Guy Ritchie—one of the most influential crime film directors—appeared on Joe Rogan’s 2017 podcast.1 For those unfamiliar, Ritchie is a British director, producer, and screenwriter known for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Sherlock Holmes, Aladdin, and The Gentlemen. He was also married to Madonna from 2000 to 2008.
At its core, the conversation centers on mastering your domain—taking full command of your craft, refining it relentlessly, and becoming undeniable in your field. And doing it by wearing your suit of armor!
Craft is your calling—the work you you were created to do. You may have many callings throughout your life, but only one can lead at a time. Whether as a musician, pastor, humanitarian, or doctor, your calling is your blue flame.
It is the kind of work that ignites something within you, where what you do no longer feels like work, but begins to take on the weight and meaning of purpose.
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Mark Twain
In the book of Genesis, God created humans with a mandate to work. Work is a purposeful, God-given activity—part of His original design, even before the fall. We were created to be productive and to steward what’s been entrusted to us. While our ability to work may look different depending on our circumstances, the call to meaningful contribution remains. We all want to make an purposeful-impact in our lifetimes.
As a firm believer that our work should fulfill and uplift us, Ritchie’s message resonates deeply. It challenges us to understand the difference between a job, a career, and a calling.
A job is just that—a means to get by. It provides stability, puts food on the table, and, God willing, keeps a roof over your family’s head. A career builds on that foundation, offering greater security, benefits, and long-term structure. A calling is different. It is purpose-driven.
The journey into discovering one’s calling can be divided into two parts: (a) discovering your craft and once you’ve found it, (b) elevating your game and mastering it.
Discovering Your Craft
The first step in discovering your craft is recognizing the resistance within. The following questions may stir up thoughts to help provide clarity as to the appropriate next steps:
- Why did you choose your current path in the first place?
- Was it because of external noise?
- Are you pursuing the right career?
- Does your current work weigh on you day in and day out?
- Have you considered a complete career change—or simply moving to a better company?
- Is this a recent feeling, or something you’ve carried for years?
Your answers will help you gauge your level of discomfort. If this feeling has been constant, you may be in the wrong field. If it’s recent, you may just be in a slump or facing a temporary roadblock and not necessarily a signal to change course.
Once you’re more than 51% certain it’s time for a change, don’t rush. Start by taking small, deliberate steps without compromising your current stability, especially if others depend on you to provide.
Let’s say you loved tinkering with motorcycles growing up and always wanted to open up your motorcycle shop. Your day job is in accounting. Although unrelated at the moment – but highly related down the road – you decide to scratch the itch and decide to volunteer at the local shop down the street. Just 30 minutes in and around that environment will let your internal compass know if that is where you should be going next. If it is, the spark will reignite and you will take the next step. If it is not, at least you will have peace about the decision, knowing that 10-20 years later, you will not be telling yourself I wish I had the courage to try it back then.
If there are several careers you are interested in, then baby steps are key. Start a list on your phone or on a sheet of paper. Write down all the things you wanted to be starting from childhood and order them in order of preference. Start with the most appealing and go down the list. Process of elimination will help you quiet down the internal pressure and give you a massive confidence boost. You are on the right track. As Steve Jobs famously said, “you’ll know when you find (your calling).”
“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” Steve Jobs
The journey into lasting change begins with the first step. Have the courage to start. Trust that the process will unfold before you. Even if you do not get answers straight away, know that you have put something very important in motion. That unseen dimension has started working behind the scenes because you had the courage to take the first step.
The most important part of this entire process is that you must want to do the work you want to do. It must come from you alone. It is not what you think you should do/be because the society or someone else thought you would make a great doctor or lawyer. But, because you know in your heart this is what you need to do. It has to be an authentic desire that is truly yours.
If you think you discovered your blue flame, or are a few steps into the discovery journey, congratulations. You belong to a rare group of people. Those who stopped being spectators and took action.
You must take full responsibility for everything you do. As Ritchie points out, you must be the master of your own kingdom and take full ownership of your life. We live in a noisy world. As he describes, there’s a world out there that’s trying to tell you who you are, and there’s a world in here (your heart) that is trying to tell you who you are. In order to successfully move forward, there needs to be reconciliation between your old and new self. Put on your suit or armor, your business suit, insert your handkerchief and personalize your suit.
“Don’t hate the game, love the game because you’re in it, mate.” Guy Ritchie
If you do not want to sit through an entire 1:46 hr episode, you can watch a 14 minute highlight of the podcast.2
- Full Episode – The Joe Rogan Experience #956, Guy Ritchie. Listen on Spotify (May 5, 2017). ↩︎
- Short version – JRE Clips – Guy Ritchie “You Must Be the Master of Your Own Kingdom.” Watch on Youtube. ↩︎
Disclaimer: Image was reproduced by ChatGPT 5.1.
