The Anatomy of a Calling: A Doctor's Journey from the Head to the Heart and a Prescription for Finding Your Life's Purpose

Description

In The Anatomy of a Calling, Lissa Rankin, MD, makes a simple yet revolutionary claim: We are all, every single one of us, heroes. We are all on what Joseph Campbell calls "a hero's journey;" we are all on a mission to step into our true nature and fulfill the assignment our souls were sent to Earth to fulfill. Navigating the hero's journey, Dr. Rankin argues, is one of the cornerstones of living a meaningful, authentic, healthy life. In clear, engaging prose, Dr. Rankin describes her entire spiritual journey for the first time-beginning with what she calls her "perfect storm" of events-and recounts the many transformative experiences that led to a profound awakening of her soul. Through her father's death, her daughter's birth, career victories and failures, and an ongoing struggle to identify as both a doctor and a healer, Dr. Rankin discovers a powerful self-awareness. As she shares her story, she encourages readers to find out where they are on their own journeys and offers wisdom and inspiration in the form of "Hero's Guideposts" along the way. Dr. Rankin weaves in lessons on trusting intuition, surrendering to love, and learning to see adversity as an opportunity for soul growth. Much more than a memoir, The Anatomy of a Calling guides readers to make a powerful shift in consciousness and reach their highest destiny.

Lissa Rankin, MD, is the author of the New York Times bestseller Mind Over Medicine and is the focus of the National Public Television pledge special Heal Yourself: Mind Over Medicine. Dr, Rankin is also the founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute, where she trains physicians and other health care providers about the Mind Over Medicine philosophy, along with mind-body medicine pioneers Rachel Naomi Remen, Bernie Siegel, Christiane Northrup, Martha Beck, and more. She lives in Big Sur, California.

"Poignant and powerful, this book works equally as a memoir and a self-help guide. Yet there is also an undefinable third thing within its covers. It isn't only a guide to the transition into one's calling. Potentially it is itself part of that transition, shifting reality for those who read it." -Charles Eisenstein, author of The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible "If you combined Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love, Cheryl Strayed's Wild, and James Redfield's The Celestine Prophecy, you'd get Lissa Rankin's The Anatomy of a Calling. Although this book is about Lissa and her story, you won't doubt for one minute that it's really about you and your story. Much more than a memoir, this is a road map for those on the spiritual path who sense that they're being called to fulfill a sacred mission. Loaded with nurturing comfort along with practical tools for navigating your hero's journey, this book will help you become a miracle worker at a time when we need miracles!" -Marci Shimoff, New York Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason "Lissa Rankin has written a brave, deeply personal book. We all struggle with finding our purpose-yet we all have hidden strengths that can be uncovered and set free. The Anatomy of a Calling is the practical guide to bringing greater meaning to our lives." -Chris Guillebeau, New York Times bestselling author of The $100 Startup and The Happiness of Pursuit "In this memoir Lissa Rankin MD offers us a deeply honest and personal account of The Hero's Journey, the universal path each of us travels towards an authentic life. At critical steps of the way she shares Guideposts and Practices to help us each travel our own Hero's Journey to our own unique destination. Anatomy of a calling is a gift, a companion for the road for anyone who feels they are traveling uncharted territory alone." -Rachel Naomi Remen MD, Author, Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather's Blessings "Every once in awhile a book comes along that feels like that companion you've been longing for to hold your hand on the incredible journey of life. Lissa Rankin has beautifully written The Anatomy of a Calling for you to transform your desire to do and be more into knowing, once and for all, your sacred purpose for being here. Enjoy this heartfelt journey as you realize that you are the hero in the story she shares." -Kristine Carlson, co-author to the Don't Sweat the Small Stuff books "I made the mistake of starting The Anatomy of a Calling near bedtime. Don't do this unless you are willing to lose a lot of sleep! Lissa's story is absolutely riveting, moving and so wise. Read this book and be awakened to all that life wants for you." -Jennifer Louden, author of The Woman's Comfort Book and A Year of Daily Joy "A poignant, courageous and soul-stirring invitation to your own unique true-path. What is so magnificent about this book is that it refuses to distinguish a life emblazoned with sacred purpose from a life of vulnerable and deep feeling. Our true-path is not a head-trip, not a quest for egoic glory, not a hyped up stage show, it is a journey to and through the heart, a resonant return to the callings and pathways encoded in the bones of our being. We spend too much time listening to the misidentified outer world, while our greater story is hungrily laying in wait within us. Read Lissa's brave story of unfolding, and you will surely awaken your own. By the time you finish this book, the soulular phone will be ringing off the hook, reminding you of why you are here. Answer the bloody phone!" -Jeff Brown, author of Soulshaping and An Uncommon Bond "Callings do not go away no matter how long it takes, how scared you feel or how much you try to resist. Lissa's brilliant and very wise book is a vulnerably powerfull support and catalyst for you discovering your calling, and living and being your calling." -SARK artist & author Succulent Wild LOVE "Lissa Rankin is the real deal. The Anatomy of a Calling made me cry and laugh...it is so honest and brave. More than a memoir, this beautifully crafted book is a fearless guide to the Great Unknown. The simple practices that Lissa suggests at the end of each chapter are portals to your own inner guidance. Gentle, hopeful, and clear...this book is destined to become a classic." -Joan Borysenko, PH.D., author of the New York Times bestselling book Minding the Body, Mending the Mind