#251 Your “Calling” is the Accumulation of Everyday Steps

We are entering an era where there are more and more choices. It is precisely in times like these that we need to find a balance between our own foundation and flexibility. I would like to share with you a photo from when I made the decision to have two jobs.

As a project manager for a foreign financial institution, I often have to think about various plans and strategies.

Why am I doing this kind of work? Is this really my “calling”? Do I really enjoy it?

Instead of thinking about it in a casual way, I decided to get to the bottom of it in a concrete way, and wrote it down in a notebook.

First of all, “organizing” is one of the major roles of a project manager.

It is not only to organize everyone's opinions, but also to do a wide range of things from detailed administrative work to coordinating communication among the parties involved.

Preparation of materials is also a time-consuming part of the job, and is not often shown on the surface.

Communication with the people involved is also a daily process that builds trust and allows us to make good approaches to the people involved.

The daily accumulation of such efforts will lead to overall business improvement, which in turn will lead to taking a big step forward.

There is this daily accumulation, and there is also the taking of bold steps.

I enjoy both of these processes, and I have realized again that it is because of this balance in project management that I have chosen this job for so many years.

I also realized that the same can be said about the human resource development and coaching related activities that I do for my other job.

We have to accumulate small daily tasks and work steadily. And then, in the real world, to provide the best possible service to our clients and workshop participants.

In the end, for me, it means that I am not doing this job because I have one or the other. I have convinced myself again that I enjoy savoring this exquisite balance.

Can it really be called a “calling”? There is a sense that “vocation” is somehow imbued with the meaning of “perfection,” and I feel that there is a sense of unnecessary pressure.

When people see an Olympic athlete compete or a singer perform on stage, they may think, “That's his or her calling,” but even if the athlete has some original talent, without daily training, he or she will not be able to publicly display his or her boldness.

In other words, I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that without the daily grind, you will never reach your “calling.”

In my case, I did not have to work in the financial industry or as a project manager for the past 25 years. It could have been anything else.

I believe that everyone always has an endless number of choices.

If I had chosen another path back then, a different kind of “calling” might have been waiting for me at the other end.

Because I have been working steadily, it has become a natural movement, and I find enjoyment in it. And sometimes, you can make decisions and perform in a way that makes those around you gasp.

Isn't that the foundation of one’s‘“calling”?

It has been extremely hot here in Japan.

Let's take care of ourselves and each other.

May the rest of the world and all of you have a week full of smiles!