Career

I remember watching an episode of Heroes a few years ago, and something that was said has really stuck with me ever since. One of the characters - I don't remember now who - said to another, "You can have a life of happiness, or a life of meaning. You can't have both".

There's never enough time in a day to do everything we want, which means there's a constant conflict between the priorities in our life. They're all battling for our time and attention. When you find a calling, a passion, a way to change the world or leave your mark, it usually comes hand in hand with long hours and dedication to achieve success. Unfortunately this usually comes at the expense of time spent on the things that make us happy, like family and friends. Small business owners would know the feeling well.

Ben Casnocha discusses the difference between a career and a calling, and the cost of pursuing success. "If you have a job / career you have plenty of time and energy for your own family, but it's maybe harder to change the world with your professional work. If you want a calling, you don't have time for a family."

Michael Lewis explains - "A job will never satisfy you all by itself, but it will afford you security and the chance to pursue an exciting and fulfilling life outside of your work. A calling is an activity you find so compelling that you wind up organizing your entire self around it -- often to the detriment of your life outside of it.