what should i do with my life?
When the answer isn't clear, these are the resources worth turning to.
At some point, most of us stop and ask it. The question surfaces during transitions, at milestone ages, or in the moments when the life you are living no longer feels like the one you intended.
What should I do with my life?
It rarely has a simple answer, yet it is a signal worth paying attention to. The clearer you become about what genuinely matters to you, the more that question begins to answer itself. As we mature, so does our desire to embody purpose. We are often encouraged to pursue what interests us by identifying our strengths, or considering prompts like, “What would I do if money weren’t a factor?” or “What would I pursue if I knew I couldn’t fail?” These ideas invite us to look inward, asking us to pay attention to what genuinely resonates within us.
The following are three resources that have always been available to you, each one pointing inward in a different way.
Turning to Nature
Nature has been evolving for billions of years, serving as a constant source of both inspiration and support. By observing its patterns, we can understand how to better relate to our own lives and the environments we have built. One example is Earth’s rotation, which creates a reliable rhythm of light and darkness. This is what we know as the circadian cycle. This natural structure guides when we wake, how we move through our days, and when it is time to rest. The question is, what is our relationship to this cycle, and how might we be able to optimize this allotted time in a given day?
Within this rhythm, we are given a window of time each day to choose how we show up and what we engage in. Plants, animals, and humans are all influenced by this same cycle, each responding in ways that support their existence. Recognizing this shared structure offers us a simple yet powerful reminder that we are not separate from nature, but part of a system that already provides a framework for how life can be lived.
Expanding beyond our immediate environment, even something as simple as looking up at the night sky can shift our perspective. Witnessing planets within our solar system and pondering over their actual size and distance, along with stars whose light has taken millions of years to reach us, reframes our thinking against the magnitude of space. What seems overwhelming or stressful to us in the moment is put into context when we contemplate our existence using the universe as the backdrop. Stepping outside, both physically and mentally, and actively engaging with what has evolved over billions of years invites a more profound perspective around “who we are” and “why we are here” to take shape.
Regularly observing and reflecting on the natural world can create space for deeper insight over time. These moments invite awareness and reflection, reminding us of our place within something greater than the here-and-now. From that awareness, we can begin to consider how we want to engage with the world around us, choosing more intentionally how we show up within the life we are intimately part of.
Nature offers perspective from the outside-in. But there is another source of direction that operates closer to home, one that most of us have learned to override rather than listen to.
Referring to Emotions as Signals
Our body is a living organism that communicates what rings true as our wants and needs. Sitting with our emotions and interpreting them as a source of information can influence how we navigate our lives and the choices we make on a daily basis. Learning to manage them can empower us to be more connected with our purpose, yet some of us make decisions that are interconnected with how we are feeling in the moment instead of pausing to understand the deeper meaning of what those feelings signal.
When we don’t take the time to understand these signals and instead act on them, we lose sight of what our internal cues are actually communicating to us. Our bodies serve as a source of wisdom that reflects our lived experience, lessons learned, and shapes how we perceive our role in the world. Reacting without awareness leaves us to question the choices we had made in that moment. Taking the time to be with our emotions strengthens our connection to living a purposeful, fulfilling life.
The breath offers one of the most effective ways to reconnect with our immediate needs. We have access to this at any given time. By slowing down and stepping out of autopilot, we create space to notice what is present. In that space, needs, priorities, and concerns that often go unnoticed can begin to surface. From there, our choices become less reactive and more reflective, allowing us to move through life with greater clarity and intention.
Learning to sit with your emotions rather than react to them creates space. What fills that space over time tends to be a clearer sense of what actually matters to you. That is where values come in.
Using Values as Your Guide
The term “values” has become widely used and a socially accepted means of creating purpose, often as a shorthand for what we consider important. But what are they, really? Values are the underlying drivers, much like an inner compass, of how we choose to spend our time and energy, and focus our attention. They help us make decisions that are aligned with our intention, showing up not in what we say matters, but in how we act.
If you value relationships, you make time to be with the people you care about. If you value financial security, your decisions reflect how you earn, spend, save, or invest money. If you value health, you prioritize exercise, rest, and what you eat. If you value freedom, you may structure your life to allow flexibility, autonomy, and choice. If you value growth, you seek out learning, new experiences, and challenges that expand your perspective.
Values are not abstract ideas, but lived through our behavior. They influence the trade-offs we make, the boundaries we set, and the direction we move in that tend to compound over time. When we become more aware of what truly matters to us, our choices begin to feel more aligned and our lives take on a clearer sense of purpose and direction.
Writing out what you value is an effective way to begin creating a sense of purpose. A practical starting point is to look at how you already spend your time each day. For instance, notice what feels natural and where friction arises in the responsibilities you have, the activities you engage in, and the people you hang out with. These patterns offer insight into what truly matters to you. As you become more aware of how your choices reflect your values, you can begin to spend your time more thoughtfully, reinforcing the activities and behaviors that align with what is important to you.
These three resources, nature, your emotions, and your values, are not a curriculum to complete, but ways of paying attention that compound over time. The more consistently you engage with them, the more your choices begin to reflect who you are rather than how circumstances have shaped you to be.
If you are ready to take that awareness further, the Six Pillars of a Fulfilling Life offers a structured framework for examining the core areas of life that shape how you live and what gives your time meaning. It's the logical next step from here.
Next: