Letter to My Daughters: On Professions and Callings

 “He measured all his fellow workers by the test of professionalism, and a professional is a man who can do his best work when he doesn’t feel like it.”–Alistair Cooke, About Humphrey Bogart from his book “Six Men.”

“A job is different from a calling. A job puts food on the table. It pays the bills. A calling is the most important thing you can do in this life in which you would be most difficult to replace.”—Gary North

My definition: A calling feeds your soul; a profession feeds your body.  You get paid for your profession; you may very well have to pay to fulfill your calling.  Professions are lucrative; callings can be costly.

If you are lucky and persistent, then your calling and your profession can be one and the same thing, but those opportunities are rare, and you have to track them down to find them; they won’t come looking for you.  You have to try dozens of different things, do different jobs in different fields (often menial jobs), and leave yourself open to disappointment in order to find your calling, and in order to develop the skills to combine your calling with your profession.  It takes time, effort, and discipline.

We all want to do something meaningful, that is rewarding and enjoyable, and enriches our mind and body, heart and soul.  But it’s only recently that this was even an idea, much less a possibility.

Here’s a list of books I’ve read that talk about these ideas (and more) in detail:

• Simon Sinek – Start With Why
  Best for clarifying purpose and motivation at the very start of a career, helping young adults think about why they work, not just what job they take.
• Scott Adams – How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
  A practical, often humorous look at building a career through experiments, learning from failure, and developing a “talent stack,” which is very relatable to early‑career trial and error.
• Angela Duckworth – Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
  Emphasizes sticking with long‑term goals and developing resilience, which is crucial when first jobs are less than ideal and the “dream job” feels far away.
• Jocko Willink – Discipline Equals Freedom
  A concise, tough‑minded guide to self‑discipline, habits, and ownership of one’s choices—helpful for young workers learning to manage time, energy, and responsibility.
• Steven Pressfield – The War of Art
  Focuses on overcoming “Resistance,” the inner procrastination and fear that stop people from doing meaningful work, very relevant for taking initiative in a new career.
• Robert Greene – Mastery
  Frames career as a long apprenticeship toward excellence and offers historical and modern examples of people who turned curiosity into deep expertise, which can reset expectations about the pace of success.
• Timothy Ferriss – The 4‑Hour Workweek
  Challenges traditional career scripts and introduces ideas about designing work around lifestyle, entrepreneurship, and flexibility; even if some tactics are extreme, it can expand a young adult’s sense of what is possible.

I encourage you to read anything each of them has written; it’s all useful and interesting.  They all talk about what it takes to be “successful,” each  from a different perspective.

The fact that they all have similar themes says to me that those themes are important.  The main themes are:

• Have a purpose, a why, for what you are doing.
• Be disciplined and practice what you do frequently, deliberately, and for extended periods of time.
• Do the work and get help and coaching from people who are good at what you do.
• Be ready and willing to try different things as you gain an interest in them, but to keep that deliberate practice intact. You can change what you do but keep those other elements in place.

Let me know how I can help.

Love, Dad

The opinions expressed are those of Anthony Muhlenkamp and are not intended to forecast future events, guarantee future results, or offer investment advice.

Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.