Pursuing your calling may require a great deal of personal sacrifice . Depending what you feel called to do , you may have to quit your job , go back to school , relocate , rethink your financial portfolio , or give up precious time with family and friends . But here ’ s the thing : If it ’ s your calling — if it ’ s who you are and what you were put on this earth to do — it won ’ t feel like a sacrifice . It will feel like a privilege . That ’ s how you know your calling is real . When it ’ s your calling , difficult decisions are not have to ’ s ; they ’ re get to ’ s . You make these decisions not because it ’ s what you do but because it ’ s who you are . It ’ s how God wired you .
Why do first responders rush into burning buildings when everyone else is running the other way ? It ’ s who they are . It ’ s how they ’ re wired . The sacrifices they ’ re willing to make may not make sense to anyone else around them . Yet if you were to ask them , they ’ d likely tell you they can ’ t imagine living any other way . I ’ ve been agenting for almost twenty years now , and well-meaning friends and colleagues still remind me that I could make a lot more money practicing law . But what they don ’ t understand is that I don ’ t do what I do for the money . If that were the case , I would have packed it in years ago . I do it because I truly believe this is what God has called me to do .
You ’ ll often find that committing to something bigger than yourself affects more than just you . Sometimes pursuing your calling can impact your family and friends as well . I have known countless coaches and players who have had to uproot their entire family as a result of trades or personnel changes . Kids have had to change schools . Spouses have had to leave jobs , friends , and churches behind . It ’ s not always easy . But then , nothing worthwhile ever is . As you make decisions and get buy-in from your family , the question you need to ask is “ Are we willing to make those sacrifices ?”
“ You ’ ve been given an amazing gift ,” I told him . “ Please don ’ t throw it away .”
A few years ago , I represented a young man out of the University of Oklahoma . He was a gifted athlete with his entire future ahead of him . He had an incredible performance in the Combine and was drafted by Detroit in the fourth round . I attended rookie orientation meetings with him . We found a great house for him to rent not far from the Lions facility . He even bought a new Cadillac with part of his signing bonus . It seemed as if everything was falling into place for him . But once he got to training camp , everything started to fall apart .
One day he called me and said , “ I can ’ t do it anymore , Kelli . I just can ’ t . I hate getting up early in the morning and having to work all day . I ’ m tired of the pressure and never feeling like I ’ m good enough .” Then he sighed and said , “ It ’ s just a lot of work .”
“ Listen ,” I said to him . “ For the rest of your life , you ’ re going to have to do a lot of work .
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