How to Find your Calling
Reading Notes: We Who Wrestle with God, Part 3
Listening to the Muse, connecting with the Logos, and honing your aim towards adventure.
REMINDER NOTE: All italicized text are quotes taken from Jordan Peterson’s book We Who Wrestle with God.
‘We are always seized by awe when we find ourselves in the grip of something; when our attention is focused, whether voluntarily or involuntarily... It is in this manner, in part, that our destiny reveals itself where we find our calling.’
Momentarily, this could be the famous ‘flow state’ of blissful focus that comes during undistracted creative output, proper athletic endeavors, or meditative practice. The key here that Peterson is getting at is to pay attention to what brings the flow state; make note of the tasks and settings that enable clarity. These are guideposts to your destiny, as JBP puts it.
Robert Greene explores this concept well in his book Mastery. Not only must we register the moments, practices, and efforts that bring out the best of us, but we can also inventory our past for data on what calls to us. Take time to deeply reflect, and you’ll probably want to take notes as you do. Think of the events, classes, years, and experiences that resonate loudest with you throughout your life. Think of the pull you felt during these times, the sense that the call you heard was demanding your entire being, and you answered as much as you could at that point in your life. For me (and maybe this will help you), the headlines are the many times I was learning about wildlife in school, and then going into nature to look for wildlife. Secondly, it was always art class, and drawing on my own. So, creating images. Then it was reading. Ok, how do these things come together? What kind of wildlife really interested me, what did I like to draw, and what did I love reading the most? Etc., etc.
‘Your fundamental task is to bring forth what is within you. What you don't bring forth will destroy you; what you do bring forth will save you. Always choose the harder right over the easier wrong.’
‘You are inevitably the hero of your own life. Face this responsibility with courage, humility, and faith. The spirit of God lives within you—act accordingly.’
‘Remember: The heights are calling you to your best self. Answer this call daily through meaningful action, focused attention, and devoted practice. This is how you serve the Logos and fulfill your purpose.’
Some hitters here! There is warning: what you don’t bring forth will destroy you. For me, this is the angst and regret I feel whenever I fail to do what I know I should be doing. Being lazy, putting off the drawing I am working on (or haven’t started yet), and ignoring responsibilities. The calling is inside you, and if you don’t take the step and begin the adventure, that energy morphs into a hurricane that destabilizes the soul. The second two quotes above work well for me as motivation to answer that call, and to take another step forward on the path. Yes, maybe it’s cheesy, but we are the damn heroes of our lives. Hoist the burden, draw your sword, and face the Dragon. God demands the warrior in us be ready, and He will be at our side as we answer the call. Focus, practice, and act.
To add to the motivation:
‘God is the spirit within us that is eternally confident in our victory.’
Again with the cheese, but I need fuel like this. My personal wiring and life experience really grasps this kind of encouragement; if you had some ups and downs with your family stability, you might have resorted to an individual, survival mindset. You have learned to protect yourself, your emotions, and your path. Over time this might work, and it might work well, but it won’t last. I’m not alone, and neither are you, and damn that feels good to realize. There is a force within us, a power that believes in us, and it will walk by our side as long as we are aiming properly. We are not alone in the fight.
Let’s lean into what it could mean to always have a guide within and next to you. How do we come to this? What is required of us?
Faith. Belief.
‘To believe is to commit to, to sacrifice everything to, to be voluntarily possessed by. True belief is the ultimate relationship.’
‘God is what seizes you, guides you as you move forward, no matter what you decide to do.’
‘Conviction is moving forward regardless of difficulty or opposition. God is the source, foundation, and aim of conviction.’
‘Wisdom is paying attention, informing oneself, telling oneself the truth, and acting accordingly.’
If you’re as moved by those quotes as I am, you’ll take a minute to re-read them, maybe even write them down yourself, and reflect on them. One theme here, as Peterson often mentions in conversation, is that real faith is no easy task. It’s quite the serious undertaking, and an active one at that. Our new favorite noun sacrifice rears again, let us not forget the many-layered meaning of this word, small and large.
I love the seemingly paradoxical idea of being ‘voluntarily possessed’. Isn’t possession something that happens to us? How then, could it be voluntarily? I think that’s because Peterson is telling us it takes willful effort to allow the possession of conviction. We must do the work to first see what is worth being possessed by, and then having the self-control and solid foundation to open ourselves up to that relationship, that encompassment of spirit. When you answer your call, when you see the adventurous path you are supposed to be walking, you feel the fullness of that belief.
As Peterson says, at this point you are seized by your belief in what is highest, because you know what you’re supposed to be doing, and where you’re headed. You actually can’t decide otherwise at this point, if your faith is indeed strong enough. You’re on the path, and your commitment every moment of every day is another step up the mountain towards the pinnacle of being. Regardless of difficulty or opposition.