How to Find Your Lifelong 'Calling': Define Your 'Calling' (up) Over a Job Title

Many people focus on questions like 'What do I like?' or 'What am I good at?' when looking for a suitable job. However, these criteria can change over time. What one liked in their teens might lose its appeal in their twenties, and what one thought they were good at often becomes undesirable once it becomes a job. Choosing a job based on such criteria can ultimately lead to instability.

Problems particularly arise when one tries to first decide on a job title, such as 'Am I suited to be a marketer, a developer, or a designer?' Job titles, referred to as 'jik,' constantly change with the times. If one sets their goal on a specific 'jik,' there is a risk of losing their career path again the moment that job itself disappears or changes.

One copywriter initially enjoyed writing but grew to dislike it over time. It's highly probable that they didn't enjoy writing itself, but rather found energy in the process of organizing their thoughts and changing others' perspectives through writing. When the job of 'copywriter' became solely focused on writing sentences to sell a given product, they lost their true motivation. In other words, it was because they failed to fulfill their 'calling' (up) of 'making the world see differently,' which lies behind the 'jik' of writing.

To find a truly lifelong career, one should not solely focus on job conditions or names ('jik'). Instead, one should approach it from the perspective of their 'calling' (up). This means first defining how one contributes to the world. One must ask fundamental questions about what values they want to create, rather than just the job title.

Once you discover your true 'calling' (up), the 'jik' can expand in countless ways. Just as a former copywriter can realize their 'calling' in various forms such as a YouTuber or a writer, one can continuously gain energy in any job if its structure allows them to fulfill that 'calling'. If the 'calling' (up) is clearly defined first, its foundation remains unshaken even as times change, allowing for a stable career.

Your unique 'calling' (up) doesn't just come from abstract thoughts. It's inevitably connected to a person's deep desires, and the root of those desires lies in 'deficiencies.' 'Deficiencies' refer to what has been particularly uncomfortable, unfulfilled, and repeatedly craved since childhood.

There was a person who, as a child, accidentally gave a presentation in front of others and felt joy from the praise received. This experience of praise instilled in them a 'desire to influence others and be recognized.' This desire eventually connected to their 'calling,' developing into a direction where they would influence and be recognized by others through speech in any field. This is a typical example of a desire born from deficiency manifesting into concrete actions and a 'calling' (up).

Finding your 'calling' (up) first, rather than a 'job' (jik), is not merely an abstract concept but directly related to solving very real problems. Finding your 'calling' (up) is closely linked to how you sustain yourself. The most significant change is that work can transform from a depleting activity into one that actually recharges you. This enables sustainable growth.

Most things we like, are good at, and find enjoyable tend to change over time. However, what truly doesn't change are the deep desires stemming from an individual's innate 'temperament' and 'deficiencies.' Instead of expending energy suppressing or trying to change these desires, it is wiser to accept them and use that energy to leverage them as strengths.

In our society, there's a peculiar compulsion to believe that 'you succeed if you find what truly excites you' or 'finding your true calling is as hard as winning the lottery.' From Erich Fromm's perspective of 'To Have or to Be,' this stems from a possessive way of life that treats jobs as 'commodities' to be shopped for, rather than a part of oneself. People want to possess jobs, and this perspective causes confusion.

Viewing a job from a possessive perspective, as a 'tool that must make me happy,' leads to several problems. If work becomes even slightly difficult or boring, it's easy to give up quickly or fall into complacency, thinking 'This isn't my job,' or 'It doesn't suit me.' Even more seriously, people come to believe that external factors like their business card or salary define them, rather than the activities they perform.

What you love is not something that suddenly appears one day; it's something you actively create by giving meaning to the work you are currently doing. In other words, it's based on the logic that you can choose to love any work. And how you love that work manifests differently according to each individual's desires. You can create work you love by understanding your own desires and applying them to your job.

Convenience store part-timer B actively observes and improves the store without being told. For example, they ask questions like, 'Why do office workers look for a specific beverage every Monday at 10 AM?' or 'Wouldn't customers find it easier to see products if the shelf height were adjusted?' While they have the job of a convenience store part-timer, they actually exist as someone who analyzes the market or optimizes systems. When they leave work, they don't just earn money; they also gain a sense of efficacy from observing the world and improving something.

Instead of searching for work you love, it's more important to make the work you're currently doing enjoyable. This method starts with understanding your deficiencies. When you're forced to work due to realistic pressures like loan interest, rent, and immediate living expenses, understanding your deficiencies can positively transform that work.

'Deficiency' doesn't simply mean envying others or trying to compensate for weaknesses; it refers to the innate desire to fulfill a lack felt instinctively within. This deficiency naturally leads to specific desires, and those desires, in turn, manifest as concrete actions. Ultimately, our actions and motivations stem from deep internal deficiencies and desires.

When working in a logistics warehouse, an employee might change the order of moving boxes themselves when everyone else is just following instructions, unable to tolerate inefficient routes. This behavior shows that the person's lifestyle is geared towards 'system optimization.' The act of taking initiative to do something not ordered reveals a strong desire for 'execution.' In this way, individuals can find satisfaction when they apply their deficiencies and desires in the workplace.

No matter how difficult or simple a workplace may be, when one begins to solve problems in their own way, it transforms from mere labor into a 'calling' that proves oneself. When one instinctively feels that their work is contributing to someone, they work proactively without being asked, which in turn leads to a meaningful life trajectory. Emptiness disappears, and satisfaction is found in work.

There are people who get annoyed by meaningless meetings or get angry at the repetition of soulless words without action. These feelings stem from a craving for clear direction and swift execution. Therefore, such individuals have a strength in executing and acting, and they should use their energy for direct action and execution rather than for thinking, to maximize their strengths.

Conversely, some people get annoyed by those who prioritize action without sufficient thought in meetings, or who cannot understand moving forward recklessly without thoroughly reviewing risks. Such individuals have a strong desire for better decision-making. Instead of expending energy on execution, it is more effective for them to use their energy for careful planning and decision-making, utilizing their strengths in thinking, where they can best be applied.

Rather than searching for a 'dream job' like a true calling, one should devise a strategy to make themselves love the work they are currently doing. As such a personal strategy accumulates and is successfully applied, social recognition will naturally follow. This recognition will enhance one's reputation and, consequently, lead to opportunities for better job titles and business cards. In other words, it is important to prove one's worth through the current job, rather than waiting for a good job to come from the outside.