Too many people plan their lives out according to someone else’s dream. They make decisions based on what they ‘should’ do instead of what they ‘want to do’, and end up chasing money, convenience, and easy options.
But trying to determine what you want to do in life is far from simple. These are five ways to solve the puzzle and determine what you want to do, and once you know, give yourself a competitive edge and download free of charge resumes from LiveCareer.
Put Yourself First:
One of the biggest reasons why we overlook what we actually want to do is because we feel like we have to do something for other people. Put yourself first for a change. Ignore what your parents want you to do, or your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife wants you to do and think about what you would be doing if none of them were in the equation.
Think About Where You Want to Be in Five Years:
It sounds like a cliché interview question, but spending some time thinking about your medium and long-term goals will help shed light on what you want to do with your life. It doesn’t matter if you actually end up there in five-years-time (you probably won’t), but as a thought exercise, thinking about where you want to be can help you discover what is important to you.
Find the Common Thread in Your Experiences:
Looking backwards can help you moving forwards. Look back through your previous work and personal experiences. What skills have been a common thread? Are there any recurring themes?
Job titles, salaries, and companies can all change, but ultimately your career will be defined by your skills. Realizing what those skills are and how to apply them to your career to provide meaning is most of the battle.
Establish What You Don’t Want to Do:
Sometimes you may not know what you want, but you have a strong idea of what you don’t want. This is a good starting point and can help you work out how to avoid paths that definitely don’t appeal to you.
Establish what you don’t want and be specific. Don’t simply assert that you don’t like working in an office. Be more specific. Working in the Google office is not the same as working in an accountancy office, for example. What aspect of office life doesn’t appeal to you? The inflexible hours? Micromanagers? Pointless job titles? All of these can be part of the office life but don’t have to be.
Run with Side Projects:
Do you have a side project that you have wanted to embark on for a while but have never found the time? Then make time!
Side projects are an exceptional method of exploring new possibilities and hobbies. All it takes is the right side project and a huge injection of passion, and before you know it, you could have just discovered your next career.
Finding what you want to do in life is as much about sparking your curiosity, igniting your passion, and discovering your interests as it is about choosing a job. There will be obstacles, both internal and external, but finding things you want to pursue, skills you want to learn, and places you want to be in the medium to long-term future are all important steps on the path of finding what it is you want to do in life.
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