How do I know what I really want?

Question

My problem is I don't know what I want to do. How can I know what I want to do with my life? I am really confusing because I just know I am not happy and I don't like myself now.

Answer 1

You'll feel the great joy when you experience it.

Answer 2

I agree with Small and William B.

First, you need to realize that you are not alone. This is a question everyone must ask themselves. Some people find the answer before others. Some people have the answer shoved down their throats by parents, friends or life's circumstances.

Love yourself and realize you were created for an amazing purpose.

Do you have any hobbies? There are people that are millionaires because they took their hobbies to a major level.

Just start today!!! Whatever it is!! Start small - it doesn't have to be something that cost a whole lot of money or takes up every waking hour.

Is there something you always wanted to try? Well then try it! Or try something you never even felt like doing. You might like it. Just keep trying things until you find your groove. Look at every new day, every new try as a new adventure. Think of the testimony you will have to tell of your life and all the things you have done!!

Keep your head up!!! ... and best of luck to you always!!!

Answer 3

Is it that you think you have to make a decision or is it that you think you don´t have any choices? Who says you have to make a decision? What tells you that these are your choices? Don´t you feel free? Because the fact is, you are free and maybe that´s your first problem that you´re, for whatever reason, not willing to accept. You can do whatever you want. You can work in a bean-canning factory. You can train guide dogs for the blind. You can be a stand-up comedian. Either way, even by staying home all day pondering your existential problem, you are doing something. This is what you´re doing right now. This is your choice righ now. Mak the choice to be happy. It´s a choice. Read Sartre. Evereything is a choice. Don´t waste time feeling bad about your choices or making excuses for them, nobody likes a whinger. Choose. Get on with it. You can´t loose. There is no triumphant position and there never will be. Choose. Get on with it. That´s the only thing there is to do.

Answer 4

Ray, you are not alone. Everyone feels this way from time to time. I certainly have felt it. The key thing I have found is, you can waste a lot of time worrying about what to do to make yourself happy. My advice: make sure you do SOMETHING, don't wait for the "perfect" opportunity. I'm sure you already know of something that you enjoy, at least a little. Start out by looking for something to do in that area, no matter whether it is collecting baseball cards, mowing lawns, or nuclear physics. As you go through the day, doing things, your feelings will become clearer. It will become easier to find out if you want to do something else. BUT if you surrender to this feeling, if you do nothing because you cannot decide, you will stay unhappy and confused. So, to repeat, my advice is to do something, anything that you think you MIGHT enjoy. Life is long, you will have many opportunities to make choices.
HTH, Good luck!

Answer 5

That is when you sit down, and you think what you would like the most, you say money, and you've heard all the blabber about how money won't make you happy, but they don't know. But, how will you get all the money, if you had nothing to do that day what would you do to occupy your time, try and figure something out, write, read, the list goes on and on. Good luck, I was in that pickle once and I started reading a lot of books, looked at them and thought I could do it better, so I started writing, but I do work outside cause I love the out doors.

Answer 6

This simple looking question is a million dollar question!!

Indeed, we do not know what we REALLY want. Everything that we believe we want, becomes less sought after or valuable to possess the moment we acquire it. We keep on thirsting for what we do not have.... and the fact is that we can not have everything. I strongly believe that even after having lived a full life, at the point of death most of us would only wonder whether we did not miss something that we really wanted.

The solution to this definitely lies in our learning to remind ourselves how 'small' and minuscule we are in the context of this vast universe and endless span of time. This thought helps us to tone down our wishes and objectives to the ground reality and it is then only that a sense of reasonable contentment can come up.

This same formula should help you (at least I believe so).... start looking for small small things to do and objectives to achieve... think of the next step rather than the final objective or goal... unless we manage our thinking and aim in a layered, short term format, we can not take our life forward, because on a long term basis, so many uncertainties and imponderables are there that our mind is not capable to address them all at once. If we look for an ultimate goal in life or a very long term objective, we get highly confused and feel incapable of even making a beginning... this state of mind can of course lead to heightened self-doubt and self-hate. In my view, knowing how small we are after all and tailoring our expectations and demands accordingly is the greatest wisdom of all!!

Answer 7

Well. You have to work on liking yourself before you can have any idea of what you want to do with your life. Once you start liking yourself for who you are then things will start to click. It might take some time because that is not an easy process.

Answer 8

I used to feel like you do. These days I am happy, like myself and yet, at age 42, still don't know what I want to do with my life except have fun and enjoy every day, so that's what I do.

Answer 9

U no what u want, sometimes u need courage to take that up, U may be rich and expected by ur father to take an occupation with riches , but ur wanted occupation may have delayed riches or even no riches, only passion, same goes if ur poor, u may wanna start business, but u compromise and give up for instant money to survive, one knows what he wants , maybe a courage to say it to urself may be lacking

Answer 10

sorry can't help. i also don't know what to do.
but just answered to tell you that their are many people like you. just don't hate yourself. i think i know how helpless it feels not knowing what to do with this life. try to be happy. see the bigger picture. and go on searching yourself. sure you'll find one day what you want for this life. carry the hope. i am carrying it.

:))