One Calling. Multiple Expressions.
The book I am reading right now (100 Days to Brave) is REALLY hitting the nail on the head for me these last few days.
She tells us we only have ONE true calling . . .
So, you are asking yourself — ok, Wendy, if you can only have one calling, why are you a lawyer and a coach? Aren’t those two callings? Isn’t it time to give one up already? KICK one to the curb??
No.
The point is we can have MULTIPLE expressions of our ONE CALLING.
Ever since I was a kid, when someone asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up — I said I wanted to “help people.” Ok, Wendy they would say. That is great and all, but how??? What?
I struggled with that what for a long time, but my motivation was the same. I found myself practicing family law because as a kid of divorce, I knew I had a special perspective to offer and could make an impact with my family law clients. That expression was enough for me for a long while.
Until I discovered coaching.
You see, most people who sit in the chair across from me in my law office DON’T WANT TO BE THERE. They rather NOT be talking with me. And while I am told time after time I have an uncanny ability to make them feel comfortable, to put them at ease, get them talking about all sorts of things, and to get them laser focused on a GOAL, this is not a pleasant experience for them. I am holding their hand and we form a relationship, but they are going through an incredible loss. While fulfilling, it is also bleak at times and hard on your heart, soul, and mind.
Coaching opened a new way to practice my calling using that same uncanny ability. I have women (and men) approach me with optimism and trust. While they are nervous to change their lives — they are EXCITED. They are ready to plant that first seed to a better THEM. While they are scared, they are ready. With each new step they take, again me holding their hand, they grow happier, thankful, and ready to take on their NEW life. I get to be their cheerleader, confidante, and fan. Again, I help them get focused on their goal and help them chase after it. I use that same uncanny ability for them to want to tell me all the things, to listen without judgment, to reach in and help.
See that – same calling.
MULTIPLE expressions.
There is a yin and yang to what I do. Both careers satiate my desire to help. Both are fulfilling. Both keep me balanced. I am a better lawyer because of the tools in my coaching kit — I am a better coach because of my background with helping reaching a goal others as a lawyer.
They go together.
And my expressions are growing. As my team of coaches (heck yeah Sparkle & GRIT!!!!) grows . . . I am now helping other women find their calling and help others to grow in a deeper way. Developing coaches is a new hat and I am learning as I go, but this also brings joy in ways I haven’t known. To develop women LEADERS. To see other women get out there and kill it in their careers. To see other women better themselves in BOTH of their jobs and to effectuate their own change with their own people is an incredible gift.
Have you thought about your ONE calling?
What do I encourage you to do? Get focused on your ONE true calling. Make sure the things you are doing in your life line up to effectuate that one calling. Make sure to keep seeking, doing, listening. Don’t be afraid of change. Don’t be afraid to try something new. To push yourself. To find where your causes align. To be 100% authentically you, without apology.
