ALL ARE CALLED

When you ask me about speech-language pathology, I can talk forever.  I can read articles and go to PDs and highlight notes. I’m at a great point in my career, where I actually feel comfortable in my job.  Ask me questions, and I have answers, but I also have tons of questions about dialects and pronunciation, listening and the brain.  There’s still so much to learn about and I actually care about it.

When the beginning of the school year used to be a chore, I now see it as an adventure.  I have older students who I enjoy working with, and new students, each year with more complex speech and language needs being mainstreamed into an inclusive environment.  I used to get overwhelmed and sometimes I panic. But that’s ok, I’m in my 40s now, with enough life experiences to know that being uncomfortable and unsure is a part of being human.

In the rocky start to every new year, I feel like I don’t know what I am doing, but then time passes.  I observe, try a technique and fail, ask questions, research, try and fail again (this routine can go along for a while for some complex kiddos) but then somehow, the clouds break, our eyes connect and I figure out a way to improve communication.  It’s a thrill to see quiet and sometimes frustrated kids blossom into kids who communicate.  It’s the best job in the world for me.

CURIOSITY

I believe that curiosity combined with a love for others is what makes my job my calling. 

I believe just as we all have gifts, we all have a calling.  It doesn’t have to be your job.  Some people, most people, have to work at jobs that pay the bills, while pursuing their calling on the side – whether it be art, music, friendship or comedy, you can still enjoy your calling while collecting the paycheck that funds the more meaningful experiences in life. 

Calling isn’t education, although education can help.  I used to be an education snob.  I’m a child of an immigrant.  The biggest reasons my immigrant parents moved to the US was for their children to have a good education.  So, I’ve been primed from birth that I go to college, get my masters, never stop learning.  I agree with the “never stop learning” part, but in our Google world, I’m not sure formal education is the only way to learn.  Some people like me and my hubby, thrive in school settings.  Others do amazing things while being self-taught.  Both require curiosity and patience. What do you want to know more about?  Not what makes you happy, or what makes feel smart, or safe - That’s what you should pursue.

Think about it.  All the best people in any field are curious.

Great pastors are curious about God, and keep asking questions.

Great teachers are curious about their students and how they learn.

Great nurses are curious about physical, mental and emotional healing.

Great painters are curious about light, shadow and color.

Great scientists are curious about patterns in the things seen and unseen.  

HONESTY:  

For a long time, I’ve been a sucker for honesty. I just believe that your yeses should be yeses and your no’s should be no’s.  When you say yes, and mean no, or vice versa, you destroy trust.  There’s a difference between brutal honesty (the kind that hurts others) and authenticity – being true to one’s spirit.  Brene Brown has written more on this than I could ever express or explain, so if you don’t know how to be yourself, she’s a great resource.

Honesty is also connected to calling.  It’s hard to work in a job that doesn’t allow you to express how you really feel or live the way you want to live.  I believe that collecting a paycheck to be fake, in opposition of what you believe, can be a soul killer. Some of us bury our heads in the sand when we think about where our paychecks are really coming from.  As annoying as millennials can be to us Gen Xers, that’s one thing they really get well.  They want to live authentically – which often means that they aren’t willing to attend the churches, work the jobs or even sit quietly with people who offend them.  There’s probably a balance to be found, but it’s not easy. 

SELFLESSNESS

Can you have a calling that only serves yourself?  I don’t think so.  Not as a Christian.  Things that you spend your time on because it benefits you (your mind, your soul, spirit). That’s a hobby.  Hobbies make you happy, and they may be used to hone a skill or as downtime in our stressful worlds.  But seeking happiness alone does not provide meaning.  Humans are wired to want meaning (not money, not fame) in our lives.  You can use your hobby to help others, but you have to spend the time and effort thinking beyond yourself.  It’s not easy, and it might not be as “fun” but it will be meaningful, and the joy you get from that experience may help you find your calling.