I’m in Byron Bay having a few days rest after running our annual creativity and meditation retreat.
This morning as Chris and I walked along the track towards The Pass, a guy was handing out leaflets for a film screening tonight in Byron. We got chatting to him and learned a bit about his amazing story.
Forty years ago, when Clive Neeson was a teenager, he came up with an idea for a film. He started shooting footage with his hand-held film camera. Over the ensuing decades, Clive and a few of his adventurer friends, all with a passion for the outdoors, explored the natural playgrounds of the world, trying out activities that would later become known as extreme sports.
As we talked to Clive, I was struck by how committed to this project he’d been. A series of serendipitous events resulted in his work becoming a feature film called Last Paradise, which was released earlier this year.
This was one of those fleeting conversations that would never have happened had we not left for our walk exactly when we did. Listening to Clive talk, I felt deeply moved.
Here was a man who had followed a calling. It was inspiring to be in his company. I felt a wave of admiration for those of us who have the courage to follow our callings and at the same time, I felt sad for those of us who can’t or don’t.
It got me wondering, what does it take for someone to wholeheartedly follow a calling?
Here are a few factors that matter.
- Trust your intuition. If there’s a niggle there, don’t ignore it. Even if you’re not sure how the whole vision looks, take one step in that direction.
- It doesn’t have to be your day job. The thing that’s calling you might be something you can only pursue as an interest after hours. Don’t be put off by the fact that you may not be able to earn an income from it. (Clive’s calling won’t make him any money, but he has no regrets making the film.)
- You might not have just one single calling in your lifetime. You might be called to do many things throughout the years – listen to what’s calling you today.
- Once you discover a calling, you might not feel ready to pursue it. Often when we are called to do something, we feel a great sense of fear as well as excitement.
- More than likely, your calling will make a difference in other people’s lives. If you can’t see how straight away, look more deeply.
- Don’t let your calling slip away or get pushed to the side. After taking that one small step, explore where it leads you.
