Purpose + Talents = Vision
VOCATION
"where the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lies your vocation." -Aristotle
Although the word vocation has become associated with technical fields, the Latin root of the word means "calling." We are deliberately using this word because it connects the idea of "career" with a deeper desire to do meaningful work in the world. It implies that you are attracted to certain career paths that allow you to fulfill your individual purpose and express your unique gifts. So the question is not so much "what am I going to be when I grow up?" but rather "what do I need or feel compelled to do?" In this section, you will see that 1) each field of study you might choose incorporates certain values and purpose and 2) your career choice should also take in consideration your vision of a good life.
ENVISIONING YOUR LIFE
"one can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen.
"When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day.
Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
-Lewis Carroll
According to Richard Leider, "living in a place where you belong, being with the people you love, doing the right work with purpose" are elements of the total vision of your life. What kind of life do you want? Where do you see yourself living? What is the balance between work, family, friends, and recreation?
In this section, you will begin by identifying people you admire and may wish to pattern your life after. Your admiration for others gives you information about your own beliefs and desires. The second questions asks you to get creative about the various paths your life could take-do environmental work in Northern California, be an English professor at a small college in the Midwest, teach children in a third world country, etc. These "fantasies" may seem unlikely to you now, however, they provide information about your interests, your purpose, and overall vision of a good life. Finally, through collage you will use image as an intuitive tool to discover information you may have overlooked about who you are, what you want, and how you envision your life.
1. Whose life would you like to have? List ten qualities of this person. describe their lives in detail. What kind of work do they do? What do they know that you want to know or learn? What have they accomplished that you would like to accomplish?
2. Describe Five Imaginary Lives. Without censoring yourself, imagine your ideal Life: where do you live, what do you, who do you do it with, etc. Indulge the fantasy!
3. Create a collage of the life you want. Find and tear out ten to twenty images and/or words that instinctually attract you and represent what you want in your life. Do not assign meaning, simply acknowledge your attraction to the image or world Select the image even if you are not sure why. Be impulsive, don't think, do! Place the images on poster board arranged in whatever way you wish. Again, don't over think this process. When you have completed the collage, sit back and take a good look at it. What kind of life have you created? What values, strengths, and interests are represented in your collage?