Comfort or Calling?

Either you will focus on staying (or becoming) Comfortable, or you will focus on your Calling in life.

You cannot do both – at least not very well at the same time.

One of the challenges that most people face in life who know what their Calling (their Purpose, their Passion) is remains the constant struggle between wanting to follow their Calling consistently, versus enjoying the Comforts of life. I have some good news for you:

You actually CAN experience BOTH – just not at the same time.

Years ago I heard a man speak at a business event. In spite of his relative youth (I believe he was about 28 when I heard this talk), he was extremely wealthy. He had built a home-based business very quickly, and very hard. His results were better than most people, mainly because he helped a lot of people have success as well.

In this particular talk, he said that someone asked him one day about his lifestyle. Yes, he enjoyed his success with a lot of trips, hobbies and time with friends, but he still worked by helping a lot of people, too. To answer the question about how he lived his life, he answered the person this way:

“I work until I get tired; then I play until I get bored.”

Ah, balance.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in my opinion with enjoying the fruits of your labor – as long as those fruits do not seduce you into become “Me-Centric.”

I have witnessed many people who only focused on their Calling and ended up burning out in their endeavors.

My experience has also shown that the people who only focus on enjoying the Comforts of life soon discover that their lives are lacking Meaning. They become bored – with themselves, and with their lives.

That leaves a few people who understand that Life is a balancing act.

I thoroughly enjoy Speaking to different groups. I speak to church groups, civic groups, corporate groups – pretty much anyone who wants to hear me speak about things that matter in life.

But there is a limit.

Whenever I feel that the Work side of the scale is too much, I make sure to go to the other side of life. I put Down Time in my calendar. I plan a date with my wife, a Daddy-Daughter date, a trip – whatever is needed at the time.

Now you have a choice to make. You can decide to focus on being Comfortable, or you can focus on your Calling. I hope that you choose to do each with absolute focus, going back and forth between the two.

This is a good time to share the following quote, as most people I have encountered through the years lean toward the Comfort side of life as a goal:

“Never let your Comfort get in the way of your Calling.”

And for the rest of the people: remember to have some Fun in life too. My good friend, the late Dr. Barry Grove, used to put it this way:

“Life is meant to be Enjoyed, not Endured.”

Go forth and find the balance that works for you.