I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life- And It’s Okay Not To.

I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life- And It’s Okay Not To.

Have you ever tried to imagine a life where we would all wake up to bacon sandwiches and fried sausages? You wake up in the morning from some chalet within a vast compound and head to the refined balconies to bask in the glorious morning sun.

I mean the kind of life where you are treated to buttered bread and eggs in the morning. In the afternoon, you take a stroll along the beach, soaking in the cool breeze as you eat those milky ice creams. How would it feel, taking a summer tour to Dubai every year, and sampling the amazing architecture as you get drenched in the therapeutic sun along the vast beaches?

Maybe you still do not get me. Try to imagine this. You wake up every morning in some homesteads from the countryside. If you are not gathered around some evening fires listening to adages from your uncles, then you are out in the vast fields playing and chasing after wild animals.

In a nutshell, I am talking of that life where we all throw responsibilities out of the window and become free souls. The kind of life where we have nothing bothering our minds and everything go on as we plan and wish for. Does such a life exist in the first place? In the ideal life, unfortunately, there are just as many dull moments to deal with as there are lighter days to illuminate our journey.

There are always rough patches- but adjust to them.

You see, life is not about sampling bars of chocolate and having them for dinner. It can sometimes get harsh and unbearable. Occasionally we are driven into a state of destitute such that we can’t even afford bus fares to work. Or still, financial crises stealthily crawls into our sitting rooms and calmly takes a seat just at the corner of our neatly done rooms. At that moment, nothing seems to be clicking, and your life looks like it could put a stop to the brakes.

Yet sometimes, we are blessed with those huge cars, loads of money, and a rather caring family. We can tour world destinations of our choice, hopping from one country to the other. At that moment, you are living most people’s dreams, and you are like- this is the kind of life I want to have for the rest of my life.

So, you are unsure of what to do with your life?

Well, maybe you should keenly read this. One of the world’s greatest historians spent most of his life grinding and putting down history for decades. During a lecture session, one of the students asked him: “What was the most intriguing thing you learned during your years of sampling momentous historical events?”

He confidently replied, “When it gets completely dark, the stars show up.”

For me, that is the most inspiring quote of any generation. It carries with it so much voluminous wisdom and unrivaled rousing encouragement that we could spend a whole lifetime analyzing it. In your dark hours and low moments, it should be a profound source of strength and motivation.

Sometimes, we find ourselves stuck, with the world under our feet literally on a go slow. It is during these moments that we find ourselves worthless and fail to see the purpose for which we live. It is understandable. We are humans, and admittedly so, we need new challenges to wake up to each morning. When our routine becomes boring, and our lives look like withering flowers, we need something to excite it.

Nonetheless, nothing better happens by being annoyingly anxious. Life presents us with millions of challenges every day. What you should be doing instead of lamenting is graciously embracing the twists and try finding and doing what you enjoy.

Don’t lose hope because your peers are married and owning properties. Don’t just quit yet because, at 35, you are yet to attain that undergraduate degree. Instead, remember the words of the great historian, “when it all seems dark, the stars in a way show up.”

More importantly, read below some of the proven steps and life practices that will help you find meaning out of life. Let’s keep scrolling.

Put your running gears on and clear your mind

Let me tell you a short story about the butterfly. During my free time, I occasionally take a lazy walk along the expansive farms to get a fresh breath as I whistle along the winding paths. It is not like I do lack what to do. No, I only find it refreshing connecting with nature, and losing myself into the wild makes it even more fun.

Let’s get back to the butterfly. So this evening, I am taking my usual tour. The clouds are heavy, and the skies are threatening to open any time. Nonetheless, I am not bothered. I want to stay here for some time. I stand, soundlessly, in the field of neatly-trimmed straw as I watched a charming butterfly.

It flapped anxiously about, examining, pursuing, and searching.

Just the other day, the butterfly had found a friend in flower had, therefore, become so crucial to the butterfly. The flower that was now most sought after. It gently caressed the flower, only in a way a stunning butterfly would cuddle a charming flower.

Interestingly, this same flower had no use to the mower. The mower had found it convenient to cut it down, thus leaving it wilting in the raging noonday sun

What exactly do we learn from this scenario? The first one. The ambitions which we so much valued yesterday meant absolutely nothing to the present mower- which is life in this scenario. So often, we come across them cut down and sagging among the cut grass under our feet.

