Ole to You Anyway — and Keep Showing Up

“Gilbert is irreverent, hilarious, zestful, courageous, intelligent, and in masterful command of her sparkling prose.” -Booklist

In 2007, Elizabeth Gilbert published Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia, which became a phenomenal success.

In February of this year, Elizabeth gave a speech entitled “A Different Way to Think About Creative Genius.” It’s a funny, moving, and poignant speech that sheds light into the mystery of “calling” spoken of in Social Leadership: A Fresh Vision for Old Problems. In the e-book, we write:

“Interestingly, one common thread found in those who feel a calling in life is that they believe that greatness happens through them, not by them. Their role is to prepare themselves, accept the call, and follow through with discipline. This allows them to channel their calling into meaningful contributions.

The psychiatrist Carl Jung described his calling when he wrote, “I had a sense of destiny as though my life was assigned to me by fate and had to be fulfilled. This gave me an inner security…Often I had the feeling that in all decisive matters, I was no longer among men, but was alone with God.”

The calling of a social leader is the thing that he or she can’t not do because of the inner voice that compels and drives them. It permeates their thoughts, emotions, actions, and habits.

Pay attention to Elizabeth Gilbert’s inspiring words, especially at the very end of her speech, as she describes this concept: