I had my face buried in a pillow at 3 AM when it hit me. That weird moment when you realize the job you’ve been chasing for five years isn’t actually what you want. At all.
Most people spend decades doing work they tolerate. Some even convince themselves they enjoy it. My own dad spent 43 years at a factory job he openly disliked because it paid the bills.
But finding your true calling isn’t some magical accident that happens to lucky people. It’s a process – one that combines intense desire with specific visualization techniques. These are the exact tools Napoleon Hill discovered when studying the most successful people of his generation.
Your Calling Is Hiding in Plain Sight
Look around your home for a minute. The books you choose to read. The topics that make you lose track of time on YouTube at midnight. The conversations where you suddenly become the most animated person in the room.
Your calling has been dropping breadcrumbs your entire life.
When we work with people trying to discover their purpose, we ask them to make three simple lists:
1. What activities make you forget to eat? 2. What topics do you research for fun? 3. What problems in the world make you angry enough to act?
These questions bypass your logical brain and tap into your emotional core. Because your calling isn’t just about skills – it’s about what lights you up inside.
Sharon once worked with a client who had a successful accounting career but felt completely empty. During their work together, she realized she’d been collecting children’s books for years and constantly thought about creative writing techniques. Six months later, she published her first children’s book. Now she writes full-time and speaks at schools about creativity.
She didn’t need a brand new calling. She needed to recognize the one that had been tapping her on the shoulder for years.
Visualization: Creating a Mental Movie of Your Purpose
Okay, so once you’ve identified some possible directions, visualization becomes your most powerful tool. But I don’t mean the weak version most people try.
Real visualization is creating a full sensory experience in your mind – complete with emotions, physical sensations, and crystal-clear images.
Here’s a visualization exercise that has helped countless people clarify their calling:
Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed for 20 minutes. Close your eyes and imagine waking up five years from now, on your ideal day. Follow yourself through this entire day:
– What work are you doing? – Who are you helping? – What problems are you solving? – How does your body feel while doing this work? – What do people thank you for?
The key is specificity. Don’t just see vague images of “success” or “happiness.” See the actual tasks you’re performing. Feel the actual emotions in your body.
One client did this exercise and kept seeing himself working outdoors with his hands. This was confusing since he had a business degree and worked in finance. But the image wouldn’t go away. Long story short, he now runs a landscaping business that specializes in sustainable gardens for schools – combining his business knowledge with his love for nature and teaching.
Visualization worked because it bypassed his logical objections and connected him with his true desire.
Without a Burning Desire, Nothing Moves
Desire is the engine. The fuel. The electricity that powers every major achievement in human history.
We’ve noticed something interesting in our work: People who struggle to find their calling often have dampened their desires. They’ve become experts at wanting things “reasonably.” At being “realistic.”
But finding your true calling requires unreasonable desire.
Napoleon Hill discovered this principle when interviewing the most successful people of his time. Every single one had what he called a “burning desire” – a goal they wanted so badly they could taste it.
To connect with your own burning desire:
1. What would you pursue if money wasn’t an issue? 2. What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? 3. What work would make you happy to get out of bed at 5 AM? 4. What contribution do you want to make before you die?
Write down your answers without filtering. Let yourself want things intensely.
I remember working with a middle school teacher who secretly wanted to become a photographer. When I asked why she hadn’t pursued it, she said, “It’s selfish to focus on art when I could be helping kids.”
But here’s what happened: When she finally admitted her desire and started taking photography seriously, she created a program teaching photography to at-risk youth. Her impact is now greater than ever before. Her desire didn’t lead her away from contribution – it led her to a more authentic version of it.
How do you find your calling when nothing seems clear?
Sometimes the path doesn’t reveal itself cleanly. You have interests pulling you in different directions. You have talents in multiple areas. Nothing jumps out as THE thing.
This is normal. And honestly, it might be healthy.
Most fulfilled people we know don’t have a single calling – they have a unique intersection of multiple interests. The sweet spot where their different passions overlap.
Take Aron’s journey. He loved business, personal development, teaching, and technology. For years he tried to choose just one. Should he build a tech company? Become a full-time coach? Write books?
The breakthrough came when he stopped trying to pick one and instead asked: “How could I combine all of these?”
That’s when Think And Grow Daily was born – a project that weaves together all his interests into something greater than the sum of its parts.
To find your own intersection:
1. List your top 4-5 interests/talents 2. For each pair of interests, brainstorm how they might combine 3. Look for problems in the world that this unique combination could solve
This approach often reveals a calling that’s uniquely yours – something no career counselor could have prescribed because it doesn’t fit neatly into existing categories.
The Ultimate Test: Do This Tonight
Here’s a practical exercise to try tonight. It combines visualization with connecting to your burning desire:
1. Find a quiet space with no distractions 2. Close your eyes and take 10 deep breaths 3. Imagine you’re 90 years old, looking back on your life 4. Ask your future self: “What did I do that mattered most?” 5. Listen for the answer without judging it 6. Write down everything you hear, even if it seems impossible
Many people report that this exercise cuts through confusion and reveals what they truly care about.
A client did this and kept seeing herself creating spaces where women could heal from trauma. She had no background in psychology or social work – she was in corporate sales. But the vision was persistent.
She didn’t quit her job overnight. Instead, she started hosting small weekend retreats for women. Eventually, this side project grew into her full-time work. She later told us, “I would never have discovered this path if I hadn’t connected with what I truly desired, not what seemed practical.”
Hill’s research showed that almost all major achievements begin with desire first, practical considerations second. The how reveals itself after you commit to what.
So tonight, let yourself want something deeply. Visualize it in vivid detail. Feel the emotions it creates. And watch as your mind begins to show you the path forward.
Your calling isn’t just about work. It’s about becoming fully yourself and offering that self to the world. The combination of burning desire and clear visualization is the secret formula that unlocks it.
Somewhere inside you, you already know what you’re meant to do. These tools just help you remember.