If you’re constantly wondering “what should I do with my life?” you’re not alone. This confusion is even increasing amongst teens, with 15% of respondents in one survey saying they have no idea what they want to do.

Of course, it’s not just teenagers who are facing this problem. An increasing number of adults say they don’t know what is best in life and struggle to understand where they should focus their attention. 

If this sounds like you, don’t despair. In this article, you’ll learn some of the best ways to decide what you should be doing, so you can enjoy a productive, interesting career and life.

Ready? Let’s get started. 

Deciding What to do With Your Life

If you’re still deciding what to do with your life, it’s common to feel like everyone else has it figured out. This isn’t even close to true. In fact, people between the ages of 16 to 25 say that their happiness has dropped dramatically across every area of their lives. 

Part of this is due to the social media comparison trap. We all know that our friends are putting their best foot forward on social media. And yet, we can’t help but compare our lives to the lives of our friends who seem to be having excellent relationships, rewarding careers, and amazing vacations. 

One study found that technology-based social comparison is associated with depressive symptoms among adolescents. If you’re ready to figure out what to do with your life, the first step is to stay in your lane and quit playing the comparison game. 

Focus on your own journey, and you’ll choose your path based on what you want to do and not based on what will look great in your next Facebook post. 

Here are some of the top ways to learn what you should do with your life.

Examine the Past

The first step is to think about all the experiences, jobs, people, relationships, and milestones that got you to where you are today. 

Think back to some of the classes you’ve taken and the hobbies you’ve tried. Which felt like a struggle? Which ones did you excel at?

What types of jobs have you had? What do you love and hate about each one? Consider the major life events that shaped who you are as a person. Grab a piece of paper or a journal and begin noting down any clues, themes, industries, and patterns that could help you figure out the next step. 

Talk to Others

Often, other people’s journeys can give you inspiration for your own. Make a list of 20-50 people, and arrange to call or meet with them. They can be ex co-workers, friends, relatives, bosses, or acquaintances. 

Ask them open questions and be prepared to listen. The goal is to learn about other people’s ambitions, hopes, dreams, and motivations. Ask about how they got to where they are today, and consider if it’s a path you’d like to be on, as well. 

You’d be surprised at how much you can learn simply by listening to other people’s stories. You’re likely to find that many of these people also went through a stage where they had no idea what they wanted to do with their lives. 

Consider QHHT

QHHT stands for Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique. This involves deep hypnosis down to the Somnambulistic state – the deepest possible level of hypnosis. When you’re in this deep state, you may find that you relive a past life. This process is known as past life regression.

This is both safe and effective, and it’ll help you answer questions and examine issues from ‘what should I do today?’ to ‘I don’t know what to do with my life.’ Finding out what happened to you in your past lives can give you a deep sense of peace. And if you’ve wondered recently how to find yourself in life, then this technique can help you as well.

This incredible clarity can be one of the best ways to learn what you should be doing with your life and the lessons you need to learn. Consider finding a practitioner in your area. 

Think About Lifestyle

How many hours would you ideally work each week? How much time do you want to be able to spend with your family? How much money do you want to make? Do you want to work for yourself or someone else? What type of environment do you like to spend your time in? Where do you want to live? 

Thinking about what you actually want to do with your life can sometimes be overwhelming. Instead, consider how you want to live. What types of people do you like to be around? Do you like living in big cities or small towns? What do you like to do for fun?

Take your career out of the picture, and think about your life in five years. What does it look like? If you’re able to consider how your life will look, you can more easily figure out which steps you need to take to get there.

Consider Your Skills

You’ve spent years developing your skills, even if you’re not yet sure what they are. 

Take a piece of paper and make three lists. The first will be your soft skills, which include things like adaptability, leadership, or communication. 

The next list is for your hard skills. These are tangible skills you’ve learned such as project management, Google Analytics, or coding. 

Finally, make a list of the skills you’d like to learn. These can be a mixture of both hard and soft. 

Know Your Values

Your values are what define you as a person. These are the things that you consider most important in life.

If you’re not sure exactly what your values are, think about the best experiences in your life. What did you love about these experiences and why? For example, your favorite experience may be backpacking solo in Southeast Asia. Some of your values could be travel, independence, freedom, and adventure. 

