Natural vs Constructed

[2neurotic4u]

To what extent do you think your LP is "constructed" in the sense that you chose to form it to fit within the framework of society, or "natural" in the sense that it was something you searched for, and found?

 

I'd categorize things that you don't actively have to search for, and aren't specific to you, as "constructed". A LP that you adopt into your life because of circumstance. To pay the bills, because it's convenient, because people around you are doing it, the job seems secure, it seems lucrative.. the list goes on. For example, the story of a professional tradesman (woodworking, blacksmith, electrician, etc.) born into a family with many other people who share the same trade seems to be relatively common.

On the other hand, a natural LP would be an innate passion that you have to go out and find. Maybe your LP is some obscure craft that you would need to sift through hundreds of books before you come across. Or maybe it's some sport or hobby you've never even heard of.

If the answer is that LP is "constructed," that begs the question: "Can't I just choose a field that looks promising, maybe find a nice niche, get crazy good at my craft, and then find fulfillment through that?" If it's natural, that begs the question: "What if there's some reason why this LP is very incongruent with my lifestyle? For example, maybe your hobby is pro basketball, but you're getting old and out of shape? Or what if your LP was drawing, but you lose your arms in an accident?" Is it then possible to shift your LP somehow? It seems like your LP would then be constructed. 

 

Perhaps I'm thinking too much about the skill/actual craft component of LP, and not enough about the actual "changing the world" component. My personal belief is that a combination of both the natural and constructed would be nice, but I don't know if both components are necessary, since it's likely people have found fulfillment by going down just one of these routes and not the other. This leads me to another, final question:

Is it possible to work at an LP for years and then "stumble across" what you believe to be your "true" LP?  The more I introspect, the more I realize I have a deep fear that something like that will happen to me. What if future me realizes that I chose the "wrong" LP, that I didn't search in the right places.. and now I've messed up and invested time in this false calling, only now years lost in the process... I've also heard about people cycling through different LPs throughout their lifetime and that sounds equally confusing to me. 

This is why I personally like to believe that an LP is something that's has a large "constructed" component; I like to think of it as more of a choice than a calling. It simplifies things.. but then again, maybe my thoughts are too simple for the world which is very complex.

Any thoughts on this? I thought this was an interesting idea and I'm open to other perspectives! 

[Snader]

How I see it is that it's pretty much a combination of 3 factors: personality, personal values and the social aspect. Those factors determine the thing/(s) you are authentically good at, you want, and that are suitable for you, mostly in terms of paying the bills. They affect seperately, but also affect each other, for example your personality might require you to lean more towards your values, or the social aspect. 

Whether you call it a career, life purpose or both, is up to you. You can have projects or a day job that isn't your life purpose, while you're slowly and carefully building your life purpose elsewhere. You can also make the projects or the job part of your life purpose by noting how they are contributing to it. Even working at a McDonald's can be a big part for someone starting or living their purpose.

Even with a little hunch of your true calling, you can start building your life around that purpose and magically start seeing the ''irrelevant'' parts of your life more relevant. That's why it's important to be aware of your personal values.

 

1 hour ago, 2neurotic4u said:

This leads me to another, final question:

Is it possible to work at an LP for years and then "stumble across" what you believe to be your "true" LP?  The more I introspect, the more I realize I have a deep fear that something like that will happen to me. What if future me realizes that I chose the "wrong" LP, that I didn't search in the right places.. and now I've messed up and invested time in this false calling, only now years lost in the process... I've also heard about people cycling through different LPs throughout their lifetime and that sounds equally confusing to me. 

That's very likely to happen, but also very desirable. If you keep living consciously and developing yourself, that means your values will also change/evolve through the process, which will move you to another (or the next) thing. And if you are living consciously, that propably means that your next life purpose will add up to the previous one, and the new (the more authentic one) wouldn't have revealed itself, if it wasn't for the previous one.

I used to fear that too, only to realize that there is nothing to fear about that. Only excitement and thrill that rise from unknowing. As long as your honoring your values, you can't really go wrong.

So if you have some career or life purpose ideas in your mind and your feeling fear or nervousness, maybe contemplate how much that idea is aligned with your values. If you can't figure that out, then it's maybe time to take a deeper look at your core values.

[Yarco]

I think it's similar to the nature vs nurture debate. 

Everyone has natural talents and inclinations. I think your life purpose is finding a current role in society that best fits your personality and interests.

I don't know if I can assign a % constructed vs % natural. It's more like you need to start with the natural, and then find a way to construct something from that. You need a checklist of prerequisites to be a good fit for a particular life purpose.

If your life purpose today is computer programming... what would your life purpose have been 100 years before computers? You'd adjust to the next-best-fit. Probably mathematics in general, maybe some kind of analogue logic programming, or making contraptions out of gears.

[puporing]

21 hours ago, 2neurotic4u said:

Is it possible to work at an LP for years and then "stumble across" what you believe to be your "true" LP?  The more I introspect, the more I realize I have a deep fear that something like that will happen to me. What if future me realizes that I chose the "wrong" LP, that I didn't search in the right places.. and now I've messed up and invested time in this false calling, only now years lost in the process... I've also heard about people cycling through different LPs throughout their lifetime and that sounds equally confusing to me. 

It is totally is possible, sometimes affected by your survival situation and what is in the realm of possibility at that time. You could also technically have more than one "LP" at any given time if we're talking in terms of manifested roles/careers, though the focus will of course be more diluted. It can definitely be confusing especially for outsiders who might see you as flakey but don't let that determine what you truly would like to pursue any given moment/period, and eventually, you'll figure out something that sticks more than others and snowballs. 

 

19 hours ago, Snader said:

I used to fear that too, only to realize that there is nothing to fear about that. Only excitement and thrill that rise from unknowing. As long as your honoring your values, you can't really go wrong.

This ^. Switching to how you view the changes with your LP makes a difference.