Question: What should I do with my life? Answer: Whatever makes you happiest.
For everyone who asks “What should I do with my life?” there is someone who responds by asking “What would you do if you had a million dollars?”
The question is supposed to identify what you would do if money was no object. Ideally, your answer is then used to help you determine what to do with your life. For instance, if you want to rebuild car engines all day, then you should be an auto mechanic. If you want to tend to your garden all day, then you should be a gardener. The desire to play piano all day means you should be a musician — and so on.
Although this “millionaire method” may help some people determine their life’s calling, it’s hardly perfect. The question often leads to answers that can’t be translated into a corresponding profession. “Pay off debt,” “Invest,” and “Travel” are all things that someone could do with a million dollars, but these replies provide little insight as to what they should do with their life.
Among these unhelpful replies was the one I always used: “I don’t know.”
I don’t know what I’d do if I had a million dollars. Furthermore, I don’t know why I don’t know. Maybe I complicate the question somehow — wondering when, or how it could happen. Maybe I get distracted by how preposterous the idea is that my mind never registers the actual question. Or maybe I’m unimaginative, and choose to say “I don’t know” for lack of a better answer.
Whichever the case, it’s clear that the millionaire method couldn’t help me. In time, I understood that was expected, because life isn’t that simple.
Everyone is unique. I’m unique. You’re unique. Consequently, it’s downright impossible to define a single, simple, and universally effective question that will identify everyone’s purpose in life. That’s why the millionaire method doesn’t work for everyone, and it’s for this same reason that so many other strategies for discovering your life’s purpose exist:
Steve Jobs suggests living each day as if it were your last.
Brian Kim suggests embracing your strengths.
Steve Pavlina suggests tweaking your life purpose until it makes you cry.
The thing is, when you’re searching for your life’s calling, you can’t rely on anyone else to tell you precisely what you’re searching for. They may offer advice to help advance your search, but it’s up to you to complete it.
I say this because no one else has experienced your unique experiences or ever will. The feelings you have are unique to you alone, and as such, no one else can possibly know what makes you happiest — only you do.
Therefore, the best advice I can offer you is to do whatever makes you happiest. You’re certain to know what it is once you’ve found it, because you’ll instinctively know that you’ll never be as happy doing anything else.
9 Responses to “Question: What should I do with my life? Answer: Whatever makes you happiest.”
Before you decide what you should do with your life, I would suggest to get informed. When you realize it’s not all about money and fame, your goals also change. Remember, you’re not your day job. You can still be a free artist, musician in your free time. Reward yourself with things you create, and not with things you buy.
What follows is not an answer, but here are some good thoughts about the question:
Don’t ask the millionaire question. Ask one that is just about the opposite. What would do for free every single day a year? I would fly as an unpaid job if given the option (and I could eat and maintain my family). I’d also play piano, and I’d lecture on self improvement. These are things that give me immense joy for free.
Patrick
http://stopdoingnothing.com
Shaun> How do you do it? The last couple of days, I started to ask myself: What should I do with my life?
And now you put up this article.
Once again you inspire me to move on with my life. Just last night, one of my friends again asked me (again!) to switch job over to where he works. And even with the higher pay and more interesting work, I haven’t been able to convince myself to switch job. I have been to lazy!
Reading this - and other of you writings - have made me to seriously think about accept his jobproposal.
Keep it up!
The millionaire question works for some people because they are motivated by money. If you are motivated by power it is the Bruce Almighty question: ‘What would you do if you can do anything?’
If you are motivated by prestige or reputation it’s the book question: ‘What is the title of your autobiography?’
If you are motivated by significance it’s the ‘What’s on your tombstone’ question.
None of these questions answers your question though because as Shaun says, we’re all unique.
What makes you happy, what do you get lost in, what would you do for free?
These are more questions - all tools. Here’s wjat I think. You do something today and if it does not feel right you do it different tomorrow. You do that every day until you get it right. And then you keep on adjusting that rightness to stay on course.
The big problem is with the question: “What should I do with my life?” You can’t answer it, you can only live it.
I agree with what you suggested - you should go after whatever makes you happiest. But since a large number of people have no earthly clue what makes them the happiest, first they have to figure out what that is. Then they can go about making a life-long career out of it.
Good advice, I think.
What we should be doing is what our passion is, and here are my tips for finding out what your passion. http://derrickkwa.blogspot.com.....sion.html.
Just thought I’d add my thoughts.
For most people, this is too big a question. Most people have enough trouble seeing to the end of the day, let along with the rest of their life.
For a good read, check out ‘The Art of Happiness’ by the Dali Lama. Sat down and read it the other day.
Essentially (and I’m no Buddhist) it is about doing things that make you happy!
Shaun,
You write “I say this because no one else has experienced your unique experiences or ever will.”
I disagree. I’m kind of a big deal in the karaoke world, but I would argue that many of the ’smaller fish’ have experienced the EXACT SAME heartbreak and elation that I have. From the boos on a bad night, to the approval of a drunken crowd on a good night… I would argue, it’s the same stuff over and over again. Never any better, never any worse. Maybe I’m just stuck in a moment and I can’t get out of it.
Love,
Your Uncle Bobby
http://www.bobbykaraoke.com/
What if you just don’t fit in anywhere?What if you are a born drifter? the millionaire question doesn’t work because a million quid would not give me the answer of what I am supposed to be, neither would the title of my autobiography etc, I’m not particuarly unique and have no idea what I am supposed to be doing. I’m an unemployed 25 year old woman with no direction, living with her parents in a poor seaside town on the south of England. I’m fucked.