What the hell do I do with my life?-5 steps to help you figure it out
“I have no idea what what the hell do I do with my life!” You are not alone if you find yourself saying this. It's typical for folks to feel stuck or unsure of where they're going. It might be caused by poor decision-making or a complete lack of ability to make any decisions at all.
“What you do for a living doesn't interest me. I'd like to know what your heart yearns for, and if you dare to wish for it to be fulfilled. It makes no difference to me how old you are. I'm curious if you're willing to risk seeming like a fool for love, for your dream, for the thrill of living.”
This state of not knowing what to do next affects a large number of people of all ages and stages of life.
We all reach a time in our life when we don't know what to do next, whether it's graduating from high school, picking a career route, recuperating from a heartbreak, being laid off, or retiring.
The answers or solutions we seek are different depending on where we are in life.
A recent graduate will think about how to respond to this question in terms of their future and choosing the suitable career. A person approaching retirement will ponder the subject in the hopes of accomplishing something worthwhile in their life. This question will be asked by a young mother who has recently divorced in the hopes of finding an answer that will allow her to live another day.
Following these five stages, in my experience, will help you figure out what you want to do with your life, feel good, and become unstuck.
1. Get up and move around to clear your mind.
“Knowing what you want but not being able to obtain it is a lot better than not knowing what you want but not being able to get it; at least you have hope.”
I once went through a particularly difficult and emotional period, and all I could think about was how to get to the following day.
There were no ideas in my head about what I wanted to do in the future or how I wanted my life to be. It was simply a matter of getting through each day.
Exercise was the solution for me during this difficult moment, when I was telling myself, "what the hell do i do with my life," to help me get through the day.
My alarm would go off at 6 a.m. every day. By the bed, I'd have my running gear ready. I'd get ready, walk out the door, and go for a 45-minute run.
For a long time, getting out of bed and going for a run was difficult because I simply wanted to hide. I began to look forward to my morning run as I felt more invigorated and slept better as time went on.
What the hell do i do with my life? Get up and go!
It doesn't have to be a morning run, but finding a method to move can help you clear your mind and boost your mood. Exercise has been shown in numerous studies to lower depressive symptoms, which might help you find the mental space you need to plan your next steps in life.
Are You Satisfied With Your Life?
If you want to quit struggling and start living life to the fullest.
Find what works for you and your lifestyle, whether it's running in the morning, yoga in the afternoon, or weekend riding.
2. Limit Your Options and Awaken Your Conscious Mind
“No one will live your life for you. You must do it yourself, whether you are wealthy or impoverished, if you are short on cash or if you are the beneficiary of a bizarre fortune or a terrible injustice... Self-pity is a path that leads nowhere. You have the option of driving down it. It's up to you whether you choose to stay parked or turn around and leave.”
Life is unpredictable, and the answers we seek to our life's concerns aren't always neatly packaged. When you don't know what to do with your life, there are no rules to follow, and you must work hard to establish your life path.
One step in figuring out what we need to do next in our lives is to awaken our conscious minds to accept our reality and embrace change.
The power of choice paralyses us rather than liberates us. When we are confronted with a large number of choices, our brain becomes overwhelmed.
There is a sweet spot when it comes to options, according to research. We feel limited if we have too few. We become overwhelmed if we have too many.
What does this mean in your day-to-day life? Limit your possibilities to five or six alternative sectors if you're changing job fields and aren't sure what to do. After you've sat with the options for a few days, choose one to cross off the list every few days. It will become simpler to recognise the direction you truly want to travel in as your brain focuses on fewer and fewer options.
3. Begin with little steps by participating in a 30-day challenge.
Set a 30-day challenge for yourself to reprogram your conscious mind and stop stating, "what the hell do I do with my life."
Why 30 days, you might wonder? Because this is how the modest movements you take become powerful habits over time. (In truth, the power of these small behaviours is far beyond your wildest dreams! This is why.)
Setting a deadline has a strong motivating effect. Time and time again, research has shown that deadlines, even self-imposed ones, can reduce procrastination and lead to better decision making.
Set one to three goals for yourself to attain during the 30-day challenge. Perhaps you'd like to learn how to code. Set weekly goals for free online courses, and by the end of the month, you'll have gained a significant amount of knowledge.
