Your vocation is your calling. It is what you are here to do. Your vocation remains constant in life - but you may express it through many different vehicles on the way towards doing valuable work. Let’s explore these three steps.

1) You can follow your vocation.

When do you feel you are following your vocation? When do you feel in your element – you feel at ease yet excel? When do you feel: “This is what I was meant to do”? You can also find clues to your vocation by looking back at the most satisfying ‘projects’ in your life - then see if there is a recurring theme. The ‘red thread’ in these projects could be, for example, encouraging people, inventing products, leading pioneering teams, solving problems, creating beauty, making the world a better place or whatever. (You can find a tool for exploring your theme in The Strengths Toolbox piece called 3 tips for following your successful style.) While your theme will remain constant, the way you express it will change over the years. This brings us to the next step.

2) You can find the right vehicles.

You may employ different vehicles for expressing your vocation during different stages of your life. How to choose the right vehicle? Bear in mind two factors. First, choose a ‘Field’ of work that you find fascinating. You may feel ‘at home’ working with technology, business, science, sport, the arts, people management or whatever. Second, choose a ‘Form’ of work that fits your personality. You may prefer to work as an individual, as a team member, as a leader or whatever. Choose the right vehicle, then move onto the next step.

3) You can do valuable work.

How to do valuable work that is an expression of your vocation? Peak performers often focus on the 3 P’s: project, people and place. They do a stimulating ‘project’; work with - or for - stimulating people; and do it in a stimulating ‘place’. (You can find tools for taking these steps in the piece called 3 tips for clarifying your perfect role.) Try tackling the exercise that invites you to do three things. First, describe your vocation. (Do not worry if you are not absolutely certain of this yet. For example, you may still be in the stage of seeing multiple themes. Choose one theme that you feel attracted to and then move onto the next step. Second, describe the vehicles you can use to express your vocation. Third, describe how you can do valuable work. Taking these steps can benefit both you and future generations.

Vocation. Looking at the recurring themes in
my life & work, I believe my vocation could be:

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Vehicles. The different vehicles I
can use to express this vocation are:

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*

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Valuable work. Bearing in mind the kind of ‘project’,
people & ‘place’ I find stimulating, the specific piece
of valuable work I would like to focus on doing is:

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One person who really follows his vocation is Steve Clayton. Though he calls himself a ‘Geek in disguise’, which is the title of his blog, he is a generous and gifted educator. He has the ability to make complicated technical things simple - which is a rare talent. You can find out more about him and his work at:

http://blogs.msdn.com/stevecla01/default.aspx

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