
I've been in a position recently where I've found myself saying, more often than I'd like, that I don't know what I should do with my life. Although, the reality is that I have a few different career/life options in mind and I just don't have a frickin clue which one to pick.
I'm not going to lie, sometimes I stay awake for hours at night thinking about which road is the right one to take (this suddenly seems like a Miley Cyrus circa 2009 song) which can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety, which can then lead to everything being too much to handle and completely shutting down, then back to square one.
It's so easy to get filled with doubt and think, 'what if that doesn't work out', 'what if I end up hating that,' or 'I'll be in so much debt if I do that, I don't know if it's worth it.'
We get caught up in this idea that everyone has to have life figured out by a certain age and if we're still at stage one when someone else is at stage 5, then we're failing. Truth is, that's completely false. I'm sure you've heard of the term, 'Don't compare your hustle to their highlight reel.' Even if you're still in your hustle and others around you have reached their highlight reel, don't compare it. Keep hustling.
I don't feel completely qualified to tell you exactly what to do with your life, seeing as I haven't quite figured that out myself, but what I can give you is advice on how to get there. The best way I've found is to try as many things as possible. Say you have 10 things in mind that you could possibly see yourself doing in the future, go out and try those things on a small scale first. This could be work experience, volunteering, self employment, a hobby or anything that gives you a feel for it.
Although I didn't continue on with some of those things, they built my confidence and helped me to decide what I enjoyed and what wasn't for me.
I'm flying to a new city next week to check out a course I'm interested in and get a feel for the place, I have no idea how it'll turn out or if I'll like it but the only way to know is if I try. Another thing I haven't mentioned before is that I'm writing a book! I haven't been given a book deal and I'm not being paid to write it, I'm doing it purely because I enjoy it and hey who knows, maybe I'll try and get it published one day! (Future me if you're reading this, kudos if you're a published author girl!)
The point is, is that I'm trying out everything that I can that interests me, to find out where I belong in this crazy world and you should too.
A lot of people also suggest travelling is a good way to 'find yourself' or discover your purpose in life and although that's not something I've tried myself, I am thinking about travelling to discover new cultures and develop my interests. (Ok I've gone off on a, 'just be free, man', tangent)
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you don't know what the heck to do with your life, don't stress about it, because neither do most people. Try something new, join a class, take up a part time job, start a blog, travel, do anything that can make you grow as a person to find your niche and discover what really makes you happy in life, and once you narrow it down to the one thing that gives you the most fulfilment, go for it!
Let me know if you've had any experience or tips on finding your purpose in life.
I have totally been in this position before and its such a confusing time! I think spending time with yourself working on what makes you happiest is a good idea xx
ReplyDeletewww.natalieleanne.com
It really can be! It's a situation a lot of people go through x
DeleteI was looking at one of your hair tutorials on YouTube and somehow stumbled upon your blog, and I'm glad I did. This post is exactly what I needed right now. I'm in that weird time between high school and college (uni, as you would say) right now and totally feel everything you described. Everything is kind of overwhelming and there are a lot of different people influencing my various life decisions, so it's all a bit overwhelming. I'm 19 and am currently working a full time job so I can fulfill this crazy dream of going to London to go to film school for 6 months this October. It was so wise of you to say that we feel like we don't know what we're doing because we just want to do so much, and I completely agree with that. Thank you for reassuring me that everything will be alright and that the best way to find what we love is to try everything and experience it for ourselves. You are so pretty and make doing hair look so easy. Best of luck to you in whatever you do next!
ReplyDelete- Mya
Thank you so much for your lovely comment. It definitely can be overwhelming especially when we're so young. It's so awesome that you're saving up to pursue your dream, I hope it all works out for you. You'll get there! Emily x
DeleteYou are on the right path. Being curious and having the courage to explore new possibilities are the key to success. As a French scientific journalist and a fashion blogger I do encourage you to keep writing. Whatever you decide to become, being able to write and express your thoughts and feelings will always be handy in your journey.
ReplyDeleteThis was such an awesome post Emily and it really put a fire under my butt to get out there and try things. I feel like there are way too many possible careers I can see for myself yet I haven't really tried any of them on a small scale so I guess that's why I feel so overwhelmed. I'm going to take your advice and start trying out a few different things to see what I really like, and what I just think I like but actually don't.
ReplyDeleteJulia // The Sunday Mode
Maybe the problem is the question itself "what should I do with my life?' A life is a big thing, it's kind of daunting to try to figure it all out in one fell swoop. How about starting with "what do I need right now to wake up in the morning and not want to hit the snooze button?" and form there going to bigger questions like 'How do I get those things into my day to day in a way that works with the realities of my current life?' I spend my days working with women who are trying to answer the same questions, and starting with those two makes it far easier to figure the rest out. Good luck on your journey, it's a fun one, if you let it be.
ReplyDeletelifeinFocusSD.com