Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself - George Bernard Shaw
Start With Your Options
“What do I do with my life when I am not good at anything?” “How do I find a career that I won’t regret?”.
People have asked me these questions before and I feel like I’ve failed at giving good advice. Usually my first question back to them is, “what are your interests?”. Their response is usually similar to “I enjoy (insert hobby here) but I don’t really want to do that as a career”. This gives a good step to narrow down which subject or area they would potentially enjoy, but since I usually don’t know the different career options that exist, the conversation usually ends there.
I am here to redeem myself. Below are some fields that may help spark your interest.
Found At: Recruiter.com
Pick An Interest And Get Good At It
Realize that you need to have an open mind and explore your options. Once you get good at it, you’ll enjoy it more. Here are some videos that go more in depth on why you just need to start something. Anything.
Ikigai
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being”. The word refers to having a meaningful direction or purpose in life, constituting the sense of one’s life being made worthwhile, with actions taken towards achieving one’s ikigai resulting in satisfaction and a sense of meaning to life.
It is a claim by most Japanese people that this is the reason why they have such long lifespans. They find their Ikigai.
Ikigai is an overlap of all four areas – what you love, what you’re good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs. If you can find that, then you’ve found something fulfilling and sustainable.
Source
Some Concerns
I Don’t Want Others To View Me Differently
As long as your passion doesn’t break the law, I think you should still pursue it. Do you value your passion or your social life more?
Here is someone else in a similar situation: I’m So Sick Of Being Ashamed Of My Job
I Don’t Like Working With People
Unfortunately people are everywhere. A possible solution is to try flipping this situation on its head and learn to enjoy working with people. You can read some good advice in the top comment here: Good Careers For Someone Who Hates People. They mention “We can’t get away from people, but that’s something to be embraced, not feared”.
Otherwise you can try looking for a career that doesn’t involve working with a lot of people (such as a nighttime security guard), but that it something you’ll have to brainstorm for.
You Will Reach The Insecure Canyon
I have experienced this a lot. This happens when you start something new and have so much enthusiasm and awe, only to end up realizing that there is so much to learn that it becomes overwhelming. Remember that even the smartest people in the world were once in the canyon (and they may still feel that way). At this point you have two options:
- Give up. It’s okay to, don’t force yourself to do something that may be impossible for you.
- Keep trying. Continue pushing through, doing research and getting that motivation back.
Online Resources To Start Your Passion
It is easier than ever to get started on a new passion on the interwebs. Familiarize yourself with the people in your field with the links I’ve provided below. You can usually search up “life as a (insert interest here)” in google/youtube to find others in that field if you want to see others experience as well.
- Visit a job fair to get some inspiration.
- Good for starting a new skill as a beginner. I learned a lot of useful cooking techiniques here.
- I have yet to try it but it is something I’ll definitely be looking into.
- Unlike skillshare, the courses are bought individually. Never buy a course at full price, there are sales all the time.
- I did a couple of meetings with a drawing group. I heard it can be very useful in getting a good network though.