A calling is not something you choose, but something you nurture.

To you,
what kind of work is a "calling"?
Incidentally, the word "calling" originally
did not have the meaning of
"the best job that suits me."
In English, it is called a "calling,"
and it refers to the "occupation itself" given by God.
It is not about a job that suits you from the start,
but rather fulfilling a role without letting your own ego interfere.
It was a phrase about blooming where you are planted, wasn't it?

In anything,
there is no such thing as an option that suits you
from the very beginning.
However, when I look around, there are words like "calling," "soulmate,"
"what I want to do," and "finding myself."
There are many pleasant-sounding,
narcotic-like words that create the illusion that there is a good option somewhere other than here,
and that if you just happen to encounter that good option, you will be rewarded.

There are also many examples of people who have achieved results
saying, "Find what you want to do!"
But did "encountering what they wanted to do"
really lead directly to their results?

There are also many examples of people who have achieved results
saying, "It's thanks to those around me."
I rarely see people say, without joking, "I worked extremely hard myself."
Being able to be grateful and say "it's thanks to those around me"
is one of the factors that allows you to achieve results.
(I won't dig into this here as it's not the main point.)
Thinking about it that way, couldn't "find what you want to do" also be interpreted
as part of "thanks to those around me," meaning
it was because they were lucky enough to encounter such an option,
and they are speaking with humility?

Even if I have heard people who have achieved results say
"find what you want to do,"
I have never seen them say
"that alone will bring results."
If you hear "find what you want to do"
and are in a state of being desperate to "search" for
a wonderful "option," it can be said that
this includes a convenient interpretation.

Whether it is work or a hobby,
deciding on one thing from a set of options
is not like a vending machine where a fixed result
comes popping out.
It is about planting a seed.
Of course, just planting a seed
will not make it sprout or bloom.
And then, based on the result,
you interpret it as a bad seed.
But there are people who plant the same seed, make it sprout,
and make a large flower bloom.

The essence is not in choosing the seed, but
in "nurturing" that option from there.

Seeds are everywhere.
Like real gardening,
if you look forward to the day the flower blooms,
and even the watering itself becomes fun,
then even if the flower doesn't bloom,
your daily life will still be enjoyable.

When you think about it this far, the opening statement that
a "calling" is blooming where you are planted
also starts to feel natural, doesn't it?
A calling is not something you choose, but something you nurture.
By continuing to do the work you have been given until you acquire the ability
to provide value to society,
you naturally find a meaning in doing it that others don't.
I think you can recognize this sense of mission
as a "calling"!

I, too, will dream of a future where many flowers bloom,
and I will continue to work hard at watering them today!

Thank you for reading until the end.