Dear Readers,
"DO what you were called to do."
Those words were written me by a college mentor. Riveting me then, they still do years later. On occasion I still turn to this wise man and friend for his counsel. I am striving to emulate his challenge today.
How about you? Are you DO-ing what you were called to do?
Yes, that is a tall order. Yes, it is a high challenge. Yet despite the obstacles, this is a goal in reach for us all.
The word 'calling' has religious overtones, and please know that I am neither taking that to myself nor undermining a meaning applicable to anyone in a secular setting.
As the renowned career and life counselor Ed Colozzi taught me, part of my calling is simply who I am -- an imperfect believer in a Higher Power and The Golden Rule, then a husband, a father, a grandfather, an unemployed worker seeking a new life chapter while striving to find and make his way in this world, a colleague and associate to some, a friend to many with connections all over the globe and finally a fellow human being and citizen of Planet Earth.
Part of my calling is what I do and do not do -- I am not slamming me, but I am not naturally talented in certain areas.
For example:
- Don't ask me to work on your PC, technical or programming stuff. That's my son!
- Please don't let me near your plumbing. Yes, there's a funny story in there somewhere!
- Don't ask me to handle your electrical problems. I would shock you -- pun intended.
- Probably shouldn't ask me to work on your car!! Call my son-in-law!
- Don't ask me to run the finances or the operational side of things -- my wife does a much better job, as does my daughter.
- And don't ask me to cut your hair. Call my daughter-in-law.
- But in a nutshell, armed with a belief in The Golden Rule, I am able to write, I loved to coach in my former profession and I am trained to present. So while I seek work, I strive to serve my family and help others. This is what I am called to DO at present in all of these areas -- I call that congruence.
- How about you? Are you DO-ing what you were called to do?
The Golden Rule tells us to DO unto others as they would have us DO unto them. How can you DO unto others if you have done properly DONE unto yourself? That's not being selfish -- it is showing concern for our neighbor and for ourselves. Consider, when we fly, we are always instructed to put the oxygen mask on our face first before putting it onto the passenger next to us.
In order to help others, we must first live what we espouse. Food for thought.
If you have career issues, consider contacting Ed Colozzi. He has altered my life -- likely he can help you, too, to DO what you were called to do -- just click on this link.
Be sure to click the other links above.
If I can be a help, let's dialogue.
GO well, DO good and I wish you success as you seek to DO what you were called to do.
Sincerely,
John
PS -- please leave a comment below to help others!
Be sure to click the other links above.
If I can be a help, let's dialogue.
GO well, DO good and I wish you success as you seek to DO what you were called to do.
Sincerely,
John
PS -- please leave a comment below to help others!
About my Blogs – If you are a job seeker and need guidance, visit Helping Others Seeking Work. I hope you found this useful and wish to learn more about the missing spiritual dimension in business, where you can find honesty today and hope for tomorrow -- be sure to spend some time in the archives at both blogs. Thank you for reading, joining, following and sharing these messages.
****
John Fox, The Golden Rule Guy
Follow on Twitter -- goldenruleguy
Skype -- goldenruleguy
Skype -- goldenruleguy
801.755.8874
Hi John, The Golden Rule is and always will be a highly relevant guideline - in societies where people follow similar belief systems.
ReplyDeleteZig Ziglar says his Golden Rule is to do unto others what they want done unto them.
This may sound strange, yet when we understand that we respect differently, live differently and have different concepts of how we should be respected, we then know this to be true.
A simple thing such as "look a person directly in their eyes and they will know your integrity", will put you in a possible conflict situation in many African cultures. A firm handshake may cause a similar problem elsewhere...
This input does not negate the biblical golden rule - it merely adds to it.
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteThe Golden Rule: “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” That idea is closely related to one of Jesus’ two “great commandments”: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Nobody would disagree with these commands, right? Then why is this ideal so rarely on display at the present and throughout human history?
