We all know the feeling. Uncertainty about the future. Worry, anxiety. For those of us who are younger, in particular, it’s common to feel lost about our lives.
What is your passion? What are your goals? Your life’s mission? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
All questions people ask expectantly, presuming you can see it all laid out before you. And if you can that’s great. If you can see and visualize where you want to go, the chances of you reaching there are exponentially higher. All of the greats talk about how powerful visualization is in achieving goals. Arnold Schwarzenegger, world renowned bodybuilder, 7-time Mr. Olympia related that way back when he was starting out, he could see himself on the stage, holding the trophy. He could see what his physique was going to look like. That alignment and focus eventually turned the vision into reality.
But what if you don’t know? You don’t know what you’re going to do moving forward, as a career or lifestyle. You don’t know what your life is going to look like. That’s the real reason so many young men and women are falling prey to mental illness. This uncertainty robs them of purpose to the point where it becomes a struggle to get out of bed in the morning. The usual advice for people who feel this doubt is to “explore” or “find yourself.”
That’s garbage.
Realistically, you are shooting yourself in the foot if you’re drifting around purposeless. That will waste your time and money while continuing to ruin your mental health to boot. Here’s what I will suggest instead:
Pick an objective
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have it all figured out yet, but you absolutely need a current objective. The issue is not so much what this objective actually is, but that you have it. This is what will bring order to your life. This is what will get you excited to start your day. This is going to light a fire under you and keep you moving forward.
Alright, but how to pick a good objective?
First, you must shift your mindset and think in terms of moves and positions instead of outcomes. You can’t see what your end goal is, but you need to make the move that puts you in the best position for future moves. Which will then put you in an even better position, and so on.
Picture a game of chess, or your favorite sport. You don’t know before the play what exactly you’re going to do at each step of the game. What the skilled player does instead is make moves that open up opportunities and put himself in a prime position to capitalize on those opportunities. Because you never know how the opponent will react. You must be flexible and dynamic enough to adapt to the best opportunity, which you would never be able to do if you got stuck in tunnel vision.
It’s the same way with life goals. Aim to make the best moves, putting yourself in favorable positions. Even if you do have a long term goal, this is a much more efficient strategy than trying to plan out all of the minutiae. Also, if you do this successfully, chances are you’ll end up places you never could have imagined in the first place. You might find a better vision to chase once you’re positioned to see the opportunities.
What are some practical moves to make? Join a club, take on a project, learn a skill, join research, build relationships with people who can provide value. The list goes on. Pick an objective that, once met, will open up more opportunities, and devote your energy and focus to it. Like a chess player, you balance between planning for the future and taking care of the present.
Key takeaways:
Have an objective to bring order to your life. Aimlessness is chaos
Think of your life strategically. Make moves, one at a time, that position you for further opportunities