These days, there is a tremendous amount of pressure from family, friends, and the media for us to play roles in society that might not compliment who we are as human beings.
This happens to all of us; for example, Jack Elway, the son of famous NFL quarterback John Elway, stumbled his way along the path that society had set out before him, which was to follow his Dad’s footsteps into professional sports.
By the time he reached college, though, the writing was on the wall: he just didn’t have the same love for football his father did, so he hung up his cleats and decided to hack his own trail through the jungle we call life.
Whether you are the offspring of a famous athlete, or a child raised in a working class household, it is ultimately up to you to find your own way in life.
Need a few tips to get you started? Below, we’ll give you a few suggestions that will aid you in your quest to discover who you truly are.
Don’t shoehorn yourself into somebody else’s life plan
Working in a factory or an office is no longer the foolproof path to financial prosperity like it was in the 1950’s. The relentless march of automation and outsourcing has made jobs less secure in just about every economic sector, making the idea of a 40-year career a fantasy.
By exploring different career paths and picking one you actually like, you’ll have the passion to hold onto your position longer than those who are just there for the paycheck, and you’ll have the desire to learn new skills that will make it easier for you to switch jobs when the time comes.
Travel the world
Don’t be in a rush to jump straight into a career path straight out of college or high school. Take a year or two to explore the world, as it will expose you to different cultures, life philosophies, and ways of living life.
Along the way, you may gain the inspiration to pursue studies in a certain area, or you may come across digital workers.
In the latter case, learning how they combine technology and work skills to make perpetual travel possible will allow you to experience the globe for as long as you please, and it will make you a trustworthy freelancer, as digital nomads face more challenges than those bound to a single location.
Stop ruminating and start doing
You may have many dreams about how you want your life to look, but if you don’t pick yourself up off the couch and take the first step to make them a reality, you’ll just stumble into a survival job, and you’ll end up dissatisfied with your life.
Write down your dreams, break them into actionable steps, set a deadline for their completion, and get to work on them.
Heck yes or no
However, you might be wondering which dreams are worth chasing. Ask yourself this: when I think about this specific goal, do I get lightheaded with excitement? If the answer is yes, draft plans towards its completion, and get moving. If you are vaguely bored with a potential objective, cut it loose and move on.
We only get one shot at life (as far as we know)
While certain religions beg to differ, there’s no way to know for sure whether this is only life we get. You don’t get to know before you die, so it’s best to simply assume that you won’t get another chance to be awesome … so act accordingly.
