Dave Says: Think, Pray … and Find Your Calling

Dear Dave,

My husband and I have been very blessed financially over the course of our lives. We make a little over $200,000 a year combined, and we currently have a net worth of around $4 million. But what do you do when you’re not motivated by that kind of thing anymore? How do you find and live out God’s purpose for your life, when you’ve already had a better life than you ever expected?

—Amanda

Dear Amanda,

I can’t tell you what your calling is, but I can say this. There’s a lot of fulfillment and joy to be found when you’re doing something that serves the people and things in your life that matter most.

If you’ve studied psychology a bit, you may remember something called Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Basically, it says once your physiological and safety needs have been met, you begin to feel the need to find other things to motivate you. It sounds like you’re both hard-working, performance-driven people. I am, too. And people like us get our relaxation, and even fulfillment, away from work in different ways than most people.

If I were in your shoes, I’d start trying to think about ways you can serve other people or causes you care about. Maybe there were dreams you had a long time ago, and you put them aside for your career. What really speaks to you right now, at this stage of your life? For you, if you have kids in the house, it might mean becoming a stay-at-home mom and really pouring yourself into them. It might mean starting an animal shelter, or providing meals for people who are homebound. Everyone has dreams, and everyone’s dreams are different.

It sounds like you’ve been thinking about this for a while, so here’s my advice to you. Take a day, or even a weekend, all to yourself. Get away from everything and everyone—any and all outside distractions—and think about your future self. Bring along things to eat and drink, a bunch of notepads, pencils and a Bible. Then, before you do anything else, take a deep breath, relax and pray.

From that point on, be completely honest with God and with yourself. Open up your heart and mind to things you care about and all the possibilities. You have to have a goal that’s worthy in mind, and that’s the one thing that’s missing. But a time of thoughtful prayer—and yes, even daydreaming—may just put you closer to an answer than you’ve ever been before.

Congratulations on your success, Amanda. You and your husband truly have been blessed. But now, it may be the time to become a blessing to others!

—Dave