The Anatomy of a Calling

By: Lissa Rankin

Narrated by: Erin Moon

Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

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 you to find out where you are on your own journey 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 you to make a powerful shift in consciousness and reach your highest destiny.

©2015 Lissa Rankin, MD (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

I have one word for Lissa Rankin: YES

So many of us are hearing our calling to the Divine Feminine, and yet the journey can so often be one of fear, loneliness and confusion. Lissa acknowledges these very human aspects of the path, whilst inspiring you to keep going.

My own journey - from academic researcher and professor to birth doula - has been an exercise in continuously stepping into the mystery, following the whisperings of my heart, and making decisions that can seem risky or even crazy.

What began as a desire to punch everyone in my academic setting, turned out to be the beginnings of a calling. It was the first inklings of a yearning to hold a space of not knowing, rather than "I know it all". Of a yearning to move out of pure head-space into the body and the soul.

Of course, the journey didn't end with starting my new job as a doula. Stepping into the healthcare world as a person who brings love as her main tool, has led to all sorts of challenges. Now I get to work on my own judgments and prejudices, trying to remind myself to have compassion for the healthcare workers I witness every day. I also get to work on my own fear of uncertainty, my judgments of women's bodies, my desire to be a perfectly compassionate being, when actually sometimes I just want to scream. And so on...

So take a deep breath, let Lissa hold your hand, and dive into the mystery of this book. It's a heart warming, life saving story of how we imperfectly walk our path, one crazy-beautiful moment at a time.

8 people found this helpful

Distracting voice

Lissa Rankin books have been life changing but bad choice for a voiceover. The narrator sounds like she is trying to hard or something. In any case it takes away from the content. I recommend buying the actual book and not the audiobook.

7 people found this helpful

This book reached out to me

I have always believed that when ready your teachers will find you. I can't tell you how I found this book it was a simple google search of a phrase. I can say that I have been touched by Lissa's story and could hear a distant whisper of how I might serve.
I recommend this book to anyone looking to expand and open to the daily magic in our lives.

2 people found this helpful

An eye opening book with a strong message

I absolutely love this book. I just finished listening to it today and I want to go back and read certain parts so I actually just ordered the hard back copy today. This book came to me at just the right time. Sometimes I feel like I know what my purpose and passion are, but then I feel like it shifts. I've accomplished some things I am proud of but then I feel like I dabble in a little of everything. I feel I lose focus and the line from where I am now to where I want to go should be clear, black & white. So for the person who always knew they'd be an artist, doctor, writer, motivational speaker, etc. I always felt like their path was somehow clear and mine is just all muddy. Lissa Rankin made it clear that rarely if ever are our journeys just black and white. Finding our purpose is part of the journey and while our ego likes a clear path, that's not how it works. This made me relax and do more work searching for my purpose. Although I am not in the medical field, I feel that the medical system in America and perhaps even globally is broken. Profit is at the center of it. Drugs that people don't need are prescribed because it brings a lot of profit to the pharmaceutical companies and ensures a lifetime of dependency of treating symptoms. There is little real healing. A doctor cannot effectively treat any patient in 7.5 minutes, that's absurd. It's me angry but Lissa helps us to see (as this is a lesson to herself) you cannot heal what you are angry at. I want people to wake up and see they are being taken advantage of, but I can't effectively get that message out if I am judging them for not seeing it or for the medical schools, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, managed care companies and for that matter lobbyists, politicians and anyone else making a profit off the sick. Many things are broken in our society today but complaining is being part of the problem. The question is, what can I do to create change for the better. It's a powerful message and I love that Lissa shares her journey with us. It seems to me, she has absolutely put her ego in check to serve others and when she did that, she felt peace and achieved prosperity. Prosperity is second to her but often if we follow our true paths, it can be prosperous as well. I do not think that money is evil, not at all. Money can be used to achieve a lot of great things like feeding the hungry. It's when people are motivated by money that things can go awry. I have not read Dr. Rankin's other books but I have already downloaded Mind Over Medicine and can't wait to listen to it next. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels like they aren't sure what their purpose is or if they do, how to achieve it. It has enlightened me in so many ways that I can't begin to explain.

1 person found this helpful

More than I expected

For the people who didn't enjoy this book, I think it's simply because you aren't on a journey like she explains. I'm in a situation in my life where everything is telling me to trust my heart. And move 3000 miles away from everything I know. Although my decision has not been made, she definitely helped open my eyes to my "calling". Aside from the people I love, there isn't much for me to sacrifice compared to Lissa and what she sacrificed. I've always believed that things work out, through the tough times in my life, things always seemed to just, work. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels the pull of a journey coming soon. Trust your heart, and your gut. Security isn't real, and it'll keep you in a place that doesn't allow you to reach your full potential.

1 person found this helpful

Roller coaster Review

Would you try another book from Lissa Rankin and/or Erin Moon?

No.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Expected

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She spoke in a staccato tone. Beautiful voice but matter of fact with every sentence. Not enjoyable as far as tonality.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

A mixture. She spent way to much time being graphic about emergency room surgeries. I powered through the first two chapters not caring to hear about all the blood an guts. Once that was over we got to the point.

Any additional comments?

I felt the author was more concerned with telling us her own story then trying to find our own. It was very predictable including the divorce of her husband who apparently never had a job. There were some good parts to the story that were very thought provoking but overall it was a fairly narcissistic story. I find it hard to pity a doctor who can't solve her debt problems of $200K in about 6 months. I have family that work as surgeons and they could solve it pretty quickly. To much whining in my opinion. I am being way to hard on the book though. It is a good lesson but I felt it took me into to much detail about her own situation. In fairness to the author she does tell you right up front that it is about her but to relate it to your own personal circumstance. Thus the title "Roller Coaster Review".

2 people found this helpful

one of thee best books

This was one of thee best books Ive ever read. I can relate in numerous ways

interesting but ....

struggled to finish. some great points made in the final chapters though. needed the summaries at the end of each chapter to help simplify her points into applicable wisdom.

Best Book I read this year

I am already went through a similar journey but this book reminded me to focus more on the call and to catch up my ego even more and added more books to read to my list and having the eager to go to the places and meet the mentors that Lissa went to and learned from.

It is a must reading book

Great!

As a doctor and female and struggling with big business and administrators and losing my willingness to do my calling - I needed to listen to this - it has helped me so much!!! Thank you Doc!!