How to Figure Out What You Like and Want to Do in Your Life
We used to go to dinner with my cousins who were young teenagers at the time. We would ask them what they wanted to eat, what they wanted to drink and they would say, “I don’t know.”
We asked them what they liked and they said, “I don’t know.”
When you’re young, you don’t know what you like. It’s a consequence of being young. You haven’t experienced enough or tried enough things.
How could you know what you want? Most adults don’t even know what they want and they’ve been alive for years.
Heck, I still don’t know what I want and I’m 27. Part of this is that life is a never-ending process that you will always be figuring out.
Life is a journey. But if you don’t know what you want, then what are you left to do?
Become a lifelong scientist.
Not literally, of course, unless you find that’s what makes you tick. I’m talking about experimenting. A scientist’s life is about running tests and experiments to learn and figure things out. That’s what you need to be doing.
Don’t worry about getting it right on the first try. Scientists never do. They just come to the table, excited to learn and grow. Every experience and experiment will teach them something new that they bring into the next experiment.
That’s a key approach to life. Live like it’s an experiment. Try something you’ve been interested in. Maybe surfing, golfing, or something. Maybe you hate it, but you learn that you love being active. Or you love being in the water.
You can then take that information and use it to progress to the next thing you like.
Use your dislikes.
Now, you’ve been trying the thing for a few months and you decide it’s not for you. You don’t like it. You don’t like sweating or being out underneath the hot sun. That’s actually great news. You can rule out what you don’t like and use it to figure out what you do like.
You can use what you don’t like to figure out what you do. By ruling things out, you learn what you don’t want to do. You can then rule out other things that have those qualities and know you don’t have to try those subjects.
If you realize you don’t like being alone, you know pursuing solo adventures won’t be for you.
Revisit old pastimes.
Sometimes your perspective shifts and your joys in life change. You may find that revisiting old hobbies may bring about joy again. Old pastimes can be renewed and founded into current, thriving lives.
If you liked something as a child that you fell out of touch with, consider revisiting it. You may be surprised by what you find.
Perhaps you took art classes as a kid but stopped doing them for one reason or another. If you picked up a pen and paper, or paintbrush, you may find there is still something there for you.
Your likes and dislikes are constantly changing. You may like things now that you didn’t like years ago, or vice versa.
You can use your knowledge of what you don’t like to point you in the right direction. Your dislikes serve just as much a purpose as your likes.
No matter what you do, keep experimenting. Everyone changes over time and you will too. It’s okay if you decide to change paths now. Even if you planned to be an accountant in college but decided it wasn’t for you, you can always change your path.
Nothing is ever set in stone. Life is like playdoh, it can change shapes. Make life your playground and shape it in your own ways.
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