It’s hard to “love your neighbor as yourself” when most people mentally exclude certain people—people who might look, think, or behave differently than them—from the circle of those you consider “your neighbor.” When we can’t empathize with somebody as sharing our own basic humanity, it’s alarmingly easy to tell ourselves that Christ’s command simply doesn’t apply to us.
For me, I also try my best to follow this rule, “What would Jesus Do?”
I apply this question to every situation of my life and it helps me to stay focused on Him and not on the world, for my treasures are in heaven and not on this earth.
God Bless,
Mindy
Hello Mindy -- I really appreciated your comments. May I share a personal view? It has been my personal experience that just knowing what is right does not mean we live the right. Been there, done that. We must embrace the concept at a visceral level and truly be broken up over the fact that we have NOT lived or treated others by The Golden Rule. Then we can humbly approach the Creator of us all and ask for that extra help -- and be heard. That makes the difference -- again I am sharing a highly personal view. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete"Do what you were called to do" is something I repeat at my Lectures in Organisational Behaviour for ABE (UK) Course. It gives an idea to many people starting their career to first do exactly what is required, then work on the value addition (which paves the way for a promotion). Many career starters tend to get distracted with organising Company-Fun activities which suboptimises there job.
ReplyDeleteI am currently having difficulty recruiting people for many openings in the company. This is because they tend to talk about extra-curricular activities as examples to answering "how did you manage the most difficult situation in your careers?".
I hope many youngsters read this as opposed to killing time on FB.
Hello Brian, you add an element that should cause us to think: we need knowledge of a culture so we can apply The Golden Rule. A good point and thank you for sharing it for others.
ReplyDeleteHi John: This was particularly thought provoking once I had time to actually open the email and read. It made me think about whether I was called to do what I do. I think I was - but don't we always wonder if we were called to do something different and we just took a detour along the way? And as for the Golden Rule, my rule has always been a bit different. "Do unto others at a level a bit above what you would have them do unto you." I do not always live this, and this is a bold reminder that I haven't been perfect, but I can strive to become so, and thus, become better.
ReplyDeleteAgain, great thinker generator, John!
Hello Rifki -- I love your instruction to us all -- we can't just think happy thoughts and then all of life's success will be attracted to us. No as you said, we gotta DO something tangible. We have to make effort. We gotta work! And in order that that to have value, it must also be for others, not just for ourselves. THANK YOU for your reminder and best of luck in your teaching.
ReplyDeleteHello Cindy -- I liked your challenge to us all, to DO more for others. Love it. I have learned more about giving to others and serving from my wife than from any other living human being. She exemplifies what you wrote and has been a mentor to me just as you are to us by sharing this. I have several friends named Cindy: one taught me to put feet on my faith; another simply gives a lot (and she laughs a lot with my wife). Another was a client on whom I could always rely to respond to a message and finally the other is a friend who coached me and walked me back up to the Tree of Life several months ago, although she did not know it. (Or perhaps she did!!) So regardless of which Cindy you are, thank you for your post. It helped me and I know it will serve others!
ReplyDeleteHi John and Cindy,
ReplyDeleteEvery year - around about Christmas - we carry out acts of random kindness.
We may for example take orders for pizza at the local police station - and get a pizza take way to deliver. We pay the bill in advance.
This can apply to nurses, 911 teams, roadworks teams, telecomm teams or to kids at an orphanage. Or even person working at the checkout counter of a shop.
We need to step this up, to other times of the year. In this way it becomes even more unexpected and may in the long term positively impact the world that we live in.
Brian you make an interesting observation -- paying it forward during December. But what about January through November? Seems like giving takes a back seat to getting -- in this blogger's view. As a naturally selfish person, I have learned more about giving from my wife than from anyone else, and I have had some great mentors: dear friends and others through the years. So our challenges is to do as you said -- to step it up throughout the year, in the ways you describe and in smaller unseen ways, first at home and then at work/school, etc. Thanks for the post. GO well.
ReplyDeleteYoshimi Yoshida from Japan wrote the following:
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, this "Calling" was something I have been thinking about for the past year and to this day on.
