Liz Gilbert & Why Our Calling Doesn’t Have To Pay The Bills
Author Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir ‘Eat Pray Love’ sold 10 million copies. But what many people don’t know, is that she was a ‘successful’, paid writer before that book. Maybe not to the degree that she is now, but still relatively successful.
But even so, as Gilbert shares in her recent book ‘Big Magic’, she only gave up her day job once ‘Eat Pray Love’ went huge. She had been freelance paid writer before then, but had kept a day job the whole time.
Because she saw – and still sees – writing as her calling, her vocation – whether it’s her day job or not.
Which highlights one of the biggest and most dangerous myths around calling:
That to pursue a vocation or calling means it has to become our day job, our primary source of income – otherwise we’ve failed in our calling.
And it’s a total lie.
Of course, some dreams – like being a doctor, a lawyer or some other profession, do involve money. But I find the best doctors and lawyers are the ones who don’t do it for the money, but out of a sense of vocation. They didn’t sign up because of the salary, but because it’s what they dreamed of, what they care about. It’s who they are.
As I writer I see so many people at the beginning of their writing journey who get close to giving up before they’ve started – because they despair of making money from their gift. Before they’ve even started out, they are setting unnecessary goals.
Now that’s not to say we shouldn’t dream big. It’s not saying it’s unrealistic to make money from your work.And it’s perfectly OK to want to make money from you work.
But when money is your number one motivator, your work will suffer.
I’m a big fan of dreaming big. We should have big dreams, and pursue those. But those dreams shouldn’t be about how much money we can make. If your dream is simply to be rich or make money from work, then I can tell you now, you’ll likely lose your soul in the process.
It nearly happened to me. I began to think about making money, about numbers, stats and status in my work a while back. My work suffered, and I began to lose myself a bit. I very nearly lost my soul. Fortunately, I got a wake up call from circumstances, and from good friends.
Success Is Beginning
Your calling is about being true to who you were created to be. It’s about doing the thing you were born to do. That could be literally anything. And there’s simply no need to pollute or sabotage it with the expectation or condition your income becomes dependent on it.
Our calling is totally separate from our pay-check. (you can tweet that)
Success isn’t about money. If you dare to step out and risk, to take action to pursue your calling, you’re already doing better than many people. So many give up before they’ve really begun. If you have the courage to overcome resistance, and take action to follow that vocation you know is your life’s calling, you’re already a success.
Success is beginning.
So this year, when figuring out your goals, when deciding to explore your calling, don’t think it needs to become your job. Like Liz Gilbert, don’t let the lie that you need to make money from you need to make your living from your vocation sabotage you achieving your life’s calling. Never allow success to be defined by money or numbers.
Just step out and take action. Set realistic expectations, set goals, and keep the big dream in mind. Keep going. And know that success in your calling isn’t about money.
It’s the simple act of taking action, and keeping going when it’s tough.
So begin today.
*****
Question for Reflection
Have you believed the lie that your calling has to be your day job?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
*****
This post is part of #synCREATE on this month’s theme of vocation & calling.
Find out more here.
*****
Like this post? Share it on Twitter.
*****
(Picture Sources: Bam.org / ShapingArt.com)
Totally agree. I have always been a writer. Fortunately, I have been able to make a living doing it. It’s not the greatest pay in the world, and the kind of stuff I have written to pay the bills hasn’t always been what I wanted to write, but it was still what I loved to do.
Long ago I realized that writing is a compulsion. If I don’t write, I’m not happy. The paycheck is not the final goal, it’s a reward along the journey. I’d write with or without that reward but it feels good to get validated (even a tiny bit). It feels even better to hear from readers who truly enjoy the stories I spin.
When I finish a book, I feel a brief letdown. I don’t get energized again until I delve into a new and different tale that has been waiting for my attention. I meet people who say they’ve always thought they “might” like to write a book and inside my mind I say, “You don’t think about writing, you do it because you must.” Don’t let your writing become a job, make it a guilty pleasure that you indulge because it’s part of your soul. Enjoy the paychecks but live to write.
Puts it into perspective – thanks!
When I told my father – during my high school years – that I wanted to be a writer, his first words were: Son, let’s discuss this… He showed me, with examples, the truth of being a writer and that money would be something I’d always be in want of. He explained that I could be a writer but I should consider another source of income to allow myself the luxury to write. I joined the US Navy and wrote then stumbled about for a proper job and writing fell to the side. Finally, after an education I found a “good” job and I’ve been writing for several years and now retired, I still write. I have the time and I never panned to “retire” with the writing income. It’s not a hobby. My goal? To have a top seller some day. I have a goal, that prized carrot on a stick before me, but I knew, many decades back, writing wouldn’t support me. But I HAVE to write, it is a compulsion.
I enjoyed reading this. Although I never was delusional enough to believe that I would start out making enough money with my words to pay the bills. However, the words were in need of coming out anyway, and I think eventually, if I keep with it, it could go that way. Meanwhile, I seek work to pay the bills. Oh, and PS, writing is not free, not always.