like you know what yours is already, you may struggle for a long time before you find your calling (if you ever do, in fact), and you may have heard people ask questions like ‘what is my calling?’ to career counselors, trusted friends and family, even spiritual leaders.
There’s a reason for that, too. You see, though it might seem like it on paper, actually finding your calling is not easy. That being the case, the Shinebright team put together this guide to help you cut through the noise and put you in a better place to know with clarity what your ‘one special thing’ is.
What Is a Calling, Really?
There's a lot of confusion around the term "calling." Many people use it interchangeably with "passion, but they're not quite the same thing.
Merriam-Webster defines ‘passion’ as a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept. The same dictionary identifies a ‘calling’ as a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action, especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence, and the vocation or profession in which one customarily engages.
A passion is something you love doing, something that excites you, energizes you, and something you'd probably do even if no one paid you. Your calling, on the other hand, is deeper. It's the intersection of what you're naturally good at, what brings you fulfillment, and what allows you to make a meaningful contribution. Your calling taps into your natural strengths and talents in a way that feels both challenging and deeply satisfying.
That's an important distinction to make as well. For example, you might be passionate about photography. But if it doesn't align with your core strengths or bring you a sense of purpose beyond the enjoyment you get from it, it might not be your calling. That doesn't make photography any less valuable to you; it just means your calling might lie elsewhere or that photography plays a different role in your life.
The key is that a calling feels like it truly matters. It's work that deserves your energy and attention, work where your story and unique perspective actually make a difference. It may even feel like ‘the thing you were put on this earth to do’.
Callings, Skills, and Passions: Busting Myths Around Finding Your Calling
‘Finding Your Calling’ Must Be A Profound, Revelatory Event
Just because you don’t feel like you’ve found your calling doesn’t mean you aren’t following it. Sometimes, you can be so focused on finding your calling that you might miss the signs that you're already living or doing it, at least on some level.
Think about the moments in your current role when time seems to fly by. What are you doing when you feel most effective and fulfilled? What tasks do people consistently come to you for help with? These can be clues to your true strengths and talents. At Shinebright we believe that ‘what you really want to do’ and these natural strengths and talents align with each other powerfully, and so if they match up in practice then it’s a sign that you're already operating within your calling, even if your job title or overall career path doesn't quite reflect it yet.
You might be in the right field but the wrong role. Or you might be in a role that allows you to exercise your calling in specific ways, even if the job as a whole isn't a perfect fit. So, remember when trying to find your calling that the work of discovering your purpose often involves recognizing what's already working, and finding ways to do more of it.
If You’re Good At Something, It’s a ‘Calling’
This is one of the trickiest misconceptions to unpack. Just because you excel at something doesn't automatically mean it's your ‘calling’, that special thing that you should be doing with your career, or your life.
Maybe you're great with spreadsheets and data analysis, and people praise your technical skills all the time. But if working with numbers day in and day out leaves you feeling drained and disconnected, it's probably not your calling, no matter how good you are at it.
Your calling lives at the intersection of competence and fulfillment. It's where your natural strengths meet your sense of purpose and the impact you want to make. Sometimes we stay in roles we're good at because they're safe or because others expect us to, but true career satisfaction comes from aligning your work with what genuinely matters to you.
This is where Shinebright’s strengths-based approach becomes incredibly valuable. Using that approach our coaches (Meike and Shannon) can help you uncover not just what you're capable of doing, but which of your strengths actually energize you and bring you fulfillment. Once you know this, you can also make more informed decisions about your career path.
If You’re Following Your Calling, Work Becomes Easy
Nope! Sorry! Finding your calling doesn't mean everything will suddenly become effortless.
In fact, meaningful work is often challenging. The difference is that when you're working within your calling, the challenges don’t faze you and they feel worth it. You're willing to push through the difficult parts because the work itself matters to you. You feel a sense of growth and progress, even when things are hard.
If you find your purpose and pursue it, you'll still have frustrating days. You'll still face obstacles and setbacks. But you'll also experience a deeper sense of fulfillment and effectiveness in your role, along with a greater feeling that what you're doing aligns with who you are and what you're meant to contribute.
