Dear Satya: Should I Already Know What I Want to Do With My Life?
From Goop's Snapchat magazine
Maria,
My short and enthusiastic answer is: No. Do not worry that you do not know what you want to do with your life, but do get curious. Rather than compare your life with your friends’ lives, look carefully at your own. Who are you? What do you like and what do you dislike? Have you emphasized the preferences of others in your life to the point that you’ve never really asked yourself these questions?
There is little encouragement to deeply explore your own self in our culture, but plenty of encouragement to “be less selfish” and “less self-involved.” But without being curious about your individual, unique existence, what else are you bound to become but an actor, living a life that is not yours, or a false copy of those around you?
I passionately encourage you to take-on the project of learning about the interests that define who you are. Make lists; keep a journal; track when your heart lights-up in excitement or, alternately, when your body is so exhausted by an activity that you can barely stay focused. Your own libido—your life force—will tell you a lot. Let it talk to you. The more you learn about what you are personally excited by--what you are inherently, instinctively interested in--the closer you will get to learning about a path that brings you joy.
Take risks as your explore. Try things that others don’t like but that have grabbed your attention. You have a path. Let your body and soul lead you to it.