Hey everyone, I decided to post here and see what everyone's opinion was on this:
Recently a 5-year friend of mine decided to quit everything and become a pastor. While this was a shock to all of his friends and family, it got me thinking. He's the 3rd of my friends that knows exactly what he wants to do in life by the age of 20 and has a extremely specific plan for it all.
Me on the other hand, I have no idea what I want to do. I have no idea what I'm good at. I don't have any ONE thing that I'm extremely passionate about. Do you think that it's a bad thing that I'm completely lost at the moment, or do you feel like in time everything will become clear. Is there a possibility that maybe not everyone is meant to have and do the one thing that they are extremely passionate about for the rest of their life?
Thanks guy. Always know that the TL community is there when you need them.
Some people get very specific senses of calling early on. Some others only get there when they get there, and can still do great things. 20 is a very early age, so don't worry. Focus on living life, and be on the lookout for things you can do and do them
Have you ever noticed how your opinion and attitude towards things you like / dislike tends to change every 6 months, probably less at younger years....Yeah well it doesn't stop when you get older.
Do what makes you happy and see where life takes you, nothing lasts forever so cherish the good times while they last.
I'd say it's better to start seeking one's path as soon as possible. Try out and discover as many things as possible, it can only be beneficial anyway.
There was a time when I was 19, cruising through life, college education, healthy amount of drugs, sex, and alcohol. But then I always felt empty. It's not "first-world" or a "confused pre-adult" emptiness kind of thing, as far as I can tell, but there was just nothing. Nothing in the world matters, that's how I felt. I suddenly found myself in Cambodia where I got it. It's not a "Eureka I got the whole world figured out now" moment, but it was something that made things clear.
A buddhist monk told me, "Life is simple. Pain is inevitable. Life is in fact pain. But suffering is not. To be human is to love and to do good and to overcome your weaknesses." I do not know if how I understand it is how he meant it, but more than some empty philosophical rhetoric, I see it as a challenge it life. Yeah life sucks, but I just figured the way is to take on life, hunt it down, and make it eat its balls! Hahahaha. I can't objectively tell if I've been slamming in life or not, (still drugs, sex, and alcohol), but how I feel so much better!
you might as well pick something and run with it. if it doesn't work out, pick something else.
if you're at a crossroads and you don't know which path to take, it doesn't help to sit there squinting down both of them. you'll find the right one a lot faster by just trying it.
an interestingish video on people responding to a calling lol. from UBC!!
but uhh... i was pretty paralyzed and i still am, but for differentish reasons. but one advice that may sort of be useful is that, whatever you do. you can do it until you don't enjoy it anymore, then switch to something else. like you can be a pastor for 3 years then be like, ok. time to do something else. you are by no means locked into your decisions, you can always change. assuming you keep your finances in check, or if you have people dependent on your income...
but hmm... what i personally did was just spend my time learning. learning everything i could about everything. "mainly social sciences and philosophy" and yeah, what i cared about slowly formed out of my studies. "cultivating human agency" but umm... what i recommend is doing lots of stuff, volunteering, studying lots of stuff, either formally or from lecture recordings or online courses. like UC Berkeley webcasts. and yeah.
i also took a break from school so you don't have to study all the time. but yeah... yep.
as for motivation... from a social psychological perspective. if a cute girl i liked told be she really liked something, like maybe becoming an electrician, i may end up following her into it lol. "balance theory!!!" but ahh the complexities of life.
Life doesn't have a meaning itself, it has the meaning you give to it.
Don't get obsessed about having a passion or a very particular role in life. If life has no clear directions for you yet, it's ok. Just focus on being happy and proud of yourself.
I think for many, work and life experiences help to truly and completely field the question of what one REALLY wants to do in life, for work and for pleasure.
I don't think that anyone with less than 5 years of work experience really knows what they are good at, and what they in turn want to do - that they would enjoy.
There is a reason why compensation is called pay. MANY people hate their jobs, but it is a means to an end for most.
Well, I knew exactly what I was going to do at the age of 15 (and a bit more vaguely even earlier), but that was because of my natural abilities. Now I'm 22 and I am doing what suits them best.
However, I'm not sure if this is necessarily a good thing. I feel that I've kinda forced myself into this career without considering other possibilities. If I spent some time trying other things, I wouldn't be really good at what I am doing, but what if I found something that I liked better? If you haven't got any specific interests, I think you shouldn't worry and just try different paths.
On August 08 2012 18:10 Kukaracha wrote: Life doesn't have a meaning itself, it has the meaning you give to it.
Don't get obsessed about having a passion or a very particular role in life. If life has no clear directions for you yet, it's ok. Just focus on being happy and proud of yourself.
I was about to say something alike, but Kukaracha perfectly sum what i think.
I wasn't happy in my pointless life until I eventually developed personal philosophies such that I could explain how I think and how the world around me works, and that life is truly pointless, thus so is your happiness or sadness, pain or pleasure.
I would advise you do something moderately productive while trying to find out your direction. I'm at uni, and do I particularly enjoy what I'm doing? Kinda, some days. Yet there's no point in quitting and ending up regretting it later. So I just stroll about, finding different things to do and hoping I like one. Nothing yet, but I've met amazing people along the way.
Instead of putting so much thought into living, just live and see what happens, just make sure you don't lose sight of who you are along the way. End rant.
The meaning of life is to pass on your genes. Simple as that. I mean, why do you think chicks even have orgasms? For fun? No, because it increases the chance of getting pregnant.
EPT