The question isn't whether your calling will be easy. It's whether the challenges you face are the ones you're willing to take on because they're in service of something that truly matters to you.
Signs That What You’re Doing Isn’t ‘Your Calling’
Sometimes the clearest path to finding your calling is recognizing when you're definitely not on it. If you've been feeling stuck or dissatisfied in your career lately, you're not alone. Many professionals in their late twenties and early thirties reach a point where the path they're on no longer feels quite right. Maybe you're wondering if there's something more meaningful out there for you, or perhaps you're questioning whether you're even in the right field at all.
Here are some signs that what you're doing now might not be your true calling:
You consistently feel burnt out, drained, or depleted, even after time off.
You find yourself constantly watching the clock or counting down to the weekend.
You can't picture yourself doing this work in five years without feeling a sense of dread.
You struggle to see how your work makes a meaningful difference.
You feel like you're playing a role rather than being yourself.
Your strengths and natural talents are rarely needed or valued in your current position.
The good news? The presence of these habits, thoughts, or feelings often signals that you're ready to find your calling. So, if some of them resonate strongly with you, it might be time to explore the possibility that your calling lies elsewhere. Shinebright’s coaching support (which can be delivered remotely on a one-to-one basis, through remote group sessions, or even on-site for groups that work together at the same company) can help you find the confidence, clarity, and self-awareness that will help you to take positive steps out of your career comfort zone and uncover your calling.
Identifying Your True Calling: A Reflective Approach
So how do you actually find your calling? It starts with getting to know yourself better.
This is where we feel that a holistic, reflective approach becomes essential. In order to find your purpose, you need to understand not just what you're good at, but what energizes you, what matters to you, and what kind of impact you want to have. It's about painting a clear picture of what it would actually be like to be in a role that's the right fit for you.
Here are some powerful questions to guide your reflection in this area:
About your strengths:
What comes naturally to you that others seem to struggle with?
When do you feel most capable and confident?
What skills or talents do you use when you're at your best?
About fulfillment:
What kind of work leaves you feeling satisfied at the end of the day?
What problems do you genuinely care about solving?
What impact do you want to make in the world?
About your authentic self:
When do you feel most like yourself at work?
What values are non-negotiable for you in your career?
What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?
These aren't questions you answer once and move on, either. Finding or refinding your calling and your true self is an ongoing process of reflection and discovery. It requires honesty, self-awareness, and often the support and guidance of someone who can help you see patterns you might miss on your own. Someone like the Shinebright team, perhaps?
Shinebright Success Stories
Hear from professionals just like you who’ve benefitted from our support by clicking here!
Taking the Next Step Toward Your Calling
Understanding your calling is one thing. Actually moving toward it is another.
This is where having structure, accountability, and expert guidance makes all the difference. It's a lot harder to reflect on these questions alone than it is to work through them with someone who has more than a decade of experience helping professionals uncover their calling and transition into roles that truly fit.
At Shinebright, we use a strengths-based approach to coaching that combines practical career tools with the deeper, introspective work of understanding who you are and where you want to go (key pieces of the puzzle when it comes to finding your calling). We help you identify your natural talents, often using frameworks like the CliftonStrengths assessment, and then we connect those strengths to career paths and roles where you can thrive.
This isn't about telling you what your calling should be. It's about creating a supportive space and providing the tools for you to discover it yourself.
You Don't Have to Find Your Calling Alone
One last myth to bust today, and it’s the one that says that in order to find your calling, you have to take the quest on alone. You don’t. So, if you're ready to discover your purpose, then know that we're here to help. Through both one-to-one and group career coaching, we guide professionals just like you through the process of accumulating the knowledge and self-awareness that can help you uncover your calling. Things like understanding your strengths and clarifying your values.
We'll help you move from feeling stuck and unsure to feeling confident and clear about your next steps. You'll gain not just clarity about your calling, but practical tools and strategies to pursue it effectively. Your calling is out there waiting for you. We know we can help you find it. To close, if we can offer one last piece of good news today, recent research from the UK also suggests that it’s never too late to find or follow your true purpose in life.
Ready to take the first step? Schedule a consultation with ShineBright, and let's start uncovering what's next for you.
Comments