I’m 15 months into sabbatical and here’s the most common question I’m currently being asked:
“What’s next?”
“Great question,” I find myself saying.
No clue.
And that’s the truth.
I’m currently helping my parents move to Mississippi, but come mid-August, I genuinely have no idea what I’m going to do next.
And that’s okay.
Because part of this sabbatical is learning to trust myself.
Follow my instincts.
Listen to my body.
And seek the calling.
Which brings us to today’s topic:
The Calling.
Last week I shared about “following the breadcrumbs” - a divinely timed conversation I had with a 71-year old Tesla Executive.
Breadcrumb → Experiment → Evidence → Path
This week? Another simple, yet profound conversation I can’t stop thinking about:
Job → Career → Calling
I was chatting with a neighbor the other day who does business consulting, and he shared an interesting persective that there are three types of work:
Job
Career
Calling
Here’s how I view the three:
🤝 Job: transactional; I’m exchanging time and skills for money.
📈 Career: future-focused; something I’m building and developing over time.
✨ Calling: purpose-driven; direct alignment with my values and impact I want to have.
To me, there’s also something special about a calling.
There’s a feeling to it.
Something magical.
Mystical.
Ethereal.
Something that cannot be logically explained.
It must be felt.
After this conversation, I began reflecting on my own professional life:
Job? ✅
Server.
Parks & Rec.
Spanish tutor.
Babysitting.
Countless side jobs.
Trading time for money with no intention of building a future in those industries.
Career? ✅
More than a decade in sales.
Eight years coaching baseball.
Those years were defined by a maniacal focus on career growth, personal development, and waking up each day on a mission to build my future.
(For the record - I absolutely loved my time working software sales and all jobs above. They served important chapters of my life, and I wouldn’t change a thing. They all helped me get to exactly where I am).
Calling? ⭕️
This one forces me to pause and think.
There have been seasons of my life that felt like a calling.
Teaching yoga.
Coaching baseball.
Volunteering at orphanages in Peru.
Buying a one-way ticket to Bali.
Seasons of life that felt mission-driven and purposeful.
Like I was on this planet for a reason…
But I also feel there’s something bigger.
Something that my heart and soul are guiding me toward even though the vision remains unclear.
So what’s next, you might ask?
Felt called to go to Bali → started teaching yoga
Felt called to go back → started teaching meditation
Felt called to come home → helping parents move
(I also felt called to come home last year instead of climbing Everest Base Camp… two weeks later unexpected avalanches hit EBC)
So as I continue trusting the nudges on my life in this season of uncertainty,
I’ll continue trusting the path of the unknown is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
And in the meantime… here’s what I’m questioning:
Is there an intersection to combine all three?
Where I love the job
Can build a meaningful career
And deep down, it feels like a calling
I’m not sure… but let’s follow the breadcrumbs and find out.
🌱 For You: When is a time in your life you’ve felt “the call?” Or a time you look back on and know you were living in a calling?
If you feel inclined, hit reply and let me know. Maybe sharing could benefit both of us.
And if I could leave you with one thing - trust the body, and yourself.
The path often reveals itself as you take the next best step.
🧘♂️ Mindfulness Tip of the Week
Tip: Embrace silence
Action: The next time you feel the urge to put on music, a podcast, the TV, or something else to fill the space, pause.
And don’t put on anything at all. Just be - with yourself.
Value: Don’t get me wrong - I love my music, podcasts, and current World Cup background noise, but there is power in simply being with your thoughts.
Your mind finally has a chance to breathe.
Pause.
Reflect.
Review.
To generate ideas, make decisions, and work through decisions.
Some of the best ideas I’ve ever had came from early morning runs with nothing more than freely moving my body, letting my mind be free.
🔥 Content Corner
🎯 2026 Goals Scoreboard
✍️ Goal 1: Write 49 Newsletters
Realized: 22/49
🌎 Goal 2: Travel to 34 countries by age 34
Realized: 25/34
💰Goal 3: Earn $50k in self-generated revenue
Realized: $4,897
Got this far? Hit reply and let me know a calling you’ve pursued in your life. Or a calling you’re living right now.
I love hearing from you and always respond.
Sigue la aventura 🚀
📸 Photo Dump, Fourth Week Back Home
It had been five months since the Goon Squad tore up a Caribbean Cruise together - reunited!
Cleaning out childhood home - been an artist all my life!
First ever live meditation complete! Let’s gooo!!! Following the breadcrumbs. S/o Mario & Adam for showing up and dropping in 🤙🏽
How my plane rides usually look (before throwing up and being insanely sick with food poisoning for two days)
Chase Sapphire Reserve lounge for the win - and yes, three brownies was absolutely necessary
See you next week 😎
