Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it. Every time we have seen a person on this stage who is a success in their life, they spoke of the job, and they spoke of the juice that they receive from doing what they knew they were meant to be doing. We saw it in the volunteers who rocked abandoned babies in Atlanta. We saw it with those lovely pie ladies from Cape Cod making those delicious potpies. We saw it every time Tina Turner, Celine, Bocelli or Lady Gaga lit up the stage with their passion. Because that is what a calling is. It lights you up and it lets you know that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be, doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. And that is what I want for all of you and hope that you will take from this show. To live from the heart of yourself. You have to make a living; I understand that. But you also must know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world.” Oprah, The Oprah Winfrey Show Finale, May 25, 2011
How fortunate I was to happen upon Oprah’s Farewell Show and hear her speak these words, emphatically affirming my core beliefs and values in such an eloquent and compelling way. Those of you who know me, know that this is what propels me. I am called to create avenues for others to transform. The nature of that transformation involves discovering, embracing, and living one’s calling!
Surrounded by devastation and destruction in many parts of the world, often shaped by our own hands, I believe everyone reading this is in a position to make a difference. To turn the tide, I believe each one of us must take personal responsibility to find our life purpose and our calling. Then we need to structure support into our lives, so we fully actualize the same. In that way we can add to the light in the world. To do otherwise, robs each one of us and everyone in our lives of the best of what we have to offer and greatly diminishes the contribution and meaning we can create in life.
How do I begin to take personal responsibility? Take the Pursuit of Excellence. How do I find my life purpose? Take The Wall. How do I structure support into my life? Take the Advancement of Excellence. How do I discover and embrace my core values and my Calling? Take Mastery I and II and then audit the Advancement again! That’s what I did, and it worked for me… one step at a time.
~ Pam Lewis, Director & Program Leader