There was a time when I was feeling really lost (even to this day I do) because of not knowing what I am doing and what I want to do in my life. It’s scary, it’s annoying, it’s demotivating, but at the same time, it’s a journey.
I want to share some personal things that I feel quite some people could relate.
We usually think that we have to figure out our life early on and be on the right track. But what happens if we are not? Then we are feeling lost, stuck and discouraged to enjoy the present journey.
We might feel lost because of many reasons – not knowing what we want, lack of achievements, living in the wrong environment, being unhappy in a job or many others.
I didn’t feel like looking for a ‘real’ job after graduating because it didn’t feel right for me. It seemed that I want to explore, travel before (if ever) getting into the real world (what is even ‘real world’?) and finding a job where I would have less freedom. I’m so not into the standards and I feel so many people get trapped by it.
So, people around me would kept asking what my plan is, what I’m going to do next, where I’m going to be and not knowing the answer would put pressure on me.
Sometimes it’s unclear what is the right thing to do. It might be that the ‘right’ thing for someone else is NOT the ‘right’ thing for you. So that’s why we are feeling lost, unfulfilled or confused.
I never exactly knew what I want to do in the future, where I want to live and how to express myself. Having these thoughts made me stressed and also ‘froze’ me, which means that the more I thought that I need to put action towards the future the more I was procrastinating and leaving it for the ‘next’ day.
But what I came to realise is if you haven’t entirely figured something out, it doesn’t mean you are not going in the right direction. Life is not only right or wrong and we all are allowed to explore as much as we wish. Surely, we shouldn’t make a decision just for the sake of assurance and security.
Feeling lost and not having a plan is usually seen as instability, however, it might be a good thing as well. It allows you to look at your everyday life, see what is missing for you, work on changing what doesn’t serve you at the moment and discover habits and actions that make you happy. Choosing to follow my heart and wander a bit more feels right for me and if this is what my next step is then let’s be it.
We desperately want to achieve something in our life, have someone next to us and be somewhere we feel good at. However, if we won’t value the journey that brings us there, we won’t appreciate the end result as much either.
It took me some time to understand that there are good and bad chapters in our life. What’s important to realise is – the bad chapter doesn’t mean you’re hopeless, and that you should give up on whatever you’re doing. That’s not the case at all. By going up and down with my life experiences, reading self-development books, listening to podcasts, I learned that those bad chapters are very important.
That’s when we learn more about ourselves. When we have the experiences that challenge us and when we come out of it, we are a lot stronger.
The feeling of being lost is necessary because it proves that you’re on your journey and trying to figure out the way which is right for you. The path to the most rewarding destinations is not always easy and having some struggles along the way will only make you to appreciate the outcome more. You don’t need to have everything figured out right now, you absolutely don’t. Everyone has their own journeys and should embrace it.
So where is that golden middle? How to figure it out what is your path? What I can say is: don’t stop exploring yourself, follow your heart for what you want to do right now and put efforts to realise that. Have dreams and believe that you can achieve it. You will find the right way even though it’s not what you or others expected.
Life is meant to be an adventure, evolving into who you are meant to be.
Don’t settle for less. Open up for your journey and flourish during it.
Actionable takeways
- When you feel lost you can see what’s missing in your life and work on what doesn’t serve you.
- We learn about ourselves the most when we are in challenging situations.
- Follow your heart instead of social norms.
