How can I go forward when I don’t know which way I’m facing? (John Lennon)
Hitting mid-life and feeling stagnant? Coming out of the baby-raising years and not sure how to get your groove back? Whatever your situation, you’re not alone. There comes a time in most people’s lives when we feel a need to push our life stories into something worth talking about and worth remembering. But, alas, nothing great ever happened to someone while they sat around watching television – you must ACT. The biggest problem when embarking on a journey like this is simply not knowing which way to go first. How do we know where to point the compass in our heads when there is so much noise in life?
The answer is – you need perspective. You need to look top-down and standing back at situations to get the whole picture, or at least a different view of it. Here are five easy ways to get started:
1. Gathering What You Know
Use a legal pad, a Pinterest board, a cork board, post-it notes – whatever works for you. The idea is to pull together those things in your past that have shaped who you are in some artistic, creative, or motivational way.
For me, the list includes:
•memories of my hometown
•movies, old ones in particular
•music
•places I’ve vacationed that were out of the ordinary – castles, countryside, mountains
•celebrities that have inspired me
•old hobbies
•books I’ve read
•major life experiences – death in particular
Just looking at all of these lists in one place can be enlightening. Not just to see how far you’ve come in life, but to see some of the unrecognized steps that got you where you are today. What you are ultimately looking for is the experience, or collection of memories, that will take your head out of where you are NOW, and allow it to imagine a different reality.
2. Brainstorm Your Options
If you want to live a more interesting life, you need to ponder what that might look like. Allow yourself to think big. Could you move to another country? Change jobs? Maybe dramatically change your relationships in some way? Think about that bucket list you’ve had brewing. Is it finally time to fulfill a lifelong dream of backpacking through Europe or doing missionary work in Haiti? Could you explore an entirely new path or rekindle an old creative passion?
3. Remember Your Strengths
Make a list of things that make a dramatic life change possible for you. For example, speaking a different language, being financially secure, or being able to work remotely. Maybe you are really physically fit, have unique artistic talents, or advanced academic degrees. Whatever it is, focus on the positives for the moment.
4. Find Your Weakness
Now, determine what knowledge you need to acquire next. Is there an area of weakness or limitation? Is there a specific skills you’ve always wanted to learn, and now is finally the right time? Is there more digging and research needed? Do you need to raise funds or physically train?
5. Do Nothing (just kidding, that’s not really an option…you’ve come too far)
The key is to just get started. Like finding a job or birthing a baby, recognize that this is one of those things in life that you have to do for yourself – no one can do it for you. You have to want to make a change, and if you’ve read this far, it’s worth exploring, right? Now get up and go find yourself a pad of paper, or a white board, a notebook, a laptop, or whatever. Just get moving!