Secondly, we need to take a cue from the butterfly’s persistence. It keeps on searching and going for more charming and fresher flowers. It eventually finds other lovelier flowers. Like the determined butterfly, so must we continue seeking new challenges and grander objectives. You are guaranteed to find them if you pursue, just like the butterfly, which finds lovelier flowers.

Just like in the realm of butterflies with plenty of flowers, so are our lives with massive opportunities and ambitions. Each goal, interestingly, offers more significant incentives than that which appeared so monumental before life pushed us down the trenches.

If you are to find fulfillment in life, you will have to identify that one thing you need to do. It doesn’t, however, end in identification. Identify and follow it purposefully. At one time in life, you are going to be faced with challenging and emotional moments. Moments when all you can think of is what you need to do to get to the next day. At such times, there usually are no thoughts of what you want to do in the future. You survive from one day to the other. If you get caught up in this quagmire, do not panic. Take a deep breath, identify one activity that will help you get through the day, and make it a routine exercise.

Life naturally keeps us on our toes- seeking new paths and skills. In doing so, it reminds us of the importance of the mower. The mower cuts down the beautiful flowers. Unknowingly to him, his actions make the butterfly more aggressive and determined to land new and charming flowers.

Nobody will take responsibility for your life- you should instead, and make a choice.

Is it not true that every ostrich which tries to bury their head in the sand does make an irresistible target for a sweeping blade? After all, for how long is it going to assume the danger before it is finally cornered? In life, we have, unfortunately, people who act like ostriches. Too bad if you are one of such kind.

Do you know what they do? Just like the naïve ostriches, they also kneel down to hide their heads in the sands of illusoriness. Each time we immerse our heads in the abundant and deep waters of unreality, we become an easy target for the paddle of destiny.

We are not going to solve our problems by always assuming the challenges and consoling ourselves; they will go away. They are not. Actually, without any positive affirmation, you will wake from your disillusioned sleep and realize the problems are even bigger than you thought.

Here is what to do if you get stuck in the middle of a challenge.

One exciting yet so irritating fact about life is that it remains unpredictable. Most of the time, all our questions, we so casually and grudgingly throw at life, do not always come back pleasantly wrapped. In fact, life itself doesn’t come with a manual. More importantly, there are no set out guidelines to follow for every problem we face. We need to diligently and consistently work hard to define unique paths for each one of us.

One major step towards finding out what you need to put right in your life is by activating your conscious mind. Wake up your conscious and start cuddling the change and unpredictability that is life. Your conscious mind should, in a way, implant and relay beneficial suggestions to the subconscious mind. That in itself is an accepted form of therapy that should help you with taking your current situation as it is. You can’t find a way forward if you don’t identify your current location.

Firstly, get to deal comprehensively with the habit of limiting your capabilities and self-beliefs. What you need to do is to act with bold confidence. Act in the full knowledge that whatever is conceived in the mind of any man can be achieved by the man. To this end, avoid seeking the simple route of ostrich cure. Instead, boldly face head-on the specific cause or problem to conquer a particular struggle.

The power and freedom to make decisions and choices can be quite destructive at times. The ability to make choices is meant to liberate us and set us free to do other things. However, this freedom sometimes misses us completely. It grabs away that liberation from us and leave us paralyzed and helpless. We end up making no or wrong choices.

It is difficult and challenging overcoming your fears and the limits to your self-beliefs. Nonetheless, it will only take the initiative to seek change, and your life will bring another dimension.

Embrace the power of initiating little strides with a specific period challenge

Those minimal, negligible, and small efforts we make every day gradually become our powerful habits. They become habits that go on to define our destiny. We have been told many times, and we all know that it doesn’t help to despise our humble beginnings.

At least, we all have a starting point. What is, however, more important is the amount of effort we put towards achieving our set out goals. Nonetheless, the challenge here remains setting a challenge and working within a stipulated time to accomplish your goals.

Let us say you set a 20 days challenge. Within these 20 days, sit down and carefully identify what you need to do that can revitalize your energy. Once you are done, you need to frame out how you are going to diligently and passionately follow up on your program.

These daily activities should give you the momentum to begin a new journey and the impetus to push harder than before. In your push to meet your targets, you should be able to identify what you specifically need to do with your life.

