“I don’t know what to do with my life. What should I do with my life?”
A lot of people don’t know what to do with their lives, and that’s okay.
It’s not a problem.
But at some point, you need to figure it out.
This can be hard because the world is full of distractions, and getting caught up in those is easy rather than facing your life.
We live in an age where so many options are available, but at the same time, we have less time than ever before.
We can spend years trying to figure out what we want to do with our lives without making much progress.
Maybe you’ve never really taken the time to figure out what you want to do, or your life is already settled, and you’re just looking for something new to try.
This article will help guide you through the process of figuring out what to do with your life.
I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life: Tips for Figuring Your Life Out
1. Find a quiet place to think
You need to get away from all distractions so that you can focus on yourself.
This can be at home or at work — wherever you feel most comfortable making decisions without outside influence.
Social media is also a huge distraction in this age, and it’s best to take a break so you can focus.
We live in an age where we’re constantly bombarded by other people’s lives — whether through Facebook posts or Instagram stories — and it can be easy to feel as though everyone else has their shit together while yours is falling apart at the seams.
Take some time away from social media (or at least limit yourself to once per day) so that you can gain clarity.
2. Envision your future
What do you want to be doing in a year, five years, or ten years?
What do you want to have achieved by then?
You can use this exercise to help you figure out what you want to do with your life.
If you can’t imagine yourself at all in five or ten years, that’s okay.
Take some time to think about how you want to spend your time right now and how you want to spend the next few years.
Then go back and think about what it would take for those things to happen.
3. Seek inspiration from people you admire
Sometimes, we don’t know what to do with our lives because we lack inspiration.
We’re not inspired by anything.
If you want to find inspiration, you need to seek it out.
Start by looking at people who inspire you or people who have already found their purpose in life.
Look at their lives, their careers, and their accomplishments.
They might not be doing exactly what they dreamed of doing when they were younger, but they’re still happy with what they’re doing now because it fulfills them and makes them feel good about themselves.
Study their stories and see if there’s anything that inspires or motivates you.
4. Write down your answers to these questions:
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
What are your passions?
What are the things that make you happy?
What do you value most?
What would you do if money were not an issue?
What types of people do you enjoy being around?
What types of activities do you like doing?
What types of environments bring out the best in you?
What do you know how to do well?
Answers to these questions will definitely shine a light on your path.
However, it’s not uncommon for people to get lost when answering these questions.
When they sit down and try to figure out their passion or what they love to do, they get stuck on the “what” question.
They start listing off all the things they like doing: reading books, watching movies, playing video games, going on hikes… and then they stop there.
But not everything we enjoy doing can be turned into a job.
You need to determine whether your interests are just hobbies or if they have the potential to turn into something more significant.
5. Explore your hobbies
One of the best ways to find out what you want from life is by exploring your interests and hobbies.
Don’t just sit around and wait for inspiration to strike.
Take some time to explore your hobbies, interests, and passions and see what sparks your imagination.
Do you enjoy painting?
Try taking a class at your local art museum or community center.
Do you love reading?
Find out if any book clubs in your area meet regularly.
Are you a history buff?
Volunteer at a historical site or give tours at a museum.
If you love playing music, but don’t think it’s possible to make money doing so, then try freelance playing music at events or parties once a week (or even every weekend).
Just explore your interests.
You might be surprised to see where that’ll take you.
Some people have stumbled on what they should do with their lives by exploring their interests.
6. Try new things
Step out of your comfort zone and try new things when you don’t know what to do with your life.
Sometimes, people don’t know what they want to do with their lives because they haven’t tried enough things.
The world is full of opportunities to try new things: sports, hobbies, classes, volunteer work, and more.
You may even be surprised at how much you enjoy something that seems like it wouldn’t interest you.
So, get out of your comfort zone and try new things until you find something that clicks for you.
7. Ask for advice from people who know you well
Get advice from friends, family, and co-workers.
Ask them what they think of your strengths and weaknesses, what they want to see more of in your life, and what they want to see less of.
You might be surprised by the answers!
These people might know you more than you know yourself and see in you what you haven’t seen in yourself.
8. Take a personality test
A free online personality test like this one from 16 Personalities can help you better understand who you are and how your interests fit into the world at large.
It also gives suggestions for careers that might fit well with your personality type.
9. Find out what other people did when they didn’t know what to do with their lives
Plenty of famous people said they didn’t know what they wanted to do with their lives and then figured it out later in life.
Read their stories.
Read biographies and autobiographies.
Read other self-development books as well.
You’ll be inspired in no small way.
10. Pray
This is perhaps the most important of all.
I’m a Christian, and I’ve experienced divine guidance and direction in no few ways.
I believe God is my creator, and He has a plan for my life.
Even sometimes, when I’m no longer sure of His plan, I pray for clarification and further direction, and He always comes through.
So, when you don’t know what to do with your life, get on your knees and ask God for guidance.
He created you. He has a plan for your life. He knows what you should do with your life.
Ask God to help you see the bigger picture of your life and give you wisdom in making decisions about it.
Life is a journey; you don’t have to know everything at once.
Focus on discovering yourself, one step at a time, let go of perfectionism, make yourself useful, and don’t ever give up on yourself.