Maybe you'd like to spend more time with your children. Make it a point to have one family night per week where you focus solely on your children. You can even enlist their assistance in planning your big night.
After one month, achieving these goals will give you the confidence and self-belief to keep going. It also prevents you from doing nothing while you're stuck. Once you've shown to yourself that you can achieve one goal, you'll want to set other ones.
4. Seek the advice of those who have been there before you.
“The better a man's understanding of what has been done, the greater his ability to know what to do.” Disraeli, Benjamin
When you remark, "what the hell do i do with my life," reading other people's tales about how they lived their lives, their life philosophies, and how they conquered their obstacles in life can be a good source of motivation and knowledge.
Their experiences can motivate and inspire you, especially if you're unsure about what to do next. Even better, discover someone in your life who has been in a circumstance comparable to the one you are in today. Inquire about how they overcame it, the measures they took, and how they changed their mindset. You don't have to learn from your own mistakes; you may also learn from the mistakes of others.
5. Get to Know Yourself
“The best thing you can do in each moment of decision is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” -Washington, D.C.'s Theodore Roosevelt
Learn about yourself, your passions, and what you want to do with your life. It's possible that you're stuck because you've lost touch with your most real self. It will be quite tough to get back on track if you have been disconnected from your own objectives and dreams.
You must let go of the past and embrace change in order to move forward. Change necessitates reinvention. It's far more difficult to move forward in life if you don't know who you are or what you want.
The foundations for developing your confidence, resilience, courage, and accountability are having a life plan and vision, as well as knowing your purpose and how you want to live your life.
You won't be paralysed by the fear of not knowing what to do if you have a purpose and a vision; instead, you'll see it as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Make a list of your priorities if you're not sure where to begin. From there, you can figure out where you want to focus your energy and which aspects of your life could benefit from your attention. To begin, you might want to complete our free Life Assessment and receive a customised report to determine which elements of your life require more of your focus right now.
Last Thoughts
If you're saying to yourself, "what the hell do I do with my life," think about the techniques I've offered to help you better your life in the long run. Perhaps you discover that you enjoy writing or that you want to start a business. You can build on these foundations to create a life you enjoy.
It will be a difficult path, but it will also be rewarding because you will discover your life purpose and passion. You will understand what you need to do in your life and the steps you must take to get there!
“What you do for a living doesn't interest me. I'd like to know what your heart yearns for, and if you dare to wish for it to be fulfilled. It makes no difference to me how old you are. I'm curious if you're willing to risk seeming like a fool for love, for your dream, for the thrill of living.”
This state of not knowing what to do next affects a large number of people of all ages and stages of life.
We all reach a time in our life when we don't know what to do next, whether it's graduating from high school, picking a career route, recuperating from a heartbreak, being laid off, or retiring.
The answers or solutions we seek are different depending on where we are in life.
A recent graduate will think about how to respond to this question in terms of their future and choosing the suitable career. A person approaching retirement will ponder the subject in the hopes of accomplishing something worthwhile in their life. This question will be asked by a young mother who has recently divorced in the hopes of finding an answer that will allow her to live another day.
Following these five stages, in my experience, will help you figure out what you want to do with your life, feel good, and become unstuck.
1. Get up and move around to clear your mind.
“Knowing what you want but not being able to obtain it is a lot better than not knowing what you want but not being able to get it; at least you have hope.”
I once went through a particularly difficult and emotional period, and all I could think about was how to get to the following day.
There were no ideas in my head about what I wanted to do in the future or how I wanted my life to be. It was simply a matter of getting through each day.
Exercise was the solution for me during this difficult moment, when I was telling myself, "what the hell do i do with my life," to help me get through the day.
My alarm would go off at 6 a.m. every day. By the bed, I'd have my running gear ready. I'd get ready, walk out the door, and go for a 45-minute run.
For a long time, getting out of bed and going for a run was difficult because I simply wanted to hide. I began to look forward to my morning run as I felt more invigorated and slept better as time went on.
What the hell do i do with my life? Get up and go!
It doesn't have to be a morning run, but finding a method to move can help you clear your mind and boost your mood. Exercise has been shown in numerous studies to lower depressive symptoms, which might help you find the mental space you need to plan your next steps in life.
Are You Satisfied With Your Life?
