What is God's plan for my life?
How do I know what God wants me to do?

God isn't calling us to "do" something; He is calling us to "be" something.

Whether we are 19 years old or a 40-something going through a mid-life crisis, every once in awhile we can't help but feel things like: "I just can't figure out what God wants me to do with my life!" or "I've always been told that God has a plan for me, that He put me here for a reason, but I can't figure out what that purpose is?"

At different times in our lives we often feel a lack of fulfillment with what we are doing, so we change a lot of external things. By making these changes we hope that what God wants us to do will become clearer. For example, should I go back to school and get more education? Should I move to another city? Maybe I should change jobs? Maybe I should buy a new house or move to a new apartment? Maybe one of these things will give me the fresh start that I need to turn things around? Unfortunately, what often happens is we make changes like this and still feel unfulfilled. This creates even more anxiety than before. If we've tried all these things and they haven't worked, what do we do next?

NO DOUBT
There is one thing for certain, of which there can be no doubt, and that is that God is calling each and every one of us to be a certain kind of person, a certain kind of Catholic. God is calling all of us to change our hearts to be like His.

If you follow the Encyclicals and Apostolic Letters of Pope John Paul II, a consistent theme of the Holy Father is that we spend a lot of time doing, and not enough time being. The teachings of the Catholic Church focus almost completely on the spiritual side. Every one of the Seven Sacraments focuses on helping us to become the kind of person that God wants us to be. Even Holy Orders, which has a career component for Priests and Nuns, is really about being a certain kind of person inside.

WHAT WE DO IS IMPORATANT
What is interesting is that although the Church's teachings do focus on improving our spiritual lives, it also teaches that what we do is very important. As Catholics we have a responsibility to use all the gifts God has given us to the fullest. Much is expected from those who much is given. Sometimes what is expected is to become highly educated, a captain of industry, or a leader in government.

But here is the interesting thing about what God wants us to "do" with our lives. We can't know what it is that God wants us to do unless we first have become the kind of person that God wants us to be. Only when our hearts are in unity with His, does it become crystal clear what He wants us to do.

The Catholic Church teaches that frequently, our anxiety and emptiness (that feeling of unfulfillment) is only an indication that God is calling us to a deeper relationship with Him. The Church teaches that happiness and fulfillment lie within and that we must nurture our hearts with the Sacraments, the Rosary, our prayer life, and many other gifts that the Church provides.

When I was growing up my parents always told me, "We don't care what you do for a living, just always make sure you do everything you can to be a good person and a good Catholic." Somehow they knew that if I had that, I would find my way.