In his classic book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell describes the refusal of the call:
“Often in actual life, and not infrequently in the myths and popular tales, we encounter the dull case of the call unanswered; for it is always possible to turn the ear to other interests. Refusal of the summons converts the adventure into its negative. Walled in by boredom, hard work, or ‘culture,’ the subject loses the power of significant affirmative action and becomes a victim to be saved.”
I tell my children and patients that one’s calling is the intersection of four circles: 1. your talents (what you do better than everyone else); 2. your passions (what you care about, what you love to do); 3. your values (what is important, meaningful and true to you); and 4. the needs of the world.
This way of looking at the direction of our careers and our path in life has an almost universal resonance. I’ve encouraged my children to read widely, explore new experiences and nurture their talents in the lifelong adventure of discovering their calling — their positive potential in life.
We can sometimes get stuck thinking that we have but one calling in life. There are precious few who discover the one great thing they were meant to do early in life. For most, it is a process of trial and error with many being sidelined and stuck by circumstances and settling for a life not quite complete.
Sometimes we may start with great dreams and ambitions but later realize that the life we had imagined is not for us. I have seen classmates and colleagues leave medicine in medical school, residency and even after entering practice. It takes courage to give up old dreams that we have outgrown or never really suited us in the first place.
Joseph Campbell said, “You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.”
My mother’s early childhood was full of promise. She was intelligent and caring. Born and raised in Vancouver, she was well-read, speaking and writing perfect English. I imagined that she would have attended UBC and become a teacher or a writer.
But the trajectory of my mom’s life changed at age 9 when her mother died, leaving her and her siblings orphaned. Their priority was to survive and with love, they chose to do this together. The older kids sacrificed their personal dreams to ensure the wellbeing of the younger ones.
But by answering the call to keep the family together, they created an enduring legacy of love, and all of my cousins and our children appreciate the value of family.
We are called many times in life. If you listen carefully, you may hear the call each day.
In his Serenity Prayer, Reinhold Niebuhr wrote, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
With these words, I do not hear resignation or surrender. They remind me to see the good, the bad and the positive potential — to recognize opportunities and accept my own responsibility to be an agent of positive change.
Will you answer your calling today? In what special way can you help another in need, change the trajectory of a life and help others achieve their positive potential?
Dr. Davidicus Wong is a family physician at PrimeCare Medical. His Healthwise column appears regularly in the Courier. You can read more about achieving your positive potential in health at davidicuswong.wordpress.com.
