resources > Lacking direction or purpose?

Lacking direction or purpose?

If you’re lost and unsure it’s ok. We all go through it. Life is complicated and there’s just too much to think about. And it can be very difficult to see things clearly. Or is it?

A simple exercise

This is a simple exercise but it may take time for things to crystalize. Just repeat it for as long as it takes. And it’s ok to change your mind as you go along – searching for your truth may not be a simple task.

Start at the end. You’ve lived a long fulfilling life and now on your deathbed you look back. What do you want to see? The answer to this question is the only thing that matters.

To help you answer it, make two lists. The first is: what makes you happy. The second is what you care about – what matters to you? The things on your lists are your goals and they define your direction.

From here you can start to work backwards to define your immediate path. Here’s my personal example:

When I look back on my life, I want to know that I’ve made some sort of positive impact. Due to my experiences, the positive impact I wanted to make needed to be tied directly to people. Working directly with people is what makes me happy.

As I worked back from that premise I looked at what I’m good at (I like talking to people, I’m good at relaying information, I’m great at breaking down complex problems, I understand psychology and I know the benefits of exercise). Here are few examples of the options that gave me: I could be a rockstar middle manager at some corporation, I could look for a job at a non-profit, I could go into physical therapy, I could work at a wellness center.

Ultimately I chose to start my own business and work 1 on 1 with individuals like you.

I arrived to my non-professional direction the same way. At the end of life when I look back I want to see that I’ve been surrounded by good people and we had some kick-ass fun times. So I focus on surrounding myself with good people, nurturing those relationships, and making sure I have good work/life balance.

Pro tip:

Go out and try new things. Anything and everything. Exposing yourself to new experiences widens your perspective on the world and the possibilities. You’ll learn more about yourself and your interests and that can have a very positive effect on what’s important to you.