“I Don’t Know What To Do” – How To Know What Career And Life You Want
Maybe you’re feeling lost and have given up hope to find your passion.
Maybe you’re feeling stuck and wonder if you’re even meant to do something.
Maybe you already know what you want to do but need more convincing.
Whatever might be the case, don’t worry because you’re not alone.
I grew up in India.
For years, I was trapped inside a bubble. I learned what I saw and walked the default path to living a normal life.
After I finished school, it was time to go to college.
Most Indian kids’ default career options are to become an engineer or a doctor. And those who do something different, mostly do another money-making job which they end up hating.
It’s a tough world. There are just so many people and the competition to pass the exams is intense.
But for me, life was different.
I knew for me, doing something I love is more important than making a lot of money. It’s not to say that I don’t want to make money. But I would prioritize doing the work I love over making more money — any day.
So, I chose something that most adults around me didn’t understand a thing about.
I chose to study Game Design.
You see, I was an extreme gamer when I was in school. Studying the thought process behind the making of those games was fascinating to me.
Game Designing was so new in India that there was only one decent college. So I went all in. I didn’t sit in any other exam and only gave the entrance exam of one college.
Then the results came in…
I passed. I got in.
That was the moment of glory. I was happy more than ever. My life was going to change. It was the first time I left my home to move to a different city.
Four years later…
After finishing college and getting a master’s degree in the UK, I figured something.
I figured that even though I love designing games, it’s not something I want to do for the rest of my life.
It was a tough decision. I studied something I was passionate about for four years only to find out I wanted to do something different.
Many people would call it a waste of time, but I would call it connecting the dots. Maybe because I followed my heart after school, my life unfolded in such a way that I found what I really want to do, which is to:
a) Write (or create content in other forms) to think and express
b) Be a lifestyle entrepreneur
c) Learn, grow and reach my higher potential
d) Inspire and serve you so you can become a better version of yourself
These things make me feel at home.
I know it’s difficult. It will be a long journey. But I’m willing to fight for it.
How To Find Your Passion And Know What To Do
Most people are not satisfied.
They chase desires to be happy but when they get what they want; they remain unsatisfied.
Our desire system is flawed.
- We have too many options. (we don’t know what to trade our money with)
- We desire things because others desire them.
- We find out what we don’t want after we get what we thought we wanted.
- We no longer desire once we get what we want.
- We desire too many things at once.
- We desire things NOW. We want instant gratification.
What’s the solution?
Stop obsessing about finding your passion.
You don’t find your passion, you build it. It is a discovery process, not a match made in heaven.
If you’ve not found your passion yet, there are two possible reasons:
a) You know what you want to do but you’re too afraid to pursue it.
b) You’ve not found your passion because you’re too afraid or too distracted to explore.
Both reasons are products of fear.
You have one life.
Are you going to let fear steal it away from you?
I hope not.
FREE Audio Course –> Beyond Fear: On Living a Bold Life
If you already know what you want to do but you’re afraid to pursue it, you don’t have to quit all your responsibilities in life. Do it on the side or free up time for it. Do it because that’s what matters to you.
If you haven’t found your passion yet, you haven’t explored enough. To explore, you need courage. With courage, you try new things. You’re not afraid to look stupid or make mistakes. Keep playing with life and stop obsessing about passion.
Start with this list of hobbies: List of hobbies – Wikipedia or with my list of passions.
Try each one for a while just to explore. Keep checking off activities until you’ve found the one that clicks. You’ll know it because you’ll feel it. Just don’t ignore that feeling and have the courage to listen to it.
Related: How To Start A Passion Project From Scratch When You Have No Time Or Ideas
Stumbling Upon Your Passion
Alone time and journaling are the ultimate tools to stumble upon your passion.
Your passion may be right in front of you. Many times, passion doesn’t appear out of anywhere. It’s something you’re curious about or you already do.
In other cases, people are too occupied with drama, “busy” work, or addictions of the modern world that their mind becomes polluted. Their mind doesn’t have space to think and explore.
That’s why you need alone time and journaling.
Alone time will set you free of distractions and drama so you can explore new things and journaling will give you time to think.
You won’t find your true passion on the first day of journaling. Give the discovery process its time. Express your thoughts in your journal without judgment and keep thinking about these prompts:
- What drives you?
- What truly matters to you?
- What did you always want to do?
- What brings fulfillment in your life? (notice I didn’t say happiness or pleasure)
- How do you want to bring value to people’s lives?
- What would you do if money weren’t a thing?
- What do you want to get better at?
- What would you do if you could live forever?
- What excites and fascinates you?
- What do you want to be known for?
- Who inspires you? (and why?)
- Who do you want to be around?
- What do you LOVE doing? (Love = falling in love with the good and the bad sides)
- Think about the future vision of your life. (hint: dream big)
It’s easy to ignore your intuition. But when you journal, you can’t ignore it.
When you face that blank page, you can’t help but pour your heart out on the paper.
Look, I love rational thinking. It has its time and place. But rational thinking is too safe for finding your passion. You need intuition to bring balance.
When you come to a conclusion, do your research and ask people who are already doing it for years about how it feels like to be in their position. Ask them the upsides and the downsides.
After being aware of the consequences (and listening to your heart), set goals in that direction. Make progress every day. Get hooked so much that you forget all your past addictions in life.
Related: 25 Quotes That Will Help You To Follow Your Passion
What Happens After You Find Your Passion
Once you’ve found your passion, you face reality. You realize it will be hard. You find out how ugly it can get.
That’s the time you get to decide.
Are you willing to make sacrifices for it?
Are you willing to face the ugliness?
Are you willing to stay patient?
Are you willing to fight for it?
If the answer is no, go back to the drawing board.
If the answer is yes, congratulations. You will find your superpower. Your life will become a masterpiece.