Make a list of all of your favorite experiences and your values. Rank them until you have five or less. This will help ensure that any decisions you make are in line with your values. 

Consider Giving Back

Many people are searching for some sense of purpose in their lives. One of the most important questions to ask yourself while on this journey is how you can add value to the world.

If you’re not sure, consider doing some volunteer work. Try a range of different sectors, and see where you get the most joy from helping. You may also want to consider how you can use your own talents to add value to the world.

Get to Know Yourself

If you’re like most people, you’re probably super busy. When you’re at home relaxing, you’re probably tempted to “numb out” in front of the TV. However, in order to understand what you should do with your life, you need to first get to know yourself. 

Every day, take ten minutes to write in a journal. You may find this difficult at first. Start off with writing about your day, and then tackle new thoughts and observations as they appear. 

You may also want to spend some time just sitting quietly and thinking. Most of us don’t do this enough. Even when we’re out walking the dog we’re listening to a Podcast or music as if we’re constantly trying to remove chances  

Take half an hour and just sit and think. This may seem like a lot of time, but you’ll likely notice that it passes in a flash. If you need to quiet your mind, consider using an app like Calm or Headspace to meditate first. 

Set Goals

Often, when we’re at a crossroads in our lives, it can be easy to be swept away in feelings of guilt and worthlessness. After all, shouldn’t you know what you’re doing with your life by now? 

These can lead to more feelings of self-doubt. One of the best ways to combat these feelings is to set and achieve small goals. These could include some of the following:

• Striking up a conversation with a stranger
• Signing up for a 5km
• Committing to a new workout plan
• Losing five pounds
• Having a difficult conversation with a friend or family member

When you’re setting larger goals, make sure that you also set milestones. This will allow you to constantly be celebrating your small wins. It’s also a good way to check your progress and ensure you’re on track.

Meet New People

It’s easy to wake up and find that we’re constantly having the same conversations with the same people. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to help you feel inspired. 

Meeting new people can help open your eyes to new possibilities for your life. You may hear someone describe their career and think “wow, that’s exactly what I want to do.” Or you may have a conversation that teaches you the steps they took to figure out their dream job. 

There are plenty of ways to meet new people. Join a class at your local gym and make an effort to talk to other members. Sign up for a Meetup event, or consider trying a new hobby or class. You never know who you may meet in that Spanish or cooking class.

Be Ready for the Long Haul

You may assume that you’ll be out walking one day and suddenly receive a flash of inspiration which will tell you exactly what to do with your life.

Unfortunately, it rarely works that way. For many people, understanding what they should do with their lives is a long process, and it may happen several times as they change focus over their life. 

Be prepared to constantly regroup and make new decisions. Try to reframe this process as an exciting opportunity. Many people don’t have the ability to change careers, take a career break or even dream of a better life. Enjoy this time in your life, and be open to soul searching whenever you feel the need.

Consider Your Legacy

What would you like people to say about you after you’re gone? Who do you want people to remember? What would you like to be known for?

During challenge and hardship, you’ll often begin to understand what really matters. Once you combine this understanding with commitment and action, you can truly transform your life. 

If you think about some of the most successful people in the world, many of them have faced unimaginable hardship. This hardship left no room for complacency and comfort, so they had to work hard to change both themselves and the world. When you’re feeling down, remember that this adversity is what allows you to grow stronger.

At the end of your life, you’ll be known for how you responded to the worst possible challenges, who you were to the people you knew, and what you did to improve the lives of others around you. 

Be Open to New Ideas

We can often be quick to ignore suggestions that don’t align with our preconceived notion of what we enjoy or what we’re good at. 

That’s why it’s important to be open to new ideas and possibilities.

Consider taking a “what should I do with my life” quiz. Even if these results seem completely wrong, take the time to actually think about them. The same is true if someone you know has a suggestion for your next job or career. While this may not be the right move, it could lead to that perfect job or situation down the line. 

Still Wondering What Should I Do With My Life?

By combining the above strategies, you’ll be able to better understand yourself, what’s important to you, and the mark you’d like to leave on the world. 

Of course, even with these tips, you may still be wondering “what should I do with my life?” And that’s okay. If you’d like to get some more clarity, get in touch to learn more about QHHT and how it can help you.