The Way of Discernment: Link and Unlike

One of the simplest, and most vital of the spiritual activities is Discernment... It is also the most misunderstood and over mystified. Discernment, simply put is learning what is like or unlike between two things.
If I was to Discern whether or not my vocation was like that of a priests, in or outside of an order, I must first learn about myself, and second about that vocation. I must then way the parts of that vocation that are like myself and unlike myself, and finally to decide whether or not the two are similar enough to be compatible.
Many people object to this understanding because they are looking for a pseudo-mystical experience out of the lives of the Saints. They want God to come down from heaven and tell them what to do. So they sit with their mind blank and wait for revelation. God, however, only reveals Himself since He, Himself, is Truth and not I, then one will most likely not receive answers from divine revelation about which way their own path should go. Further only a true contemplative can sit in real quiet, contemplate and move closer to God... It is a practiced thing and not an easy one for humans to even understand, much less master. All the contemplative monks and friars that we read about will all state that they only have the briefest hint of a glimpse at this state where the soul meets God, and all work for lifetimes to attain it... Even if only for a few seconds.
There are some saints whom God has seen fit to intervene with directly like St. Faustina and Blessed Mother Theresa. All the saints know, though how to discern. They know how to look into themselves, find the self that God created, take it out examine it and compare it to areas of the world... Not to hold that self on high as better then the world, but to find their place in it. Does the square peg think it's better then the round hole because it does not fit the mold? Or can it only truly be happy in a square hole?
Discernment is simple, but not easy because, one has to learn at great cost about the self which God has created. Through prayer, scripture, reading and study of holy men, women and their writings we find out more about ourselves and how we have been made, then the loving, but completely incomprehensible God. We only understand what we do about God because as His creation He is reflected in us. Once we know the self that God has made, in His image, we are more ready and able to find him in the world.
Being able to discern not only helps us find the spots where we fit but also helps us to find spiritual gifts in others that enable us to work together in God's kingdom. Who is greater St. Francis or St. Dominic? Blessed Mother Theresa or Pope John Paul? St. Peter or St. Paul? Foolish debates each and everyone because as history proves those Saints work better together! Each has his or her own vocation. Knowing and understanding how to discern gives us great freedom from jealousy and envy. I, having great analytical ability only envy the athlete because I have been taught to do so by a system that prides itself on athletes. In the kingdom of God the athlete and the analytic stand together in God's glory.