If you want to quit struggling and start living life to the fullest.
Find what works for you and your lifestyle, whether it's running in the morning, yoga in the afternoon, or weekend riding.
2. Limit Your Options and Awaken Your Conscious Mind
“No one will live your life for you. You must do it yourself, whether you are wealthy or impoverished, if you are short on cash or if you are the beneficiary of a bizarre fortune or a terrible injustice... Self-pity is a path that leads nowhere. You have the option of driving down it. It's up to you whether you choose to stay parked or turn around and leave.”
Life is unpredictable, and the answers we seek to our life's concerns aren't always neatly packaged. When you don't know what to do with your life, there are no rules to follow, and you must work hard to establish your life path.
One step in figuring out what we need to do next in our lives is to awaken our conscious minds to accept our reality and embrace change.
The power of choice paralyses us rather than liberates us. When we are confronted with a large number of choices, our brain becomes overwhelmed.
There is a sweet spot when it comes to options, according to research. We feel limited if we have too few. We become overwhelmed if we have too many.
What does this mean in your day-to-day life? Limit your possibilities to five or six alternative sectors if you're changing job fields and aren't sure what to do. After you've sat with the options for a few days, choose one to cross off the list every few days. It will become simpler to recognise the direction you truly want to travel in as your brain focuses on fewer and fewer options.
3. Begin with little steps by participating in a 30-day challenge.
Set a 30-day challenge for yourself to reprogram your conscious mind and stop stating, "what the hell do I do with my life."
Why 30 days, you might wonder? Because this is how the modest movements you take become powerful habits over time. (In truth, the power of these small behaviours is far beyond your wildest dreams! This is why.)
Setting a deadline has a strong motivating effect. Time and time again, research has shown that deadlines, even self-imposed ones, can reduce procrastination and lead to better decision making.
Set one to three goals for yourself to attain during the 30-day challenge. Perhaps you'd like to learn how to code. Set weekly goals for free online courses, and by the end of the month, you'll have gained a significant amount of knowledge.
Maybe you'd like to spend more time with your children. Make it a point to have one family night per week where you focus solely on your children. You can even enlist their assistance in planning your big night.
After one month, achieving these goals will give you the confidence and self-belief to keep going. It also prevents you from doing nothing while you're stuck. Once you've shown to yourself that you can achieve one goal, you'll want to set other ones.
4. Seek the advice of those who have been there before you.
“The better a man's understanding of what has been done, the greater his ability to know what to do.” Disraeli, Benjamin
When you remark, "what the hell do i do with my life," reading other people's tales about how they lived their lives, their life philosophies, and how they conquered their obstacles in life can be a good source of motivation and knowledge.
Their experiences can motivate and inspire you, especially if you're unsure about what to do next. Even better, discover someone in your life who has been in a circumstance comparable to the one you are in today. Inquire about how they overcame it, the measures they took, and how they changed their mindset. You don't have to learn from your own mistakes; you may also learn from the mistakes of others.
5. Get to Know Yourself
“The best thing you can do in each moment of decision is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” -Washington, D.C.'s Theodore Roosevelt
Learn about yourself, your passions, and what you want to do with your life. It's possible that you're stuck because you've lost touch with your most real self. It will be quite tough to get back on track if you have been disconnected from your own objectives and dreams.
You must let go of the past and embrace change in order to move forward. Change necessitates reinvention. It's far more difficult to move forward in life if you don't know who you are or what you want.
The foundations for developing your confidence, resilience, courage, and accountability are having a life plan and vision, as well as knowing your purpose and how you want to live your life.
You won't be paralysed by the fear of not knowing what to do if you have a purpose and a vision; instead, you'll see it as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Make a list of your priorities if you're not sure where to begin. From there, you can figure out where you want to focus your energy and which aspects of your life could benefit from your attention. To begin, you might want to complete our free Life Assessment and receive a customised report to determine which elements of your life require more of your focus right now.
Last Thoughts
If you're saying to yourself, "what the hell do I do with my life," think about the techniques I've offered to help you better your life in the long run. Perhaps you discover that you enjoy writing or that you want to start a business. You can build on these foundations to create a life you enjoy.
It will be a difficult path, but it will also be rewarding because you will discover your life purpose and passion. You will understand what you need to do in your life and the steps you must take to get there!
