I started my first social enterprise in 1984, when I was six years old, selling parrots to local pet shops. My purpose and my calling were aligned long before I had the language to describe them.
What are “Purpose and Calling”?
Purpose is the change you want to create in the world, your destination. For most changemakers, it’s about making the world better and improving people’s lives, it is the deeper why that Simon Sinek discusses in Start With Why. Calling, on the other hand, is the how – how this purpose manifests in the world. It is an inner pull, a direction that feels natural and inevitable. While it may sound external, I believe “the calling” comes from within, though for some people it may also have spiritual or divine dimensions. I see it as the pathway through which our passion is channelled into impact. It is what gives us energy, fulfilment. It is what makes us feel alive.
The Tug-of-War
Since creating my first social venture at age six, life has pulled me off my path many times, only to bring me back, every single time. The first 34 years of my life felt like a tug-of-war: purpose and calling on one side, and societal expectations on the other, many of them internalised.
As a teenager, I was persuaded to “do the sensible thing” and become an accountant rather than pursue the arts. As an adult, I was drawn to careers that promised money but not meaning.
The defining moment that ended the tug-of-war came on 8 June 2012, the day I registered my social enterprise. I was 34, and from that day, I never looked back.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t been doing meaningful work before. I had, and deeply so. I spent a decade leading NGOs in the UK and internationally, supporting people fleeing persecution, and lobbying governments at the United Nations in Geneva and New York. Those ten years were transformative: I ended a long-term relationship, experienced my first burnout, moved homes several times, and met the love of my life.
I gave 110% to my work and to the people I served. And yet… it still wasn’t 100% me.
I was fitting into structures – INGOs, charities – that were not built for someone like me. The work was important, the missions were noble, but my purpose and calling could not fully align within those systems.
It felt like wearing suits that looked good from the outside but never quite fit.
The Penny Finally Dropped
I realised I wanted to bring my purpose and calling together: to improve the lives of LGBTQI people everywhere through entrepreneurship. I wanted to build something of my own: sustainable, scalable, world-changing. A social enterprise that allowed me to show up 110%, not just give 110%.
This was the beginning of discovering my identity as a social entrepreneur, an identity I believe I always carried, even if it took years to name it. Today, it is one of the identities I hold with the most pride.
That realisation led me to found Micro Rainbow. It led me to a life and career finally in alignment, one where I know I am walking the path I was meant to walk.
I did not know exactly what it would have looked like to create my own social enterprise. What I knew was this:
- I wanted to make the world safer and fairer for LGBTQI people rejected by families, persecuted by governments, and pushed to society’s margins.
- I wanted to build a financially sustainable organisation, not one dependent solely on endless donations.
- I wanted to create a model that could scale to meet full demand, and eventually eradicate the need entirely.
- I wanted to build something that would last as long as needed, perhaps beyond my lifetime.
- I wanted to inspire future generations of social entrepreneurs, people who refuse to accept the world as it is.
Embracing my path did not mean knowing every step. It required letting go of external expectations, reconnecting to my values, and creating space to understand how I was meant to fulfil my purpose. It meant believing my dream was worth pursuing, even without knowing exactly where the path would twist.
What Comes First: Purpose or Calling?
It would make sense for purpose to come first. It’s our North Star, after all. Knowing which direction we’re heading sounds incredibly helpful. But purpose doesn’t tell us which road to take, that part belongs to our calling. And interestingly, the calling often shows up before we have the language or maturity to articulate our purpose.
In my case, I experienced what makes me feel alive at the age of six, long before I could name the deeper purpose behind it.
For most of us, purpose isn’t static. It evolves, sharpens, and becomes clearer as we follow our callings. And the beautiful thing about callings is that we don’t need to have just one. We get to have many throughout our lives, all in service of an unfolding purpose.
I still remember being a teenager, trying to choose a university degree, a moment that felt impossibly important. I would sit for hours asking myself, “What do I really want to do with my life?”
The answer never came. Because I was asking the wrong question, and because I simply didn’t yet have the life experience to answer it. The question I wish I had asked myself was:
“What makes me feel alive? And what can I do right now, in this moment, to experience more of that?”
If I could give my teenage self a piece of advice, it would be this:
Don’t overthink. Just start doing what makes you feel alive. In any way, in any form, big or small, just begin. By doing, you start connecting with your callings. And by following those callings, your purpose becomes clearer.
Sebastian’s Coffee Cup Coaching Corner
As I reflected on my journey, I found these questions invaluable. Grab a coffee, take 10 minutes, and consider these prompts:
On your purpose:
- What did you love doing as a child that you abandoned, but still miss?
- What change in the world would feel meaningful for you to contribute to?
- What parts of yourself feel the most “you,” and how do they want to serve the world?
On your calling:
- What makes you feel alive?
- What activities or roles make you feel “this is what I’m meant to be doing”?
- What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to explore but never gave yourself permission to?
As always, I hope this blog offers a moment to pause and reflect.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Share in the comments, on LinkedIn, or message me directly. Let’s stay connected.
With solidarity and hope,
Sebastian
P.S. If you enjoyed this post, explore the Build a Social Enterprise Blog for more insights and stories, and join my free newsletter on LinkedIn.
@sebastianrocca @buildasocialenterprise
