5 Questions To Ask Yourself When Trying To Figure Out Your Future

Figuring out what you want to do for the rest of your life is a dreaded task only you can find the answer to.

Now, this task is kind of like journaling, in that you should probably grab a pen and paper to lay your thoughts out neatly.

Your judgement might be clouded with opinion after opinion from your parents, peers, siblings, your SO and your teacher. But to be honest, you need to search internally for the answer.

Everyone has a purpose, meaning you have a purpose. Combining your natural gifts and talents with your innate passion for what you wish to achieve or experience is how you play out your purpose in the world.

So here are five questions you might want to ask yourself to figure out what you truly want to do with the rest of your life:

1. What did I always want to be when I was younger?

This is an important first question to ask because, as children, we had a fearlessness with our mentality.

As we get older, though, we seem to plagued with thoughts like “I'm not good enough” or “that could never happen.”

As children, we had a fearlessness with our mentality.

Instead of letting those thoughts consume you, briefly return to your childhood dreams, and uncover whether some of those dreams still make you excited.

2. What makes me really, truly happy?

What are you passionate about? What do you really love doing? What do you feel helps you make a contribution to the world?

Whatever your response is, your answer will eventually draw you to the field or industry you should be working in.

3. How do I want to serve or help others?

How do you want change and impact the lives around you?

With finding your purpose comes finding the ways in which we know we can make a difference in the lives of others.

With finding your purpose comes finding the ways in which we know we can make a difference.

And more often than not, what you'll find you want to do for the rest of your life will be strongly related to the ways in which you best make an impact in your community and in the lives of others.

4. How do I see myself spending my days?

Visualize your ideal work day. Are you in front of a computer and at a desk, or are you spending time outside and traveling? Who are the people you work with?

When you can see a clear vision of how you spend your days at work, then, you can take the necessary actions to get yourself there.

5. Do I know anyone else with that occupation?

If you have some contacts in fields you're thinking about entering, it could be a great idea to reach out to them and ask some questions.

If someone else is working the same job, talking to them will give you an inside look on what the real ins and outs of the job are and decide if it's still something you really want to do.

Once you're able to develop a plan, you can take action to achieve your goals.

After you get all of these thoughts together, reflect on your answers and know what you've visualized can be a reality.

Knowing the possibilities are endless can be a daunting thought, and sifting through those possibilities might seem scary, but once you're able to develop a plan, you can take action to achieve your goals.

From one Gen-Y to another, however, the answer is usually to do what makes you happy.