Second Calling: Life Purpose for Professionals at an Inflection Point

What do you do when you don't know what you want to do in life? You try new things. You look for glimpses of what's interesting to you and what you're good at. Nancy Franson is a writer, but it took her decades to get there. As she puts it, she discovered that she was a writer in her fifties. She shares her journey in this episode.

From her story, we learn about getting feedback from other people about who we are, doing free writing to see what comes out of our hearts, and serendipitous encounters. She shares a remarkable story about getting a job as a writer in the most random of circumstances.

You can learn more about Nancy at https://nancyfranson.com/. She's on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nancyfranson.

The School of Purpose shares knowledge about finding purpose in life. This knowledge comes from both research and life experiences. Visit us at schoolofpurpose.org. 

Edited and Produced by Josh Gilbert
[email protected] 
Music also by Josh Gilbert

Things were going just fine for Bud Brown. He lived a comfortable life as a church consultant. His kids were raised. He lived in a beautiful city. Then he got a whiff of a dream. It’s not just any dream. It’s a change-everything, wouldn’t-it-be-amazing dream. Most people would just talk about such dreams. Not Bud. He took action. He and his wife planned out how to have a remarkable third act to their lives. They sold the house and are now exploring how to put this plan in place.

This episode is about being in transition into purpose. How is purpose initially discerned? What has to be done to bring it about? Topics covered include finishing life well; using love, joy, and peace to identify what is purposeful; taking steps forward when the destination isn’t clear; and exploratory road trips.

Do you feel adrift in life? Are you unclear about your goals? If you don’t find direction, you won’t live the life that you want. The School of Purpose will lead you into knowing what matters most to you and how to bring it about. It takes you on an exploratory journey of purpose in your life. You’ll receive articles and exercises that show you how to find your way (and it’s free). Sign up now at schoolofpurpose.org. 

You can connect with Bud at Budbrown.net.

Edited and Produced by Josh Gilbert
[email protected] 
Music also by Josh Gilbert

Sheri Blackmon is a cancer survivor-twice over. The most recent occurrence was harrowing. For a year, she could do little each day except try to heal. Even the smallest moments became meaningful. From this experience, she learned to view the world differently. While the chemotherapy was killing the cancer, the cancer was killing triviality.

In this episode, Sheri describes how she now engages the world differently. Among the topics that come up are: the difference between active and passive purpose, the role of control in living purposefully, the significance of small choices, and why dreams might be better than goals.

If you’d like to learn more about your own purpose in life, visit schoolofpurpose.org for training materials, articles, and more.

You can learn more about Sheri's story at lifeafterwhy.com.

Edited and Produced by Josh Gilbert
[email protected] 

Music also by Josh Gilbert

Tom Andrix has had a long and varied career. Her served as a naval aviator, a dry wall installer, a staff person for a Christian ministry, and a data base manager for a hedge fund. When it came time to retire, Tom wanted to do something that used his skills to make the world a better place. He wanted something that moved him at a deep level. After investigating possibilities for several years, he found a retirement activity that perfectly fits these criteria.

In discussing his story, we talk about the role of chance encounters in finding our purpose, the use of our gifts and skills, and our responsibility to the world.

If you’d like to learn more about your own purpose in life, visit schoolofpurpose.org for training materials, articles, and more.

To contact Tom about his work with Compassion International, you can email him at [email protected]


Edited and Produced by Josh Gilbert
[email protected]

Music also by Josh Gilbert

Manisha Desai is a sociologist who has studied activists for many years. Over that time, she’s had countless conversations with them about why they get into activism. Purpose is at the core of their motivation, and it expresses itself in different ways. Among the topics that come up are the distinction between social-purpose and self-purpose, how purpose relates to both change and acceptance, and different pathways into a purposeful vocation.

To learn more about finding your own purpose, visit schoolofpurpose.org.   

Produced and Edited by Josh Gilbert
[email protected]