How to Figure Out What You Really Want to do with Your Life

For ages: 13 and above

You might be in school or college, trying to figure out a career path, your true lifelong passion. Or you may already be in a career and feel dissatisfied, unfulfilled, or even just bored.

Finding meaning in work isn't always as straightforward as it seems. Things change, you change, what you find meaningful may change, and sometimes the career you thought you wanted didn't turn out as you expected.

Many of my friends have pursued careers that provided stability, security, and a steady income (naturally, a top priority). But after working so hard and jumping through so many hoops, they soon asked - "Is this it? This is going to be the rest of my life?".

In Indian culture (and others), we often depend on society's notion of what it means to be successful, and this often dictates our career choices. It's not uncommon to get frequent suggestions about what you should do based on what other people value (for instance, I was told to become a dentist as this was apparently a lucrative career). There may also be pressure to provide for your family, and as a result, make certain sacrifices.

While all this may be well-intentioned advice, don't let it drown out your inner voice. I wholeheartedly believe that if you do what you love, do what you are good at, and if it adds value to another person's life, you will find success, stability, and satisfaction.

Here are some questions to ask to help you better understand yourself, what you value, and identify career goals that align with who you are:

• What makes your heart happy (not to be cheesy, but what makes you feel warm or glowing inside)?
• What makes you feel a passion, anger, or a strong desire to change something?
• What are you good at? What are your strengths?
• What have others told you that you are good at?
• What is it that you are afraid of doing, but feel if you did it, then it would likely change your and perhaps many others' lives?
• What do you think would be cool to do?
• Who do you look up to? Why? What qualities of their's do you admire?
• What do you enjoy doing? The process of it. What gets you in the flow?
• What are things that recharge your battery?
• What are things that rarely or never tire you out?
• What are things that you could do any time of the day?
• What would you really regret not doing when you were old?
• What would you do if you had all the time and money in the world?
• How do you envision work-life balance in the long run?

The answers to these questions should help you scope out a field of interest that you can further explore.

Note that it's likely unrealistic to assume that one career may provide the answers to all that you want in life, so also think about what you value in life and how your actions are consistent with these values (more on this in another article). But for now, all the best!