At some point everyone asks ‘what should I do with my life?’ It’s a timeless question without a timeless answer. There’s a ton of resources and information about how to craft the perfect cover letter, resume, and how to rock an interview, but no straightforward guide on how to find your purpose in life. As you go on the journey of trying to discover your purpose, here’s a few things to remember and tell yourself.
There’s No Such Thing as 2nd Best
During your life you’re going to face difficult decisions. Everything from what school you should attend, whether to study or intern abroad, what job you should take, and more. And sometimes during these crossroads, you won’t feel fully prepared to make the “right” decision. But the truth is there is no right choice or even second best choice.
Making Impactful Life Decisions
All of your choices can lead to a successful and productive life. No matter what decision you make, make the most of it. You owe it to yourself to get the most out of every opportunity. No matter where you find yourself or what role you end up in, learn as much as you can and you will grow from it. Learning from every decision and continuing to move forward is the best way to keep creating opportunities.
Even if you find the decision you made isn’t the one you want your life to become, don’t think of it as a mistake. Let go of perfection and think of every opportunity as a lesson which will lead to bigger and better things. It’s always okay to choose again.
Explore your Passions
There’s a massive misconception that there’s a magical moment in life where everything starts to make sense and you suddenly find out what you should do with your life. Kudos to the people who’ve found it! But reality is, there’s no college class that suddenly makes everything clear and there’s rarely just one moment that defines you or sets your life in one direction.
Your entire life you’ve probably been asked “what is your passion?” . But what you should really be asking is “what are my passions?” No one is one dimensional, and you probably have interest in a lot of different areas.
Don’t just daydream about exploring all your passions, go out and try everything. Travel and dive into different experiences, roles, and industries. The journey might be long and some of the decisions may be tough, but don’t be afraid to make them. Instead, embrace them! It will be extremely hard to understand what you should do with your life if you sit around waiting for the answer to come to you.
Permission to Fail
You’ve probably heard this advice a thousand times, but that’s because it’s true. Nothing will stop you from finding out what you should do with your life more than being afraid to fail. Playing it safe and staying inside your comfort zone may make you feel okay, but are you really living the life you deserve to live?
If you’re trying to find out what to do with your life, failure is part of it. But that’s okay because failure can be fixed, the regret of never trying can’t be. Always asking yourself what if will leave you feeling more broken than failure ever could.
According to the Gallup Organization, nearly 50 percent of us aren’t doing what we want to do with our lives. That means that only half of us are using our strengths to chase our dreams. The other half are drifting through life being scared to find their passions all because they're afraid to fail.
Finding your purpose in life is full of ups and downs. You may have lows full of self-doubt, but you’ll also have highs full of life-changing events. Give yourself permission to fail and laugh, without it you’ll never discover what you should do with your life.
Find Other Dreamers
Finding your purpose in life is up to you. It’s an inward journey that no one else can live for you. Through your life, you’ll pick up lessons along the way. These experiences are yours and yours alone. No one can make you feel a certain way about experiences or the lessons you’re meant to pull from them.
But that doesn’t mean you should feel like you’re alone trying to discover your purpose. There are plenty of people out there asking the same question, and a few that may have already found their own answer. These people can be a great resource when trying to find what you should do with your life. Network with other dreamers, learn what they went through to find their purpose.
Always be willing to learn from other people, especially from the ones who have been where you are. They may be able to tell you where you need to go and what you need to learn. A network full of fellow dreamers can give the real-world advice that no webpage or Google search ever can.
Don’t be afraid, you’re not the first person not to know what they should do with their life, and you certainly won’t be the last. Make the journey into the life you deserve to live, make your heart race by traveling to faraway places, without fear explore different career fields, and always remember it’s your life no one else’s. Follow these tips and tricks, and you’ll be able to discover the answer to ‘what should I do with my life.’
