'Strangely, we find that all along, we had what we needed from the beginning'

THE HIDDEN GIFT IN GOOD WORK

A true vocation always calls us out beyond ourselves; breaks our heart in the process and then humbles, simplifies and enlightens us about the hidden, core nature of the work that enticed us in the first place. Strangely, we find that all along, we had what we needed from the beginning and that in the end we have returned to its essence, but an essence we could not understand until we had undertaken the journey.

No matter the self-conceited importance of our labours we are all compost for worlds we cannot yet imagine. Ambition might take us toward that horizon, but not over it - that line will always recede before our controlling hands. But a calling is a conversation between our physical bodies, our work, our intellects and our imaginations, and a new world that is itself the territory we seek.

A true vocation always includes the specific, heart-rending way we will fail at our attempt to live our lives fully. The humility earned through failure means we look for both visible and invisible help, that we cannot be complete without meeting and being helped by someone or something other than our selves and as its final gift, metamorphoses both ambition and failure into a generous compassion and understanding for others….

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from ‘AMBITION’ From CONSOLATIONS: 

The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words.
© David Whyte and Many Rivers Press 2015