Good At or Called To?

It is easy to be busy; it is much harder to be fulfilled; and it is infinitely harder to fulfill your call. One's roles at work and home, shaped by a willingness to apply one's duties and skills to others' requests and needs can easily distract us. Worse than simply distracting us, they can also derail or misguide us. Life is too short to accept that.

The writings of prophets, poets and philosophers remind us, call us and demand of us to live our soul's content though it is much easier said than done. My sons have been calling me, calling to me and calling out to me as reminders through their comments and actions.

I see in their actions the steps of lives lived well, and I see the challenges of responsibility balanced with growth. I see in their shared stories the crossroads that I have experienced...that we all experience. I witness to them and their decisions; I provide counsel when invited; and, I consider almost every step I take relative to the lessons it may provide them. But I wonder if the best example that I can provide is to not always consider being an example. Don't be an example; be me.

This weekend has been one of great observation in search of getting moving again with the things I love to do that have suffered by the assignments that I am tasked to do. The observations have been made through the lens of my New Year's Listen to Life (this is the longest that I have ever been influenced by a New Year's resolution, observation or goal!), and with the time machine that is my sons' lives that remind me of decisions made and actions taken along the way. I believe we must all pause to reflect on where we are and where we are going with the glorious gift of our life, and we must have a sense of context, whether seen in the lives of others or our own memories, or both. We need those course adjustment times to distinguish the things that we are good at (often turning into roles, tasks, etc.) from those that we are called to (heart's and soul's true content).

Listen to Life is a free newsletter about learning and getting more from life by paying attention to our own stories and the stories of others, based on the presentations, writings, photography and workshops by Dion McInnis (www.dionmcinnis.com).  Copyright 2012 Dion McInnis.  All rights reserved.