How Can You Decide On The Best Direction In Life?
For all of the benefits and necessities of the modern schooling system, it’s true to say that certain essential topics are left off the table when they shouldn’t be. While other topics are emphasized at a time where nuance may be best applied. You would think that there are many ways to learn how to find the best direction for students’ lives.
After all, it’s rare many of us learn about the tax system in school, including how to calculate it, when to submit it, and how to appeal any incorrect charges. We’re rarely told of how to purchase property, how to avoid getting into debt, or the best way to make passive income.
On top of this, we’re often told that we need to be sure of our next step in life as if needing to decide everything we could ever do from the age of 18. This can be a tough, developmental time in our lives, and without a careful approach towards analyzing our forward potential, we may feel overwhelmed by making this decision.
Thankfully, the decision you make then need not become your entire life. What matters is learning how to follow the best direction with care and caution, rather than feeling worried about how to start. In this post, we’ll discuss how you can decide on the best direction in life using careful planning, personal reflection, and careful analysis, instead of jumping into a path you may think right for the moment but that won’t sustain you over time:
Reflect & Define Your Goals/Tastes
It’s good to think about who you are and what you’d like in life, using your goals and tastes to provide some kind of orientation in that regard. After all, if you can make decisions according to your character, and decisions that influence you to improve and challenge your character, then you’re likely to be stimulated in the long run.
Note that this doesn’t necessarily mean choosing what you’d like now and then replicating that for all time. For instance, it might be that you love photography and would adore a career in it, but what about the intensity of wildlife photography in a range of damp, hot, or freezing conditions depending on where you are?
This takes a lot out of you but could be thoroughly fascinating and stimulating, even if you don’t think you’re so equipped for that at the moment. Reflecting and defining your goals and tastes to this degree can be so important.
But how can you know who you are and what you’d really like to achieve?
This is where a comprehensive interest inventory can come into play, giving you insight into your particular personality, character, interests, and priorities. If you can use these as parameters to guide your decision-making, you’re more likely to find something suitable.
Consider The Impact You’d Like To Make
It’s important to consider the impact you’d like to make during the course of your lifetime and career. For some, that might be quite humble. Perhaps you’d just like to fulfill your role as well as you can, in a manner that upholds the vital values of a given institution such as the fire service.
Complete an intensive role like that well, and the incredible amount of good you’ll have performed over the course of a career is truly stunning. For some, making a real difference in children’s homes by performing the role of a social worker is key.
For others, it might be that putting their hometown on the map. This can be in the form of a business that celebrates the best of cultural cuisine is also worthwhile. When we think about ‘impact’ it’s easy to think on a global scale. But having a thorough impact in a given area or niche field is more than enough. Understanding that which is important to you can be worthwhile.
Adjust Your Priorities
It’s a good idea to adjust your priorities depending on what will make you most happy. And over the years, this is set to change. For instance, you may find that you choose a given career simply because of the salary prospects.
That’s reasonable, after all, being well compensated for your work is a good outcome to chase. But perhaps you’re willing to forgo a life as legal aid for corporations. Just in order to run your own animal shelter. The former is useful but makes you feel like a cog in a machine. While the latter helps you feel actualized.
Or, perhaps it’s vice-versa.
As you grow and gain more experience, adjusting your priorities become easier to handle and more important to do. Keep that in mind, and you don’t have to feel the worry of making a necessary change.
Consider Your Opportunities
It’s almost always healthy to take opportunities in stride. Even if they’re not particular to what you had initially signed up for. For instance, it might be that you’re planning to attend film school.
Then you’re specializing in cinematography and camera operation. But there are a few weekend session extra-curricular opportunities for an assistant set designer. Sure, this might not be what you hope to graduate in. However, you’d be stunned at how getting yourself out there, learning parallel skills, and networking through that opportunity can pay dividends later on.
Over time, you’ll realize that it’s okay to not perfectly follow 100% of your exact path at all times. As the years pass and you learn and grow, you’ll get the chance to try many roles. And to be responsible in a range of ways, while also learning to adjust your position should you wish to. A fresh start like that can make all the difference going forward.
Don’t Be Afraid To Start
What matters is not being afraid to start. Don’t make ‘perfect’ the enemy of good if you can avoid it. This way, no matter what direction in life you choose, you’ll always have an appropriate way of rebalancing yourself. While also being able to come back to your main priorities.
With this advice, you’re certain to get started! Orient your self for the best direction in life! And remember to not feel overly dismayed about a temporary bump in the road.