However, there is one thing you will need to remember continually. Any noteworthy physical accomplishment requires an equal effort of undivided physical attention and discipline. It is not in doubt that it takes only the most constant discipline to produce the physique and the stamina that complements the physical ability.

Maybe you are still wondering why you should take a 20 or more days challenge. Is it worth it? How does that help my sorry self and lift my deflated spirit and ego? Well, the answer lies with you. The healing process for any patient must begin with the self-actualization that they are ill and need some therapy. I mean, how would you administer medicine to somebody who hasn’t told you they are unwell?

Each one of us needs that push to help us kick start our journey. If you are to identify what you need to do with your life, then it would only be prudent that you begin by finding your momentum. Now back to the goals and what they help achieve in the long run term.

By just achieving the goals within a set period, you boost your confidence and fuel further the self-belief in you to keep going. If you decide to sit and do nothing, then obviously nothing will happen. It means you would have to contend with a disquiet, dull, anxious, and hopeless life. You do not want to experience that, do you?

Do not be so naïve as to delude yourself that your life is happening as a result of fate. If your life is headed to the drains and you are looking for somebody to point a finger at, then you as well need some psychiatric help. The mess in your life was caused- principally by you- and it is a mirror which certainly reflects what you are now.

4. Some have been there before- seek wisdom from them

Experience alone is enough to teach you some of the priceless and greatest lessons this world can offer. The kind of lessons you will never get within the lecture halls of top universities. What other better way then, would it be to learn from the experience and drink from their cups of wisdom? You get to learn and sample practical life experiences from people who have walked the same path as you are.

A man’s extensive and broader knowledge in what he has gone through makes him have a higher power in knowing what to do in instances of difficulty. If you are the type that loves to read, then you should consider reading books that narrate people’s lives, their philosophies, and how they overcame various challenges in their lives.

What should the stories help you with in the end? You may ask. At times when you are unsure about what to correctly do in your life, it is these kinds of stories that should motivate and inspire you. You should be able to widen your knowledge base after reading. And we all know what power to information means. It means you can sort out your confusion in mind and forge a better path moving forward.

Are you unsure of which books to lay your hands on? Worry not. You can still begin with this. It should give you a comprehensive insight on why life is never fair and ideal. Once you read it, then you should be able to gain clarity and purpose in your life.

Get to know yourself better and more profound.

The fact of the matter is, you will always want to do the right thing in any moment of decision making. It would still be better if you do something, albeit wrong. However, the gravest mistake you can ever do is to stand there, do nothing, and say nothing. The bottom line is, find out who exactly you are, what your aspirations are, and what you want to do with your life.

The world belongs to those who are ready to find out. Any person who can find what the problem is- and decisively deal with it- is guaranteed success in life. Nothing deflates a man’s ego and blurs his path than a life full of question marks. Very few activities are more satisfying and encouraging than finding the answers to your questions and solutions to the problems.

Each passing day, the world is craving for a group of people who can get things done. More importantly, the demanding world is thirsty for those who can find out what needs to be done and the best way to do it. You see, this world is full of people who are busy doing something, yet actually, what they’re doing is wrong.

The only way you will confidently move forward and leap into the future with optimism and energy is by letting go of your past. Find it within your heart to embrace change- a change that should reinvent your inner self.

You cannot move forward if you do not know yourself and don’t know who exactly you are. At least start by spelling out your name!

Maybe you should do volunteer jobs

When you are at that time in your life when you can’t seem to find any purpose for which you live, kindly get to volunteer work. Always seek those intern opportunities which are in line with your hobbies. Do not hesitate to take up any of them, in case you find any. If you end up doing an exceptional job, you may be considered for a permanent role. It could just be the beginning of greater things to happen in your life.

Before you finally decide on what you want to do for the rest of your life, gain experience in different fields, and weigh options. You can then decide on an informed point of view.

Conclusion

You are not going to walk into the future by continuously planning for it. Instead, you should put more energy into working on your present. There might have been a time when social pressure nearly swept away your life. However, hold high your head and remind yourself of the childhood dreams you had and the vast ambitions you set for yourself at 18.

If I don’t know what to do with my life, I will remind myself that life itself is never stagnant, It keeps on changing, so I should do the same. There will be times when life will knock you down, and you will find it challenging to get up. However, remember that life is about learning how to get back on your feet each time you stumble.

I hope you get to find something meaningful to do with your life.