I wish to mention for you when you said
"The word 'calling' has religious overtones, and please know that I am neither taking that to myself nor undermining a meaning applicable to anyone in a secular setting."
Vocation has its Latin roots as "Vocare" (meaning to call). So it is not necessarily taken as religious overtones. (look it up..)
But I agree majority of people may take it that way.
It is important to keep our professional integrity or honesty in what and how we do. In this economic climate though, it is also true that it is harder to keep perfect standards of anything. I begin to feel that some time we just need to look up in the sky and say it's okay (not being the way I want or reaching our ideal). When the good opportunity is around, take it graciously with all the best intention.
well this is what I am at right now.
Wish you a good new year...
Golden Rule Guy replies:
Thank you -- calling does mean vocation. See? I did look it up!! :) Thank you for reading and following.
John,
ReplyDeleteThanks for leaving me an email about this post! The Golden Rule is a wonderful example to live by, irregardless of your religious beliefs, but it is thematic through most religions. In college I took a required Ethics class which I understand is being offered to many business majors now, as a requirement, and it espoused those moral and ethical values. In these hard economic times, "paying it forward" and living by the Golden Rule would just help our society so much(if we could all just do it!)
One observation I have made, is many times it is the people that have been hit the hardest, that are most down on their luck, who ultimately are willing to give the most in return. Many times volunteers and charity workers, have been there themselves, they can truly empathize with others predicaments, and selflessly give. So...because we have all hit hard times as a country, we should all be so willing to help others, because ultimately we help ourselves. Just my two cents worth!
Nancy
Thank you Nancy -- loved your two cents worth.
ReplyDeleteI've never been sure what my "calling" was/is.
ReplyDeleteTo find it, my best guess is:
1. Do what you can as well as you can.
2. Look for better things to do, and do them well.
3. Repeat.
See what works and what you enjoy.
Longer answer:
http://laserpubs.com/techcomm/?p=255
Hi Jay
ReplyDeleteI can echo your uncertainty . . . while I sure do not have all the answers, I can say that asking yourself questions is part of the answer. All a guide does is just that -- guide. Often we now what to do but are hiding from it. Often we forget -- or claim to. A true friend is one who reminds us of our heart song, as the author Cohen wrote.
On my profile is a book you can download called "Transform your Life -- Discover Yourself." To you or to anyone, it is my gift. You will find it in the "Pay it Forward" folder, here is the link: http://www.box.net/shared/gxpd6teqb3. Should it not download, send my your email.
Do the hard work, and you will find your calling.
Yours,
John
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteSo nice to hear from you!!! I believe everyone is sent here with a completely unique set of gifts and it is part of our mission in life to work out what they are. One method I have found to be useful is to pay more attention to my emotions. If something brings us great joy and a high energy level that is what we are meant to be doing. We are drawn to what we enjoy doing and that positive energy propels us forward into a spiritual flow of action and creativity. On a similar note…If a relationship makes us feel happy that is the right person. The highest form of thought is when we are creating something from nothing. I can see you doing that here with this blog. "Man can form things in his thought, and by impressing his thought upon formless substance can cause the thing he thinks about to be created." -Wallace D. Wattles
I feel the steps that need to be taken on the Golden Path with the Golden Rules are the following: Dreams, Clarity, Action and Service to others. If we are human we are all struggling at some point. You must love yourself while at the same time loving others. It comes back to you 10 fold anyway. I see no conflict in that. Thanks John.
Hello Nanette,
ReplyDeleteSo nice to hear from YOU! :) Thanks for a thoughtful post. The Great Creator says in one place that He creates out of nothingness -- of course my brain cannot fathom that, but that is what He inspired as His thoughts to us. Another place confirms what you closed with -- husbands who love their wives love themselves. It is a family and business and society principle -- so true. Of course we must grow beyond self love to truly serving others for their good -- this creates joy.
So good to read your comment.
All the best
John