A few additional thoughts:

America loooooooves…

…ACHIEVEMENT!

We are encouraged to plug into our national rhythm of doing and getting and doing and getting (and we are encouraged stay there).

But what no one ever seems to mention is that sometimes not getting IS exactly what’s supposed to happen.

Over the past few decades I’ve learned (the difficult, painful way) that…

…hard work doesn’t necessarily produce anything that looks like typical “success.”

…feeling called to do something doesn’t necessarily produce anything that looks like typical “success.”

…doing the thing you know you are supposed to do Next, doesn’t necessarily produce anything that looks like typical “success.”

And that can suck. It can also confuse, frustrate, and mystify.

The other thing I learned (the slow, accepting way) is:
Don’t confuse a calling with a promise of success.

Callings feel SO RIGHT because they are.

They are your Next – meaning they are your Next Step to developing, growing, maturing, and expanding in the ways that you need in order to realize your full potential and biggest dreams.

But America mythologizes achieving as fast, continuous, linear, and obvious.

Thus, we can get humbled and disappointed when we misinterpret our feeling of “rightness” as a signal that we’re about to experience fast, continuous, linear, obvious achievement.

Sometimes that will happen. (Whew!)

But if it doesn’t, don’t panic just yet.
Don’t sell out just yet.
Don’t cave in just yet.

Keep betting on yourself and, eventually, I promise, you will win that bet.

Onward!