We live in a society where our weaknesses are given more importance than our strengths. If we do not excel at something like math or science at school we are put into special programs that intensify our learning in order for us to become average in a subject we do not like or enjoy. At the same time, the things that we enjoy doing or excel at, are suppressed. Admittedly, they may not be forcibly suppressed in most cases. However, society has a way of determining what one should be doing and what one should not. I remember when I was going off to college, many of my peers made decisions to study finance related disciplines in the hope of joining the ranks of investment bankers, supposedly the premier career of the times. Fast forward to today, and we find that society is shunning the very profession it was promoting then and is now promoting interests in green technologies and other such areas. This leads to the conclusion that if we continue to shape our lives to the dictates of society alone, many of us will not be able to reach our true potential.
Living life doing something which gives you no joy or satisfaction is probably the fastest to join the “Life is not fair” club and keep talking about how one hates one’s job. I admit that although some of us have the liberty, option and often luxury to discover what our strengths are and what we really want to do in life, more often than not an abundance of choice and lack of a sense of responsibility renders us incapable of choosing a definitive path and we spend our lives drifting meaninglessly. We become comfortable in this meaningless comfort zone, which does meet basic requirements and we then slowly lose the passion to really go out there and go after something that is certainly out of our comfort zone, but may provide the passion and meaning we lack in life.
I do understand that many of us are not so lucky. We join certain professions to pay the bills and make ends meet. Life becomes a never ending loop where everyday seems like the last and our hopes and dreams of breaking free are crushed by the hard realities of life. Our hopes and aspirations to do and be something more, are continually put on hold and all we do is our best to fight the mini fires that keep coming up all around us. There is a feeling of helplessness that eventually leads to our becoming numb to the fact that you can be something more. We feel tired and exhausted, life loses that spark and we continue drifting and wondering about the ‘what ifs’.
In both scenarios we continue making excuses against taking responsibility for our life. We allow society and circumstances to shape what we can and cannot do. There is continued focus on weaknesses rather than strengths. In order to find your true calling, be it an entrepreneur, a banker, a chef or an artist, one needs to make a conscious effort to discover what our strengths are. The need is to channel joy into what we do every single day, and, ideally make a living out of it. For this one needs to take time out to actually discover these things about oneself as soon as possible. For some, it may take weeks or months and for others it could take years. Either way, to find your true calling, you need to first make an effort to identify what is it that you are inherently good at, and then find ways to use that.
Take responsibility for your life today.
In the next couple of posts I will share what I believe are my strengths are so far. Look forward to hearing your comments and feedback.