Essentially, your true goal in life would be to:

A) do something that you love to do, or
b) do something that you're good at.

If you get lucky, you're calling would involve both of these. That isn't too hard, right?

So why the endless, great, and mysterious search for the true calling in life?

If you were told that, without a doubt, you would succeed, that you couldn't fail at your chosen career, then chances are you wouldn't have a problem deciding what to do. Many people can come up with an answer to this problem when it's put that way.

So again, why are so many people questing for their life goal?

The two most influential reasons are:

1) The fear factor. If you're like how I used to be, then you've always known exactly what you wanted to do with your life. But for some reason, you just don't do it. Possibly you took the wrong job right out of high school or college based on the lure of big money, the advice of someone else, or circumstances such as the loss of another job , etc. As time moved forward, you've come to accept things how they are, stuck, or even frightened to take a chance. You start to make excuses as to why you can't risk upsetting the order of things. Or.....

2) Maybe you honestly don't know what you want to do. Now, this is the hardest one to understand but it is entirely possible and may even be you.

Now, I know what you're looking for and why you've come here. Yes, you can have what you're looking for. However, I won't give you a magic formula like so many people try to. As I've stated before, career testing and self assessments alone are great self-discovery tools but they're not going to tell you any more than you already know about yourself.

Moving On

I find it hard to believe that you wouldn't know at least what a few of your talents and abilities are. Trust yourself. You've been alive long enough to have some understanding of what turns you on, makes you tick, and what you can and can't do. If not, you need to stop, sit down, and take some time to figure out who you are. Be completely honest with yourself and you'll come up with some completely honest answers.

It might help if you tried making a list

I know. I know. Another list?!? But it might give you the help you need.

Make a list of jobs that intrigue you. If you are having trouble coming up with appropriate selections, you can find an alphabetical list of occupations, their definitions, and earnings stats on my site.

Make a list of what you excel at and what you love to do. Don't leave anything out and don't exclude hobbies, passions, and everything else you do in your spare time. Your hobbies and passions could be your key to your true calling.

Now it's time to make the same list over. Except make this one as if it was five years ago. Ten years ago. Don't leave anything out. You can make a job out of many things. Then pick the top few, the ones that feel the best, and you've got a starting place.

There. It's right in front of you.

The real reason that many people miss their calling in life is that they don't make the effort to seek out ways to make their living doing what they're good at or what they enjoy. They don't really believe that it's possible.

So, what's your calling in life?

For many people who have profitable and fulfilling lives, it's simple. Take this statement to heart:

"Do what you're passionate about and the rest will take care of itself"