In his post titled, A New Way To Find Work That You Love Tom Volkar of Delightful Work states,

We agree that to be authentic means to be genuine, open, unpretentious, honest and forthright. We also agree that authenticity is good for us. But we tend to disagree on how to get there, especially when it comes to our life’s work.

With blogging, many of us hope our efforts will lead to some sort of business, book deal or profession which will align with our true calling , however like Tom said, “We tend to disagree how to get there”.

For this reason, I’ve asked Tom to join us and discuss how he found his true life calling and overcame obstacles to become the successful true calling coach and business person that he is.

Welcome Tom,

In recent weeks we’ve been discussing finding our passion and even what the our blogs and/or creations may be worth. Some bloggers don’t know where their blog will take them, but others, like Nadia of Happy Lotus are finding themselves at a crossroad.

I know you’ve been there, too. Chasing what you thought was your passion, your true life calling, only to get distracted or to start doubting yourself. With that said,

What method(s) did you use to find your “life’s work”, your authentic true life calling?

I began setting high work fulfillment standards in 1992 and I’ve kept at it, adjusting and evolving along the way. That’s key. One must get started and persist, even if your first attempt feels like only a guess.

A strong belief in the gift of unique individuality that every being is blessed with has centered my work on expressing my uniqueness.

Shortly after I began coaching in 1998 I developed a process of completing the nine components of right livelihood shown here. My clients are comfortable completing the puzzle by choosing to fill in the pieces that are most unknown to them. After establishing a baseline of these components it becomes easier to continue to tweak and clarify as you go. But it’s important to note that each individual’s process needs to be aligned with how they like to work.

Once we reach the realization we may have found our “life’s work”, fears may arise. How did you conquer your fears?

Fears are simply thoughts that have run amok. They become more gripping and powerful through our imaginations. Thus it’s obvious that fearful thoughts need to be replaced with thoughts about what you want not what you don’t want. What I used is a complete awareness process that’s most effective when using all four realms of our power.

1). Spiritually determine the deep meaning behind what you want and made sure that your thoughts are purpose-driven.

2). Intellectually become a careful observer of what you are thinking and saying and when the fears arise switch out the thought and spoken words.

3). Emotionally used EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) developed by Gary Craig.

4). Physically only take actions aligned with what you want.

Many of the readers of this blog hope to utilize their blogs and/or online presence to move closer to their dream. Knowing that, what process do you suggest they follow?

Bloggers have a built-in advantage because they can leverage their blogs as marketing vehicles. Yet I see many bloggers who write without a pre-determined purpose or with too broad of a focus. So I’d recommend the following process.

1). Use my True Calling Guidebook (free at “Big Link Rally”.com) [or click on the book] to discover your true calling. Get close and even guess if you must but decide on your strongest possibility and ride it.

2). Design and begin operating a business that honors the movement (greater community purpose) behind your calling.

3). Serve that movement by writing about your business and the movement. Remain focused on that one main concept and see what opportunities and openings develop.

4). Seize those opportunities then tweak, adjust and continue to evolve your calling as you build your business. Don’t make it more complicated than this. Retire your over-analytical mind and get into authentic play.

Tom, you are now beginning a new endeavor called the “Big Link Rally”. Can you tell us a little more about that, how it works and what you hope the outcome will be for all who participate?

It’s my theory that had we been raised with unconditional acceptance, loving recognition and affirming celebration of who we are, we would have naturally developed our gifts into prosperous and fulfilling, true calling professions and businesses.

But instead, well meaning but primarily fearful and cautious caregivers, who modeled conformity at the expense of authenticity, raised most of us.

So our natural link between authenticity and abundance did not develop because we chose culturally acceptable livelihoods lacking in fulfillment and or prosperity.

Big Link Rallies were developed on my observations working with hundreds of one-on-one career coaching clients since 1998. I’ve come to the conclusion that we can accelerate the true calling process by gathering together in authentically supportive environments designed to reconnect this life enhancing links between authenticity and abundance.

The first one will be held in Pittsburgh on January 2, 2010. The second will be a virtual event in the spring [of 2010].

I’d be willing to bet that every one of your readers is somewhat aware of at least the possibility of her or his true calling. I’d love to answer questions and guide you onto a more direct path to greater fulfillment and prosperity.

That’s the mission of my movement, so please seize this opportunity to present your greatest challenge in the form of a question.

***********End Of Interview************
Thank you Tom for joining us today, and for being so willing to answer questions the readers here at Blogging Without a Blog may have. You’ve been a blogging buddy of mine for quite some time now, and as you know, I wish all the success in the world on your new endeavor.

Tom’s clients pay for his advice. Today he’s generously helping all of us at no cost.

Today’s Assignment

Do you have a question for Tom? Please feel free to leave it in the comment section.

If you don’t have a question for Tom, do you feel you’re closer to finding your true calling? Your “life’s work”? Your passion?

If so, how has the process of blogging helped?

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Disclaimer: The Big Link Rally links will take you to a site for which I am an affiliate.