Everyone Wants the Outcome. Few Want the Calling.

This piece was inspired by a post written by Cam Kirk of Cam Kirk Studios. His words challenged the cultural obsession with “you can do anything” and instead asked a harder question: are we actually called — or just reacting? This essay is my lived expansion of that idea.

Somewhere along the way, we let the phrase “you can do anything” turn into a mandate instead of a possibility. It sounded empowering at first. It still does. Especially online. Especially when you’re watching people your age hit milestones, go viral, quit jobs, launch brands, move cities, and call it alignment. But the older I get — and the more rooms I’ve been in — the more I realize how many of us mistook access for assignment.

We saw someone win and assumed it was a sign. We saw momentum and called it purpose.We felt pressure and labeled it ambition.

Cam Kirk’s post put language to something I’d been feeling for a while but hadn’t fully confronted: most people aren’t chasing what they’re called to — they’re chasing what looks rewarding.

And I had to admit… I’ve been guilty of that too.

We’re Living in a Culture of Reaction

Social media didn’t invent ambition, but it absolutely distorted it.

We’re constantly exposed to highlight reels with no context. No backstory. No emotional cost. Just outcomes. And when you see enough outcomes stacked back-to-back, it starts to feel irresponsible not to want one for yourself.

So people react.

Your friend becomes a creator, now you’re questioning your career.Someone launches a business — now you feel behind.Someone goes viral, now you’re convinced the universe is calling your name too.

But envy is sneaky. It doesn’t show up yelling. It whispers. It disguises itself as curiosity, inspiration, even “growth.” And before you know it, you’re moving — not because something is pulling you — but because comparison is pushing you.

That’s not calling. That’s pressure.

When I Confused Opportunity With Alignment

I won’t pretend I didn’t benefit from saying yes to things that worked.

There were moments where momentum carried me faster than intention. Where visibility grew quicker than clarity. Where I was praised for “doing so much” while quietly feeling disconnected from why I was doing any of it in the first place.

From the outside, it looked aligned.From the inside, it felt loud.

I told myself that opportunity meant destiny. That if doors were opening, I was supposed to walk through all of them. But nobody tells you how easy it is to stay busy while drifting further away from yourself. There’s a difference between being chosen and being called. I learned that the hard way.

Being Good at Something Doesn’t Mean It’s Yours Forever

This part is uncomfortable, especially in a culture obsessed with optimization.

You can be talented at something and still not be meant to build your life around it.You can enjoy something and not turn it into a business.You can make money doing something and still feel misaligned.

We rarely talk about that because it disrupts the narrative. The idea that everything you touch should scale. That every interest should monetize. That every skill should become an identity.

But sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is admit: this worked — but it isn’t mine anymore.

The Cost Nobody Posts About

What gets left out of the inspirational captions is the toll.

The exhaustion that doesn’t go away with rest.The anxiety disguised as productivity.The loss of intuition because every decision starts sounding like the internet.

When you chase something that isn’t rooted in purpose, it will eventually ask for more than it gives back. Not all at once — slowly. Quietly. Until you’re successful on paper and empty in real life.

And no amount of external validation fixes that.

The Question That Changed Everything for Me

I had to stop asking “Can I do this?” and start asking something harder:

Am I doing this because it’s mine — or because it looks good online?

That question stripped the noise away. It forced honesty. It removed urgency. And it reminded me that just because something is accessible doesn’t mean it’s aligned.

Purpose doesn’t usually announce itself with fireworks.Trends do.

Let Yourself Off the Hook

Not everything is for you — and that’s not a failure.

You don’t need to pursue every idea.You don’t need to monetize every interest.You don’t need to prove your worth through productivity.

Some things are meant to be enjoyed quietly.Some paths are meant to be observed, not followed.Some success stories are meant to inspire clarity — not imitation.

We’re seeing so many people burn out not because they aren’t capable, but because their hearts were never truly in what they were chasing. They wanted the outcome, not the calling.

And that matters.

So before you jump into the next thing — pause.Listen.Ask yourself where the desire is coming from.

If it’s rooted in purpose, instinct, and a deep internal pull — go all in.But if it’s rooted in comparison, pressure, or fear of being left behind…

Let yourself off the hook.

Peace is allowed too.