We often find ourselves at a crossroads in life, where two, ten, or a hundred paths are presented to us, yet each path is equally frightening or unknown.
We experience these crossroads and huge life choices in all stages of our life, and every single time we have to make a choice.
And the choice of not choosing any path is the worst choice of them all. You will stay stuck at that crossroads for as long as you are unwilling to make your decision.
For some people, they stay stuck at a certain crossroads until the day they die, unwilling to sum up the courage to choose any path their whole life.
Staying put in front of a crossroads is not living. A choice has to be made, even if you have no idea what the outcome may be. Because the truth is, you will never know which choice will be the best.
So if you don’t know want to do with your life, here are 8 ways to figure it out:
1) Talk To Yourself
If you want to figure out what will make you happy and what you want to be in five, ten years, then the most important first step is to simply talk to yourself.
Oftentimes we assume too much about what we think we know about ourselves, but the truth is that we are changing all the time without even realizing it. Take the time to talk to yourself, ask yourself the big questions, and really understand what will make you happy.
2) Just Go with the Flow
We obsess too much over stability and security. The modern life has taught us that we should always know where we’re going, what we’re doing, and we should always have a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, and more.
As great as it is to be prepared, all this preparation has traumatized us against the possibility of the unknown. We are so afraid to choices with no clear results that we would rather not make any choices at all.
It’s time to accept. Accept that life is uncertain and the future is unsure. Once you have accepted that, you can just go with the flow, even if you don’t know what to do with your life.
3) You Will Never Know the Future
But you can do your best to guide it. Your future is determined by all the little actions you do every day. If we chase our dreams, do what we want to do, and don’t stray off the paths we choose, then there’s no reason why you won’t reach the destination you’re looking for.
While you will never be able to predict the future, you can do your best to get the future you want.
4) Start Saving
This tip may be more practical than the others on the list, but that doesn’t make it any less important.
Money is an undeniable part of society, and having the money to pursue your dreams is absolutely necessary.
Whether it’s to go to school, study abroad, work somewhere else, start a business, or spend a year or two travelling, you will need money to do these things.
Make sure you don’t get stuck living paycheck to paycheck, or else you will never have the time or resources to pursue what you want.
5) Stop Wasting Your Time
Time is the most valuable resource you have, and every second you spend doing something unproductive, something that adds nothing to your value as a person, is another second you have thrown down the drain.
You are getting older everyday, and one day you’re going to wake up and hate yourself for not starting the path to your ultimate goals 5, 10, 20 years ago. Don’t make that mistake while you’re young, and if you’re already old, don’t keep making that mistake today.
6) Deal With Discomfort
We spend so much time trying to be comfortable. We need the perfect room temperature, the perfect drink, the perfect pajamas, the perfect chair. But comfort means you’re not pushing yourself; comfort means that your body is in a state of relaxation. If you want something, you need to do whatever you can to get it, even if it means lowering your quality of life for a while (or permanently).
7) Follow In Someone’s Footsteps
The great thing about the world today is that anything you might want to do has already been done by someone else.
If you want to be a writer, an actor, an artist, a great businessman, all the information is available to you online.
And if you want some personal experience, then go out and do it—volunteer at an organization or ask a professional if you can shadow them for a day or a week. Who knows: you might find that one thing that you can be passionate about.
8) Always Say Yes
Opportunities are always out there—you just have to say yes. Even if the opportunity seems completely unrelated to what you want to do with your life, it never hurts to say yes. Because experiences stack up and learning never stops—everything you do and interact with because a part of you.
When deciding what to do with your life, the first thing you need to learn is how to make the choice.
At the end of the day, you want to look back on your life knowing that you made choices, rather than sat at home fearing them.
Now go, get your life on track.
