Finding Your True Calling: Breaking Free from the Myth of a Single Passion

As children, the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” filled us with excitement and wonder. However, as we age, this question can become a source of anxiety for many. By the time women reach their 30s, it’s not uncommon to feel professionally unfulfilled, even with a successful career and a comfortable income. Do you often find yourself forcing your way through the workday, constantly searching for motivation, and feeling like your true self is elsewhere? If so, you’re not alone. Let’s explore how to pursue what you love, even when you’re doing what you must.

The Search for Ourselves

In our quest to find ourselves and our true desires, we often turn to various methods: reading motivational literature, visiting psychologists, moving to a new country, or drastically changing careers (sometimes multiple times). If by 30 you realize that the path you chose after school hasn’t led you to your dream, there’s no quick fix. However, not starting the search guarantees that you’ll never find satisfaction, inspiration, or harmony.

Debunking the Myth of a Single Calling

In our search for answers, we often find ourselves stuck, contemplating the same false values and myths. One such myth is that we must have a single calling in life. But who says that our calling must be singular? Especially in today’s fast-paced world, where being multifaceted is not a rare gift but a common state.

Embracing the “Scanner” Mindset

In her book “Refuse to Choose!”, Barbara Sher, a coach and author of seven bestsellers on discovering natural talents, argues that quickly losing interest in routine work and feeling lost when choosing a single career path may indicate a special type of thinking: the “scanner” mindset.

The mere thought that we don’t have to choose a single field of interest forever can be therapeutic. It’s hard to admit that we don’t fit into societal norms, but it’s even harder to stay in a job we dislike, driven by the fear of financial instability.

Imagine someone who can easily find a job, adapts quickly to new tasks, and rapidly acquires necessary skills. They might even climb the career ladder swiftly, but… they’re unbearably bored. As soon as the work becomes routine and there’s nothing new to learn, a deadly boredom sets in, and the torment of feeling like you’ve taken the wrong path returns. If this sounds like you, and you’re a “scanner” or a multifaceted individual who doesn’t like to dwell on one topic for too long, there’s no need to blame yourself. This is how you interact with the world and develop your abilities, which, by the way, you have more of than most people.

Balancing Work and Passion

Even if you have a day job that you do for the money, you still have plenty of free time to pursue your passions. Barbara Sher calls this type of lifestyle arrangement a “good enough job”: it’s not your dream job, but it pays the bills and allows you to engage in your favorite activities during your free time. An important caveat: such a job should not take up more than 40 hours a week. But if you’re a true “scanner,” you know that even with a heavier workload, you can always find a minute, an hour, or a day to immerse yourself in a beloved project.

I first met a living “scanner” long before I knew about this type of thinking. I went to an exhibition to interview a photographer for a publication. When we smoothly transitioned to the topic of earnings and the possibilities for a creative person to provide a decent life, he told me how he managed to organize his own exhibition. As it turned out, this was made possible by his main job… as a programmer.

“The main job allows me to do what I love: photograph what I like, print high-quality photos, not charge exorbitant prices to recoup the expensive printing,” says Igor Zeiger, whose photographs are kept in private collections and have been exhibited in more than 12 exhibitions around the world, including London, Berlin, New York, and Miami. “Many photographers, artists, and sculptors start exhibiting in museums and publishing in magazines only after retirement. This doesn’t mean they weren’t engaged in their favorite business before retirement. They drew and photographed all their lives, but at the same time worked as lawyers, doctors, and engineers. Thanks to their main job, they developed as professionals and by the time of retirement were able to earn a name, gain experience, money, and ultimately engage only in art.”

Such a balance is quite common among creative people. Just because you spend a few hours a day in the office doesn’t mean you become worse at photography, drawing, or writing. On the contrary: you have the time and money to grow professionally in your favorite field. This approach is also good if you get bored quickly with new areas but don’t want to constantly jump from one company to another.

Perhaps it’s precisely because your favorite thing is not a routine (and anyone who earns a living from creativity will assure you that this process quickly turns into a routine), but a secret refuge where you love to be in happy snatches, that your dream is so attractive. And who knows, maybe very soon, developing as a professional in your favorite extracurricular projects, you will be able to leave the office with a light heart and finally settle on a job that is not only endlessly interesting but also well paid.

Text: Daria Egorchenko