What do I want to do with my life?
It’s a big question.
And when it crosses your mind at 35, 40, 50 or older, it might feel like your answer should be “It’s too late to ask that NOW.”
But it’s not.
Because you’re alive.
And since that’s true you have every right, the responsibility, actually, to ask yourself, “What do I want to do with my life?”
Remember when you started out, when you were running on pure energy and enthusiasm to find out what’s out there in the world?
But now that you’ve made some choices and created YOUR life, it’s only natural to decide you might want to go back and rethink parts of it – to wonder, is this what I really want, or do I want something different?
When was the last time you did something totally new and got it all 100% right on the first try?
So stop beating yourself up for wanting to make different choices. I don’t know where we ever got this idea that we were supposed to pre-plan our lives and then live them, never going back or re-assessing once we’ve reached a “certain” age.
It’s kind of ridiculous.
What Do I Want To Do With My Life?
The key here is “want.” It’s your desire.
But as an adult, desire doesn’t just speak to your most basic whim.
It also speaks to long term needs and outcomes.
So, for example, if you really want to tell your boss he’s a jerk, it still might not be a good idea because of the deeper desire to keep your job. You get the idea.
You have to factor in likely outcomes and responses, not just follow your heart towards the next thing it says to do.
So dig deep and think about your deepest desires.
What, at the most basic levels, do you truly want?
Here are some examples that can get you started:
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*More time to myself to do the things I love like spend time with friends and family and pursue my own hobbies.
*More income so I can feel more secure and abundant in the world.
*Less stress in my day to day life, such as fewer times where I’m looking for lost things, showing up late, or feeling harassed by others for things I didn’t get done.
*A job I get excited to do; one that makes me feel I am sharing my hard-earned knowledge and heart with others.
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Hard Choices
I get it that it’s not as easy as deciding you want to make a boatload of money and then watching it show up. But I do think you can make choices consistent with that and then do what you need to do in order for that to happen if that’s what you want.
But some decisions are much harder.
What do you want to do with your life when You realize your marriage isn’t working but you have three kids?
You have a ton of student debt but you hate the job your degree lets you get?
You don’t know if you should uproot your life for a new opportunity?
When it comes to tougher choices, you might need a little help. Sometimes we all do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t figure out what you want to do.
Hope
Here’s a little pearl: The question “What do I want to do with my life?” doesn’t have to be answered in one sweeping statement. In fact, no big statements are required (unless you want one.)
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Some people just don’t live “big statements.” They don’t have the personality for making big statements.
Big statements are like grand gestures. They’re dramatic. They’re romantic. And some people are just quiet and real and down-to-earth. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with either way of being. Or being a little of both.
Enter: The power of the little statement.
the little statement
Even the big dreamers have to concede to the power of the little statement.
It’s a little dream if you will.
And it lets you shape your life a little at a time. Because face it, most of us aren’t going to make huge, dramatic moves – and even if we do, it won’t be very often.
So if you’re wondering “what do I want to do with my life?” small changes are perfect for you.
You might think about:
*Making more homemade soup
*Planting bulbs
*Building something with the tools you own
*Getting out into nature
You might also think about other things that feel more profound to you. Things you will never do again, like say yes when you mean no. Or things you will always do, like hug people when you want to.
Whatever small statements you make, they can change your life!
Need help?
I put together a worksheet for you to help you organize your thoughts on the small statements you can make – the small things you want to do, never will do again, the things you’ll change, add, adjust or amend in your life, AND how you expect or see those changes making a difference for you. Go ahead and grab it here! 
Thinking about what you want to do with your life can be as life-changing as you want it to be, or as simple as making a few shifts. It’s really up to you, and it depends on how much change you feel you need to be happy.
Please let me know your worksheet experiences, or any thoughts you have about trying to figure out what the heck to do with your life!