Does the idea of not fulfilling your calling keep you up at night?
I felt called to do something since I was a young boy. I didn't know precisely what that something was, but I knew it was something big. I knew that I was placed on this earth for a reason. I watched others around me go through daily life in a rut of mundane rituals, and I knew that I never wanted to be one of those people. I knew that I had something to give to the world... something.
It's hard to make choices sometimes; always afraid I might make the wrong one and screw up my life's destiny. Over the years, I've put on many hats and played many disguises, trying to be everything to everyone. I found myself doing things I didn't enjoy, hanging out with people I had nothing in common with, and doing nothing but adding negativity to my life. I played a charade so that others would like me. Who doesn't want people to like them?
However, one thing I've noticed is that everyone has an opinion. Everyone has their idea of how you're supposed to live. Unfortunately, I've listened to those opinions more than I care to count. I've molded myself, often, into something that I'm not. I've tried to be something that seems foreign; I've wanted to be something that is accepted. I've tried to please those near and close to me.
What I learned is this. You will never achieve your whole purpose by trying to be someone else. You'll never fulfill that calling if you're constantly chasing other things instead of the things that you know, deep inside, that empower you and excite you. You'll never see the success of your passions unfold while trying to be someone other than you.
We compare so often in life. We compare ourselves to others- physically, mentally, socially, monetarily. We see people doing extraordinary things, and we begin to mold ourselves. We begin to project their calling onto ours. But, so many of us are lost, searching, and unsure of ourselves and our callings because we look in the wrong places.
We have to begin to look inward. We must realize that we are unique and have something to give that will look like nothing before it. We must stop playing chameleon and decide to stand out among the crowd.
We have a unique destiny. We must be true to ourselves. We must fight for what is right, even when others disagree. We must do what we are called to, even when others don't understand.
Begin to thrive in YOUR unique identity.